Domino's reconsiders wrestling ad partnership after pizza cutter stunt
A Domino's ad followed a sequence that used a pizza slicer to cut a wrestler
A wrestling stunt involving a pizza-cutter has forced Domino’s Pizza to reconsider its advertising partnership with All-Elite Wrestling.
The AEW Dynamite Event on TNT featured a match between Chris Jericho and Nick Gage during which Gage used a pizza cutter on Jericho’s forehead.
Following the sequence, the first commercial to air was a Domino’s ad which featured a pizza cutter slicing into a fresh pizza, Front Office Sports reported.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPZ | DOMINO'S PIZZA INC. | 525.91 | +26.64 | +5.34% |
| PZRIF | PIZZA PIZZA ROYALTY INCOME FUND | 9.81 | +0.00 | +0.00% |
| WWE | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
Domino’s released a statement stressing that the company had no knowledge of what would happen during the match, and the stunt would force the company to consider pulling future adverts.
"We share the concerns expressed about this incident and the content of this TV-14 rated program, and are assessing our advertising presence on it going forward," said spokeswoman Jenny Fouracre-Petko.
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However, that didn’t stop fans from speculating that the ad placement was deliberate and part of an "integrated marketing" campaign, according to Insider.
Gage and Jericho also used light tubes and panes of glass as makeshift weapons during their match.
WarnerMedia’s ad sales team was trying to fix the situation, telling Domino’s it was an "unfortunate accident," according to FOS.
Gage tweeted out an apology Friday, saying he "didn’t meant to offend" Domino’s.
"Guess I’m too ultraviolent for TV," he wrote.
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Wednesday’s "No Rules" matchup broadcast drew 1.108 million viewers, making it the fourth-most watched event in AEW history.