WWE Comments On AEW: Dynamite Debut

3 years ago by Liam Winnard

PWInsider received the following statement from WWE regarding the first episode of AEW: Dynamite last night that went head to head with WWE NXT:

“Congratulations to AEW on a successful premiere. The real winners of last night’s head-to-head telecasts of NXT on USA Network and AEW on TNT are the fans, who can expect Wednesday nights to be a competitive and wild ride as this is a marathon, not a one-night sprint.”

The final viewership numbers aren’t yet in, but early indications are very strong for AEW, with early market ratings indicating somewhere between 1.5 and 1.7 million viewers for the inaugural episode.

NXT played host to a fair few surprises, with Finn Balor returning to the brand, and Tommaso Ciampa doing the same following an injury layoff.

There were also three title matches, all of which ended with the champions retaining their titles as Adam Cole beat Matt Riddle, Shayna Baszler defeated Candice LeRae, and Undisputed Era overcame the Street Profits.

AEW on the other hand was less stacked with surprises, but more about setting out what viewers can expect going forward.

Riho was crowned the first ever AEW Women’s World Champion, and Jake Hager made his debut aligning himself with World Champion Chris Jericho, Santana, Ortiz and Sammy Guevara.

Stay tuned to WrestleTalk.com as we’ll have final ratings for both AEW: Dynamite and NXT when they’re available.