Big news, folks—huge news! WWE’s NXT made its grand debut on broadcast television, and let me tell you, The CW is popping champagne over this one. It was like someone hit the ratings jackpot and yelled, “It’s a ratings SLAM!”
Here’s what happened: The CW’s big Tuesday night gamble paid off in a yuuge way. According to those wonderful nerds at Wrestlenomics, NXT pulled in 895,000 viewers, a 44% increase over last week’s finale on USA Network. And, folks, I mean a real demographic smackdown—an impressive 0.26 in the coveted 18-49 age range. That’s a 37% spike! The kind of numbers that make executives at The CW look around and say, “Who needs scripted dramas when we’ve got suplexes?”
Now, The CW wasn’t shy, either. They put out a press release so full of celebration, you’d think they just won the World Title. “Triple-digit increases!” they shouted from the rooftops. Total viewers up 143% compared to their usual Tuesday night snooze fest. You see, when people tune in for body slams instead of mid-season sci-fi plotlines, magic happens.
And the network didn’t stop there, boasting that the debut episode was the #1 telecast on The CW this year for adults 25-54 (406,000) and 18-49 (354,000). Look, they love their numbers, folks, and they’ll tell you this was a win. They’ll tell you again, and then tell you one more time for good measure.
It wasn’t all perfect, though. With NXT now on The CW, they’ve gotta hustle—no overruns allowed—thanks to local news at 10 p.m. So, the wrestlers have to wrap it up quicker than a heel sprinting from a post-match beatdown. But hey, if you can get nearly a million viewers locked in without an overrun, you’re doing something right.
In a show that aired from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, just outside of Chicago (because nothing says “big time” like Chicago), next week looks just as packed. Titles on the line, and a showdown between Je’Von Evans and the Randy Orton? It’s like Christmas came early for wrestling fans.