In a highly anticipated head-to-head battle almost a year to the day since their last clash, WWE NXT emerged as the clear victor, outperforming AEW Dynamite across various key metrics.
Regarding viewership, NXT reigned supreme with 921,000 viewers, while Dynamite fell short with 609,000 viewers. In the critical 18-49 demographic, NXT secured a 0.30 rating, while Dynamite achieved a 0.26 rating. This marked a significant shift from their previous encounter, where NXT had 676,000 viewers, and Dynamite had 752,000 viewers.
We now have a more detailed breakdown of how the ratings played out, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
NXT excelled in viewership for every quarter, including seven quarters in the 18-49 demographic. In the cable ratings for the night, NXT ranked second, while AEW claimed the fourth spot. Both shows trailed behind ESPN in overall ratings.
Comparing these ratings to the previous week, NXT witnessed a notable increase of 7.5% in viewership, a substantial 37% surge in the 18-49 demographic, and an impressive 44.9% rise in the 18-34 demographic. In contrast, AEW experienced a decrease of 23.9% in viewers, a 4.9% dip in the 18-49 demographic, and a 21.7% drop in the 18-34 demographic, despite being broadcast on a different night.
Both shows appealed to diverse audiences, with NXT registering substantial increases in male viewership across various age groups. In contrast, AEW had a higher proportion of male viewers compared to NXT.
The combined viewership for wrestling on that Tuesday night outperformed 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, demonstrating better performance in the under-50 demographics.
Notably, both shows faced stiff competition from other major sporting events, including the NHL on ESPN and the MLB Playoffs on FOX, making their head-to-head clash even more challenging.
A breakdown of AEW Dynamite and NXT by quarters, including viewership and key demo stats for each segment, are as follows:
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)
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)