AEW Dynamite Scores HUGE Ratings Win Over NXT
But that's not the main story. WWE Monday Night RAW got a little cooked this week...
Wednesday's AEW Dynamite scored a stunning ratings success on the strength of the Winter Is Coming fallout.
In overall viewership, AEW massacred NXT in whatever remains of the Wednesday Night War by 995,000 to 659,000. The overall total represented a major increase over Winter Is Coming itself, which can only be read as a measure of that show's success, on which AEW debuted Sting and revealed the seismic plot twist of Kenny Omega's association with Don Callis and Impact Wrestling. Gauging by the number - and the success of Impact's wild, coveted 18-34 demo win over NXT - the wrestling world was keen to feel the reverberations. AEW Dynamite was #2 in all of cable, and #1 in males 18-49, and scored a very impressive 0.45 in persons 18-49.
Nostalgia is a short-term injection, traditionally. Moreover, while brilliantly performed, Kenny Omega's promo wasn't too dissimilar to that which he cut on Tuesday night. Plot developments were teased, but the angle didn't explode into a new chapter. These could be perceived as concerns ahead of next week.
However, delving into the granular data reveals that it is WWE, not AEW, who should be alarmed. Last night's Dynamite (0.45) was very, very close to Monday's RAW (.51) in 18-49 - and that is with competition. One network is paying considerably more money for one property than the other network is paying for the other.
This is the clearest indication yet that a paradigm shift is happening.