WWE Subtly Warns AEW About Celebrating Success Too Early

It was the first night of “Wednesday Night Wars” on Oct. 2 between All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after AEW’s Dynamite and WWE’s NXT aired on television for the first time. The former came out on top in the viewership stakes with TNT beating the USA Network and promptly received congratulations from WWE but with a subtle dig.

AEW had only held live shows since its launch and Dynamite was its first live show that was taped for television after their deal with Turner Network. WWE’s NXT was aired exclusively on the WWE Network thus far but after AEW’s deal with TNT, they decided to move NXT to a two-hour slot on USA Network and ensured it was aired on Wednesday.

According to Nielson Ratings, AEW’s Dynamite attracted 1.409 million viewers compared to NXT’s 891,000 viewers, which is a big win for the new promotion. It should also be noted, and what should be more of a concern is NXT’s views were down 11 percent compared to last week.

Moreover, with regard to the key demographic of 18-49 age group, AEW Dynamite bagged a 0.68 rating with 878,000 views, while NXT drew a 0.32 rating with 414,000 views. The shows ranked at #2 and #10 for Oct. 2, respectively.

WWE chairman Vince McMahon has always ensured that his promotion remains on top of the food chain and has shown that he willing to go to any lengths to preserve the company’s place at the top. He has acknowledged AEW’s threat in terms of offering pro-wrestlers lucrative contracts and better roles, which prompted WWE to begin contract negotiations with a number of stars to ensure they do not jump ship.

However, despite the rivalry, WWE released a statement congratulating AEW on the success of Dynamite but the statement came with a subtle dig about the viewership numbers and made it clear they will fight for supremacy on Wednesday nights. WWE already has two successful television shows in Monday Night Raw and Tuesday Night SmackDown, which from this week will move to Friday night on Fox Network.

“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 statement read.