AEW World Champion and 2.Show host Kenny Omega returns with a special guest, Brandon Cutler. The guys will have some development updates to share. AEW is also teasing the reveal of a “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!”
AEW currently has three video games in development:
AEW Console Game
AEW Elite General Manager
AEW Casino: Double or Nothing
Check out the teaser announcement for Episode 2 below.
WWE is partnering with the A&E Network to produce a series of 2-hour biography films focusing on some of the most legendary Superstars in pro wrestling history.
The films air every week starting Sunday, April 18th at 8pm (Eastern). Wrestlers to be featured include:
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Macho Man Randy Savage
The Ultimate Warrior
Rowdy Roddy Piper
Bret Hart
Shawn Michaels
Mick Foley
Booker T
Elaine Frontain Bryant, EVP and Head of Programming, A&E Network, said in a press release, “For more than two decades, ‘Biography’ has been the home for premium non-fiction storytelling and we are excited to expand upon that with this all-encompassing partnership with WWE This one-of-a-kind collaboration gives viewers the ultimate ringside seat as we chronicle the journeys of these cultural icons and the memorabilia that follows.”
More information about each film can is available at Corporate.WWE.com.
WWE is also partnering with A&E on the launch of a new series, “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.” Stephanie McMahon and Triple H will lead a hunt for some of WWE’s most iconic missing memorabilia, including Kane’s original mask, Ric Flair’s Butterfly Robe, Andy Kaufman’s neckbrace, Andre The Giant’s passport and more.
In order to locate these priceless pieces of pro wrestling history, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will join forces with WWE legends including The Undertaker, Ric Flair and more.
WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures will air Sunday nights on A&E following the WWE Biography films.
Edge is going to WrestleMania. The Rated R Superstar won the Men’s Royal Rumble last month and earned the right to challenge the champion of his choice at WWE’s biggest event of the year.
His Rumble victory came nearly a month ago, but Edge has yet to announce if he will challenge WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Universal Champion Roman Reigns or NXT Champion Finn Balor.
Edge spoke to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated about the decision. He shared his thought process regarding each potential challenger.
“You need to start with Finn Balor,” said Edge. “He’s operating on an entirely different level in the ring right now than I’ve ever seen him perform. I love what he’s doing. With Finn, the story would be two guys who have wrestled all over the world, but never been in the same place at the same time. That’s very appealing to me.”
Drew McIntyre has taken a rocky road to the top and fought for everything he has. “A character like Edge would really respect Drew, so that type of match would be a different story and emotion, one based on mutual respect and who is the better man.”
Edge feels that Roman Reigns has finally ‘found his groove’ and is portraying the character everyone knew he could be.
“The handcuffs have been taken off, he’s being allowed to let this side out. Now you can see it and you can feel it. Knowing the kind of story we could create, I salivate over that. So look all those three options.”
His comments about Reigns finally being himself echo what Seth Rollins said about the Head of the Table earlier this week.
Whoever he picks, Edge says, “I’m in a position where I feel like I can’t go wrong.” He still can’t believe he is an active WWE Superstar after nearly a decade away from the ring. He never thought he’d have this opportunity again and is savoring every moment of this run.
Impact Wrestling star Heath Miller will undergo hernia surgery in a few weeks.
He’s been out of action for the past several months. We last saw him action at Bound for Glory in October, when he competed in the “Call Your Own Shot” Battle Royal.
Heath has been getting a lot of messages from wrestlers and concerned fans asking where he’s been. He tweeted a video message on Thursday addressing his condition.
He’s been visiting several doctors in hopes of getting a proper diagnosis and game plan for recovery. Heath revealed that he’s got a sports hernia on the left side of his pubic bone, another hernia on his right side, his abductor muscle is ripped off the bone and he’s got a rip in his abdomen wall on both sides.
“It’s a little bit of a mess,” he joked. He described the situation as “an up and down roller coaster ride of crap.”
Heath finally found a surgeon that will attempt to fix all of his ailments. The procedures are scheduled for March 1st.
You can check out Heath’s video message below. We wish him a speedy recovery!
NXT Champion Finn Balor was this week’s guest on the WWE After The Bell podcast.
Balor discussed his current run in NXT and revealed he initially thought he’d be there for just a few months. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Balor said of his time in NXT. “I was kind of under the impression that it was going to be a 3 month deal. Reboot Finn, reset and go back to RAW or go back to SmackDown, go back to things as normal.”
He added that things just evolved into something nobody expected, similar to how NXT has evolved as a brand. Sometimes, you have to know when to move from one chapter of your career to the next. Balor did this with his time wrestling in Europe, in Japan and in WWE.
“I don’t know what to expect going forward, I don’t know how long it’s going to last but I have to say, I’m super happy in NXT and there’s no reason for me to want to move anywhere in my career at this point.”
Randy Orton In NXT
Finn Balor was also asked which WWE Superstars he’d like to see in NXT. He said some fans might expect him to say Kevin Owens or Ricochet. However, he’d like to see Randy Orton on WWE’s black and gold brand.
“I feel like Randy could really bring NXT to the next level, with regards to the effect he’d have on the people around him in the locker room and in the ring, with his professionalism and his experience.”
Balor spoke fondly of his time working with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe, noting that he leaerned a lot from both of them during his first NXT run.
WWE Superstar Seth Rollins returned to SmacDown last week. The former Shield member went on hiatus in December to be with his wife Becky Lynch, who recently gave birth to their daughter, Roux.
During an appearance on WWE’s The Bump digital series, he discussed a variety of topics, including fatherhood and Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Rollins says he’s a bit confused by the way some fans reacted to his return on social media. Apparently some people thought fatherhood would have softened him up, but that’s not the case.
“[Maybe they thought] I was gonna come back, I don’t know, softer, in some way, that I was gonna be a bit of a snowflake, that being a dad was gonna make me a wimp, or it was gonna give me less conviction and that’s just not the case,” said Rollins.
“I’ve got this beautiful baby girl, and she is now the motivation for everything that I do. So I gotta double down, I gotta work harder, I gotta grind deeper to get where I wanna go. I’m not gonna sit back and pretend like I’m gonna come back and be a big softie. No, I’m gonna come back and double down on my beliefs and my convictions, not for me, but for her.”
Seth Rollins on Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has been on a tear over the past few months. Rollins says Reigns is “absolutely killing the game” and has finally doing things his way.
“He’s doing incredible things as the Head of the Table, the Universal Champion, representing SmackDown,” Rollins said of Reigns. “You know, as good as he can. It’s really an incredible thing to watch someone really take hold of their own belief system, of their own career.”
Roman Reigns is a guy who always ‘did the right thing’ and followed the path that was laid out before him in WWE, according to Rollins. That yielded mixed results, with fans rejecting him as the top star for several years.
“Now, he’s really marching to the beat of his own drummer. He’s really doing his own thing and it’s paying dividends. It’s like I said, you can’t back down when people want to push against you. That’s something that’s big in our society today, is people wanting to backtrack and not put their beliefs out there, cause they’re so afraid they’re going to get judged with this cancel culture that’s going on. You can’t do that. You’ve gotta put your foot down and move forward or no progress will be made.”
Major League Wrestling presents a special edition of MLW Fusion tonight, Filthy Island.
The following matches are announced for this broadcast:
Aztec Jungle Fight: Mil Muertes vs. Savio Vega
No Holds Barred: Low Ki vs. King Mo
Dominic Garrini vs. Mauna Loa
Rocky Romero vs. Gringo Loco
MLW Fusion premieres Wednesday nights on Fubo Sports, Pluto TV and the MLW YouTube Channel at 7pm (Eastern). The show is replayed Saturdays on beIN Sports at 10pm (Eastern).
Tony Khan is open to the possibility of AEW working with WWE.
Khan appeared on the WrestleFetish podcast this week and discussed AEW’s “open borders” policy. All Elite Wrestling currently has partnerships with Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. We are just scratching the surface of what these alliance will yield, but fans are wondering what other companies could get involved.
The elephant in the room is WWE, the world’s largest and most profitable wrestling promotion. Tony Khan was asked if AEW would be receptive to working with WWE or NXT. He was very receptive.
“They are more than welcome,” Khan said about working with WWE. “As I have said, the forbidden door is open anytime. Just come and knock. If they were to knock on the door, then I would certainly be willing to let them in.”
Tony Khan Open To Working With WWE
The hosts were surprised by Khan’s answer. They referenced WWE’s ‘invasion’ of WCW Monday Nitro at the height of the Monday Night Wars. Eric Bischoff did not permit WWE Superstars to appear on Nitro that fateful night, but things would be different if WWE or NXT talent showed up at an AEW event.
“Come in, please!” Khan continued. “I would love that. I would love that. Come to Jacksonville, I’m begging you. I would love it.”
WWE’s Position
WWE knows AEW is making waves by partnering with Impact and New Japan. Triple H recently stated that people have ‘misperceptions’ about WWE’s willingness to work with other promotions.
“Are we open to the right business opportunities? Yeah, at any given time we’re open to things,” he said during the NXT Takeover: WarGames post-show media event. “It just depends on what they are and if they’re beneficial to us in the long-term.”
Triple H referenced the “best for business” attitude, stating that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is “open to anything” if it makes business sense.
“Open for business, I think Vince says that a lot and I’ve been around him long enough that if it’s the right thing and meaningful to business, he’s open to anything.”
Former WWE Superstar CM Punk has his eye on a few of All Elite Wrestling’s top young stars.
On Friday afternoon, Punk held an #AskPunk Q&A session on Twitter. Unsurprisingly, he was asked about AEW. User @HEELPags wrote, “What current wrestler in AEW would he most like to work with IF he ever came back?”
CM Punk named five AEW wrestlers that he sees having potential. Whether this means ‘potential’ to work with, or ‘potential’ to have successful careers, is open to interpretation. He named:
Powerhouse Hobbs of Team Taz
AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin
Brian Pillman, Jr. of the Varsity Blonds
Ricky Starks of Team Taz
Jungle Boy
I see five guys that have potential. Hobbs, Darbs, Pillman, Starks, Jungle Boy. And that’s not to say there are others, but those guys stick out.
John Cena and Nicole Byer are hosts for Wipeout, an obstacle course game show premiering on TBS Thursday, April 1st.
TBS has posted released an updated synopsis for the show, along with the official trailer.
“Hosted by multifaceted megastar John Cena and Nicole Byer, with Camille Kostek serving as field host, the all-new 20-hour series takes viewers on a white-knuckle ride, featuring new course elements that will push contestants’ athleticism, endurance and determination to even greater extremes as they fight to win the grand cash prize.
The new season of Wipeout will feature new format twists and elements that will push the athleticism and willpower of each contestant pairing to even greater extremes, all while delivering more than a few epic fails. Each game has been designed into three rounds and now features a jaw-dropping, three-stage, obstacle course consisting of multiple strategy and decision points designed to test the stamina of the competitors. The series’ iconic big balls also make a return, bringing many laughs and surprises along the way for fans.”
John Cena has two inspirational books coming out in April. You can pre-order them both on Amazon:
NXT Champion Finn Balor spoke to the New York Post to promote NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day, which airs live this Sunday on the WWE Network. Balor spoke about defending the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne, recovering from a broken jaw and more.
Balor feels like he’s working on ‘a little different frequency’ lately, when talking about his ring work. He says NXT matches feel like real fights, which is the way he was trained to wrestle in the UK.
“It’s something that kind of suits my style more,” Balor said. “I feel like maybe I was guilty of trying to please too many people at once and not really please myself in the past with some of my performances and I’ve gone back to what I really like in the ring, which is kind of like scrappy, gritty, mat wrestling, not too much high flying, not too much outside the ring and really get back to basics. That’s really what I’ve been focusing on is going back to.”
WWE presents a very specific type of wrestling on Raw and SmackDown. The wrestlers have to be hyper-aware of the fact that they are on television, play to the camera and strive for that “fight forever” moment. NXT is more of a “back to basics” style. Finn Balor says he made a conscious effort to get back to his technical roots and he feels more comfortable.
NXT Champion Finn Balor
Finn Balor on His Perfect Opponent
Balor defends the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne this Sunday at NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day. Balor says Pete Dunne is a great matchup for him, but he considers everyone his perfect opponent.
“I’ll find a way or I’ll work around regardless of their style, whether it’s Damian Priest who has a very distinct style, Gargano has a distinct style, Matt Riddle, Timothy Thatcher who has a completely different style and we tore it up. I feel like for me the real challenge has been being able to adapt and kind of swim in the current of these guys’ different styles.”
Pete’s style is kind of very similar to where I’m at right now in the ring. So I think it’s either gonna be a clash or it’s gonna complement each other (laughs). So I don’t how the match is gonna look. It could either be great or it could be terrible. But Pete is someone who I’ve respected in the ring for a long time.”
Lasting Effects of his Broken Jaw
Finn Balor says he’s still dealing with the lasting effects of breaking his jaw last year. He is still in pain, grinds his teeth a lot and is very reluctant to take any strikes to the face.
“One thing that still hasn’t come back is the feeling in my bottom lip,” said Balor “It’s still numb. It’s like I’ve been to the dentist and you get that shot. Pretty much my bottom lip down to my chin I’ve still got no feeling, but the doctors are a little hopeful that might come back in a couple of months. They say nerves take a little longer to heal. Sometimes you’ll see me out there now if I’m doing a promo licking my bottom lip more or I’ll be rubbing it a little bit. It still feels like there’s Novocain in there and it’s numb.”
Finn Balor fractured his jaw in October 2020
Finally, Finn Balor discussed the possibility of defending the NXT Championship at WrestleMania. It sounds like a cool idea, but NXT typically holds Takeover events during WrestleMania. If it means that the NXT Championship match would have to take place at WrestleMania instead of Takeover, he’d rather not do that.
“Once we’re protecting the NXT brand without having it diluted by the big show at WrestleMania it’s something I’d be willing to do. If there’s the possibility of defending the title back to back nights, TakeOver and WrestleMania, then I’m all for it.”
WWE Superstars Keith Lee and Mia Yim are engaged to be married.
Yim announced the news on social media Thursday afternoon. She posted a photo of them together, including a look at the engagement ring. She included the caption, “I said yes. Mr. & Mrs. Lee”
Mia Yim has been out of action since recently testing positive for Covid-19. She announced her diagnosis prior to the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Keith Lee was off television for about three weeks and missed the Rumble out of precaution. He returned to WWE this week on Raw. He will be compete at Elimination Chamber later this month.
SEScoops extends our congratulations to Keith Lee and Mia Yim!
TV ratings are in for for the February 10th editions of AEW Dynamite and NXT. Both shows were “in the mud” this week due to extensive news coverage of former US President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. 19 of the top 20 shows on cable were cable news on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.
Here’s the Wednesday Night War breakdown for February 10th, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 741,000 viewers, 0.29 rating, 21st in demo
NXT: 558,000 viewers, 0.12 rating, 62nd in demo
AEW was down 12.2% in viewership and 9.4% in the A18-49 demo. NXT was down 8.52% in viewership and 20% in the demo.
If there is a silver lining to be found, AEW Dynamite was the #2 non-news program on cable, behind only Challenge on MTV. They outdrew the NBA’s Lakers vs. Thunder game, which was competitive and went into overtime (Lakers won 114-113).
You can check out our Results and Takeaways from both shows here:
WWE Superstar Braun Strowman reveals he’s been dealing with a scary medical episode over the past week.
The 6-foot-8 montser posted some videos on his Instagram story detailing the situation.
Strowman says he got “really sick” over the weekend. He developed some sort of infection that entered his blood stream, which can be very dangerous. He’s been taking antibiotics, but admits, “it’s been awful.”
He has dropped about 15 pounds this week, but feels like he’s gained 50 pounds of water weight. He complained about his joints being swollen and is itching to get back to training.
Thankfully, doctors have told him the antibiotics are working and he is feeling a little better.
Strowman just returned to WWE television in late January after being out since November due to a leg injury.
A new one-hour weekly TV show from IMPACT Wrestling – BEFORE THE IMPACT – will debut next Tuesday, February 16, on AXS TV, it was announced last night.
‘BTI’ will air at 7pm ET/4pm PT every Tuesday night on AXS TV® as a lead-in to the action-packed flagship IMPACT! show which airs at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
Nashville-based sportscaster Jon Burton will be BTI’s host. The NewsChannel5 anchor will be joined by reporters Gia Miller and Josh Mathews.
Mathews, who also serves as BTI’s senior producer, said: “BTI will feature in-depth previews of the biggest matches, exclusive interviews with IMPACT Wrestling stars, behind-the-scenes access you won’t see anywhere else and an exclusive match each week.”
BTI will feature exclusive news on the pro-wrestling industry from insider George Iceman – the “Iceman’s Intel” segment is expected to be a highlight of BTI.
“BEFORE THE IMPACT will be IMPACT Wrestling’s version of a pregame show,” said IMPACT Executive Vice-President Scott D’Amore. “Fans have been asking for more IMPACT action on AXS TV and we’re excited to debut a new show and format with BTI.”
The premiere installment of BEFORE THE IMPACT will feature a collision between Team XXXL and the recently reformed, new-look Decay.
Decay (Rosemary, Crazzy Steve & Black Taurus) vs. XXXL (Acey Romero & Larry D) & Tenille Dashwood
Matt Cardona & Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers & Hernandez
X-Division #1 Contender Triple Threat Revolver Match: Daivari vs. Suicide vs. Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel vs. Chris Bey vs. Josh Alexander vs. Blake Christian
Jordynne Grace, Jazz & ODB vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee & Susan
Cody Deaner vs. Jake Something
Ahead of No Surrender, check out our recap from Tuesday night’s “go home” edition of Impact on AXS:
All Elite Wrestling returns to Jacksonville, FL tonight with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
This week’s show will feature the in-ring debut of NJPW star KENTA, the first match in the Women’s World Title Eliminator tournament, a TNT Championship defense by Darby Allin, Chris Jericho teaming with MJF and much more.
The following items are advertised for AEW Dynamite:
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and KENTA vs. IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley and Lance Archer
TNT Champion Darby Allin vs. Joey Janela
Chris Jericho & MJF vs. The Acclaimed
Thunder Rosa vs. Leyla Hirsch (Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament)
Cody Rhodes & Lee Johnson vs. Cezar Benoni and “Pretty” Peter Avalon
PAC vs. “Hollywood Hunk” Ryan Nemeth
Plus, we’ll also hear from Sting and “Hangman” Adam Page.
Check back here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways feature.
All Elite Wrestling is set to release two new music albums next month.
Producer Mikey Rukus announced that a “Double AEW Album Release” is scheduled for Friday, March 5th.
One of the albums will feature theme music from AEW’s top women’s competitors. These are the songs we’ve heard on AEW programming.
The other album will be comprised of “8-bit” remixes of popular AEW theme songs. What exactly does an 8-bit theme song sound like? Unrelated to these official AEW releases, producer J.D. Spears has composed a bunch of 8-bit entrance themes on his YouTube channel. Listen here to get an idea of what the official Cody Rhodes 8-bit theme might sound like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7tGTJuFG6A
Below you can find the announced tracks for each album. Mikey Rukus noted on Twitter that these track lists are incomplete, so expect a few more songs to be added to each album by release day.
The road to WrestleMania continues with WWE’s next pay-per-view event, Elimination Chamber.
The big news coming out of Monday’s Raw was Shane McMahon returning to announce the show’s main event. We now have three matches confirmed. The following matches are set for the PPV:
WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. AJ Styles
United States Championship Match: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Riddle vs. Keith Lee
RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka vs. (c) Lacey Evans (w/Ric Flair)
With less than two weeks until the event, expect to see more match announcements on Friday’s SmackDown.
WWE Elimination Chamber takes place Sunday, February 21st from the ThunderDome in St. Petersburg, Florida. The event will air live on the WWE Network.
AEW star Jon Moxley and KENTA of New Japan Pro Wrestling will share a ring at least twice this month. According to Moxley, it’s almost time for KENTA to pay for all the trash talking he’s done.
This Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, Moxley and Lance Archer team up against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and KENTA. The match is historic for multiple reasons. Most notably, it’s the first time a talent contracted with NJPW will wrestle for AEW.
The match will serve as an ‘appetizer’ to the main course – when Jon Moxley defends the IWGP United States Championship against KENTA at NJPW New Beginning USA on February 26th.
Jon Moxley Ready for KENTA
Jon Moxley recently spoke with New Japan Pro Wrestling about the upcoming title defense. The master of the Paradigm Shift / Death Rider says it’s almost time for KENTA to pay for all his trash talking.
“People like to talk a lot of trash, and people are running around with briefcases, and contracts, and they’re fighting over the right to be the United Stated champion and hold that belt or whatever,” said Moxley. “I still hold that belt, so that’s my belt. You’re going to have to beat me in the ring for it.”
Moxley continued by saying that running your mouth can make you a lot of money in this business. It can also bring upon you a world of pain you might not be able to handle.
“When I get into the ring with KENTA, sh*t’s going to go down, and he’s going to have to answer for all this stuff that he said with his mouth,” he said. “And you know, your mouth can make you a lot of money in this business, but your mouth can really cause you a lot of pain and torture and pain, blues, and agony in this business you know when you overstep your boundaries with the words that come out of your mouth.”
You can watch Jon Moxley’s comments about KENTA in the player embedded below:
WWE returns to the ThunderDome tonight for a new live episode of Monday Night Raw.
The following items are advertised for the broadcast:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will face Randy Orton in a non-title match.
How will McIntyre respond to Sheamus giving him a Brogue Kick last week? WWE.com asks, “With an inevitable title clash on the horizon, what will Drew McIntyre have to say to his former best friend?”
Charlotte Flair and Lacey Evans will come face-to-face. For more on the Charlotte Flair / Lacey Evans segment, check out the WWE website preview below:
WWE legends John Cena and Batista appeared in commercials that aired during Sunday’s NFL Super Bowl game.
John Cena appeared in an ad for the Mountain Dew Major Lemon soft drink. As seen below, fans are encouraged to count the number of Major Lemon bottles that appear in the ad for a chance to win $1 million.
Batista appeared in an ad for Rocket Mortgage along with comedy great Tracey Morgan. “Watch Tracy Morgan, Dave Bautista and Liza Koshy in our Super Bowl LV commercial prove that from murder hornets to buying a home, certain is better – way better.”
https://youtu.be/EMgA-y2nRWE
AEW Stars at Super Bowl LV
Several people from All Elite Wrestling (AEW) were in attendance for the big game. AEW President Tony Khan, Le Champion Chris Jericho, Cody and Brandi Rhodes were all on site for the festivities.
The Raw Superstar has been campaigning for a match against Brock Lesnar for the past several years. He’s called out Lesnar in countless interviews and vowed to retire the former WWE Champion. The two even had a backstage altercation last year at the Royal Rumble. Brock Lesnar no longer under contract with WWE, which makes the match even less likely.
Riddle is now turning his attention to Parker Boudreaux, whom some have dubbed “Baby Brock” due to his uncanny resemblance to the Beast Incarnate. Boudreaux was a standout college football player at the Universal of Central Florida prior to signing with WWE.
Riddle expressed interest in working with Parker Boudreaux on Friday. In tweet sent out to his 200,00+ followers, Riddle couldn’t help taking a dig at Brock Lesnar in the process. He wrote, “He looks just like Brock Lesnar but younger and doesn’t hate me enough to refuse a match with me yet, Awesome!”
Boudreaux responded with a playful emoji, an indication that he might be open to sharing a ring with the former UFC fighter.
AEW Dynamite scored a decisive win over NXT this week in the Wednesday Night War. Both shows were unusually close last week, but Beach Break helped propel Dynamite back to a comfortable margin of 200,000+ viewers over NXT.
Here is this week’s breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 844,000 viewers, 0.32 rating (A18-49), 3rd in the demo on cable for the night
NXT: 610,000 viewers, 0.15 rating (A18-49), 51st in the demo on cable for the night
Beach Break featured several high-profile matches that were promoted weeks in advance. Chris Jericho and MJF won the tag team battle royal to earn a title shot against the Young Bucks at Revolution, Penelope Ford and Kip Sabian’s wedding [predictably] ended in chaos and the 6-man tag main event delivered in a big way. The show closed with the surprise debut of NJPW star Kenta, who will be in action next week.
NXT featured an appearance by WWE legend and Royal Rumble winner Edge, so the viewership drop is disappointing. The show also saw Dusty Rhodes tag team classic tournament matches and more.
Check out our results and takeaways articles from both shows:
