Chris Jericho Shoots On The AEW/NXT Ratings War
The Demogod worked the internet into a fit last night.
The Demogod has risen.
Last night's AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen saw Chris Jericho start his pre-advertised in-ring promo with comments on the Wednesday night ratings war, following on from his and Tony Khan's tweets on overall viewership vs. the 18-49 demographic last week.
Jericho said that as well as winning his match with Orange Cassidy, "I also won the ratings." Adding that he won every week, Le Champion pointed out that the 18-49 demo is more significant than overall viewership and that he had never been defeated in this department, declaring his supremacy. The segment then moved towards Cassidy, with 'Freshly Squeezed' dousing Jericho and The Inner Circle in orange juice to close.
The promo's content was pointed and likely designed to get people worked up online, given the feisty response to Jericho and Khan's tweets. Here's the thing about it: he's dead right. There's a reason television shows are ranked by their 18-49 rating, not their overall viewership, with the demo now the preferred metric of success for networks and advertisers.
Wrestlenomics' Brandon Thurston's excellent writeup on 18-49 vs. overall viewership is a must-read for anyone looking to learn more on this subject.