Why AEW And NXT Will BEAT WWE RAW In 2020
Wednesday Night is Wrestling Night!
The ratings are in for another week, and we can confirm that...yes...Wednesday Nights are still absolutely fantastic and the numbers are finally starting to reflect it!
As it happens (and as of this writing), AEW Dynamite continued an impressive run over NXT, registering 947,000 viewers against the black-and-gold brand's 700,000. Within the context of of the Wednesday Night War, this was particularly encouraging for All Elite Wrestling having just secured a new deal with TNT that will see them through to 2023. The new contract reflects expansion, which wouldn't have been echoed by a lousy number or a thrashing from WWE's third brand. NXT, meanwhile, shouldn't feel the need to press the panic button - numbers were higher and solidly so before a Christmas break left them on the back foot again. There is time and (presumably limitless) resource to rectify this current run and plenty of precedent to suggest they will, adding more competitive fire to this already-awesome pro wrestling inferno.
Because that's what's happening here. The explosiveness of early October has subsided but the excitement that comes from high quality wrestling programming remains. As it should - it's been worked for by two warring products that may have a bigger enemy beyond each other.
The weekly ratings discussion lends itself to a bit of armchair analysis, so here's a little more - both brands put forth below-average offerings on January 8th, but retained most of their audience the following week. It speaks to the first obvious pattern of 2020 and it's the one the discerning wrestling fanbase has been desperate to see for over two decades - good pro wrestling equals good ratings.
Not least when you add them together.
CONT'D...