Why AEW And NXT Will BEAT WWE RAW In 2020

The 1,647,000 combined viewers tuning in to NXT and AEW on January 15th were likely satisfied with what they saw. Two excellent shows serviced both fanbases brilliantly, promising even more good stuff in the weeks and months to come.

This was a week for Wednesday Night wrestling fans - as many have been since October. Monday's Raw registered 2,003,000 viewers in comparison (or, not. Not yet, anyway...) meaning both AEW and NXT need only garner a further 180,000 viewers each next week to stand a chance of beating it. Will it happen? Perhaps not yet? Can it? Absolutely.

The numbers massage the truth, but they don't lie. Week One's astronomical figures saw the shows combine to bring in a healthy 2,300,000 fans, but it wasn't a benchmark they could meet without novelty. These recent figures are earned - a reflection of fans that have invested in the stories, characters and matches and put the trust of their free time into spending time with one show or the other. Similarly, asking both brands to gain 180,000 viewers from last week's totals alone wouldn't be a stretch. NXT would need to land on 880,000, something it's managed twice thus far on weeks with far less to talk about than an impending TakeOver-sized supercard. AEW's hill (1,127,000) is higher to climb, but they too have managed it twice before. And the next Dynamite is on a f*cking boat!

This, fundamentally, is Why AEW and NXT WILL beat Raw in 2020 - because they did in 2019 long before the layout of either show was all that clear. Momentum creates momentum, and it won't be too long before both shows have it in abundance. Viewing habits and perceptions are changing, as is patience for a p*ss poor product. When WWE overturned WCW's lead in 1998, it took a solid year of the show being subjectively better. Vince would do to remember that before dismissing the opposition (and a third brand he doesn't watch) as little more than a midweek flash in the pan.