AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT faced off almost a year to the day since their last head-to-head clash, and the results were notably different this time, with NXT thrashing Dynamite.
The following notes are courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
NXT emerged victorious with 921,000 viewers and a 0.30 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, marking a significant shift from the previous year. In contrast, Dynamite had 609,000 viewers and a 0.26 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, with a 0.20 rating in the 18-34 demographic. These figures were a contrast to their previous encounter where NXT had 676,000 viewers and Dynamite had 752,000 viewers.
NXT secured the win in terms of viewership for each quarter, including seven quarters in the 18-49 demographic. In cable ratings for the night, NXT ranked second, while AEW came in at fourth, with both shows trailing behind ESPN. When compared to the prior week, NXT saw an increase of 7.5% in viewers, 37% in the 18-49 demographic, and a substantial 44.9% in the 18-34 demographic. In contrast, AEW experienced a decrease of 23.9% in viewers, 4.9% in the 18-49 demographic, and 21.7% in the 18-34 demographic, even though it was broadcast on a different night.
Both shows catered to diverse audiences, with notable increases in male viewership across various age groups for NXT. In contrast, AEW had a higher proportion of male viewers compared to NXT. The combined viewership for wrestling on that Tuesday night was higher than the previous year, with a total of 1,530,000 viewers, 742,000 in the key 18-49 demographic, and 292,000 in the 18-34 demographic. This marked an increase in viewership from the previous year and demonstrated better performance in the under-50 demographics.
It’s important to note that both shows faced competition from other major sporting events, such as the NHL on ESPN and the MLB Playoffs on FOX, adding to the challenges they encountered during their head-to-head clash.
Here’s a breakdown of AEW Dynamite and NXT by quarters, revealing the viewership and key demographic statistics for each segment of the shows:
AEW Dynamite (10/10):
Q1: Christian Cage promo/Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland – 731,000 viewers, 365,000 in 18-49
Q2: End of Danielson vs. Strickland/Chris Jericho vs. Powerhouse Hobbs – 655,000 viewers (down 76,000), 375,000 in 18-49 (up 10,000)
Q3: End of Jericho vs. Hobbs/Adam Cole, Roderick Strong & The Kingdom segment/Orange Cassidy vs. Rey Fenix – 673,000 viewers (up 18,000), 400,000 in 18-49 (up 25,000)
Q4: End of Cassidy vs. Fenix/Toni Storm video/Wardlow vs. Matt Sydal/Jericho & Daniel Garcia segment/Jay White vs. Hangman Page – 589,000 viewers (down 84,000), 353,000 in 18-49 (down 47,000)
Q5: End of White vs. Page/MJF promo – 549,000 viewers (down 40,000), 333,000 in 18-49 (down 20,000)
Q6: End of MJF & Bullet Club Gold segment/Toni Storm video – 557,000 viewers (up 8,000), 346,000 in 18-49 (up 13,000)
Q7: Hikaru Shida vs. Saraya/Don Callis & Konosuke Takeshita segment – 556,000 viewers (down 1,000), 315,000 in 18-49 (down 31,000)
Q8: MJF & The Acclaimed segment/Christian Cage promo/Adam Copeland vs. Luchasaurus – 559,000 viewers (up 3,000), 319,000 in 18-49 (up 4,000)
Overrun: End of Copeland vs. Luchasaurus – 606,000 viewers (up 7,000), 311,000 in 18-49 (down 8,000)
WWE NXT:
Q1: Cody Rhodes, Dominik Mysterio & Ilja Dragunov segment – 991,000 viewers, 426,000 in 18-49
Q2: Asuka vs. Roxanne Perez/Gallus vs. Tyler Bate & Brawling Brutes – 956,000 viewers (down 35,000), 433,000 in 18-49 (up 7,000)
Q3: End of Gallus vs. Brutes/Becky Lynch & Lyra Valkyria segment – 861,000 viewers (down 95,000), 360,000 in 18-49 (down 73,000)
Q4: John Cena & Bron Breakker segment – 909,000 viewers (up 48,000), 396,000 in 18-49 (up 36,000)
Q5: Cody Rhodes & The Family segment/Baron Corbin promo/Ilja Dragunov vs. Dominik Mysterio with guest referee LA Knight – 958,000 viewers (up 49,000), 408,000 in 18-49 (up 12,000)
Q6: End of Dragunov vs. Mysterio/Cena, Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams segment/Jade Cargill & Shawn Michaels segment/Rhodes & Corbin segment/Mysterio, Rhea Ripley & Nathan Frazier segment – 914,000 viewers (down 44,000), 385,000 in 18-49 (down 23,000)
Q7: Lola Vice vs. Dani Palmer/Chase U segment/Breakker & Paul Heyman segment/Cena & Hayes segment/Brian Pillman Jr video – 887,000 viewers (down 27,000), 371,000 in 18-49 (down 14,000)
Q8: Asuka, Tiffany Stratton, Blair Davenport & Fallon Henley segment/Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker – 866,000 viewers (down 21,000), 372,000 in 18-49 (up 1,000)
Overrun: End of Breakker vs. Hayes/Undertaker segment – 960,000 viewers (up 94,000), 422,000 in 18-49 (up 50,000)
