NXT Viewership Is Reportedly Way Down

WWE does not release specific numbers on how their Network shows are performing, but Dave Meltzer at The Wrestling Observer often lays out their top 10 most watched shows for the week in his newsletter.

The data he's gathered for NXT is troubling, as he has reported that viewership is "way down."

For last week, NXT came in at No. 9 for their video on demand requested shows. Clash of Champions came in at first, which is no surprise, but NXT was beaten out by Table for 3 (with Big Show, Kane and Mark Henry), Legends With JBL and Ride Along. So yes, Mark Henry eating a meal was watched by more people than Hideo Itami vs. Lance Dorado.

There is likely a few reasons as to why interest in NXT is down. For starters, so many names have left since the brand split (Finn Balor, Enzo Amore, Big Cass, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Apollo Crews, Chad Gable, Jason Jordan) that it feels like a completely different show than a year ago.

Also of note is that Ryan Ward, who was the former head writer, was promoted to SmackDown. He received a lot of praise for his work in NXT, and in his absence the storylines as a whole haven't been as interesting. Then there's the fact that with SmackDown moving to Tuesday, many fans just don't want to spend three nights in a row watching first run wrestling.

The developmental brand may be able to turn things around once again, but for many, it's just not must see television at the moment.