AEW’s empty-arena show soundly defeated WWE NXT’s empty-arena show as both brands took differing approaches to their presentation of pro wrestling amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
AEW featured the debuts of Brodie Lee (f.k.a. Luke Harper) and Matt Hardy on a wrestling-heavy episode originally scheduled to air from the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. Lee was revealed as The Exalted One in a payoff to a long-term storyline that deserves at least partial credit for AEW’s big ratings jump.
WWE NXT featured no live wrestling and instead aired well-done long-form video packages to promote feuds between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano; Finn Balor and WALTER and Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair.
Dynamite drew an average viewership of 932,000, up 22% from 766,000 last week. Dynamite came in at No. 20 in the Top 150 original cable telecasts among the 18-49 demographic. WWE NXT garnered just 542,000 viewers, down 22% from 697,000 last week, coming in at No. 81 in the 18-49 demo.
AEW Dynamite vs. WWE NXT: Wednesday, March 18, 2020
- AEW Dynamite Total Viewership—932,000
- AEW Dynamite Rating in 18-49 Demo—.35, No. 20
- WWE NXT Total Viewership—542,000
- WWE NXT Rating in 18-49 Demo—.16, No. 81
Both Dynamite and WWE NXT adopted entirely different philosophies to the unfortunate empty-arena hand they were dealt. After two middling broadcasts of Raw and SmackDown emanated from empty arenas, perhaps Dynamite realized potential flaws in these shows that could improve their closed-set environment.
Dynamite utilized Tony Schiavone, who was fantastic in the role, as a ringside interviewer, speaking with a myriad of AEW stars in the limited crowd. Throughout the night, the wrestlers-turned-audience excelled in their roles of adding energy to a venue hamstrung by public gathering limitations. Babyfaces and heels were seated in separate sections, and the production was certain to not shoot the empty seats as was the case with Raw and SmackDown.
AEW did not rely on any archival footage as WWE did by airing the SmackDown Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber on Friday Night SmackDown in addition to the 2020 Royal Rumble on Raw.
It’s worth noting, the airing of the Royal Rumble translated to big numbers for the Monday night flagship, which is especially encouraging considering WWE did not advertise the re-airing in advance.
Perhaps WWE NXT has an avenue to future ratings success over AEW in the empty arena era by airing archival footage of NXT TakeOver or even an advertised re-airing of the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble considering its winner, Charlotte Flair, challenged NXT women’s champion Rhea Ripley.
Upcoming AEW Dynamite Debuts, Matches and Segments
- Blood and Guts*
- Best Friends vs. Lucha Bros—Parking Lot Street Fight*
- Wardlow vs. Luchasaurus—Lumberjack Match*
Upcoming WWE NXT Debuts, Matches and Segments
- Payoff to “The End is Near” Vignettes
