NXT Hands AEW Crushing Ratings Defeat Following Head-To-Head

WWE is celebrating another ratings success thanks to NXT.

On November 6th, a special ECW-themed episode of NXT went up against AEW Dynamite. The show from the famous ECW Arena featured appearances from Rob Van Dam, Francine, Dawn Marie, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Rhyno, and Nunzio.

In the main event, Giulia, Jordynne Grace, Kelani Jordan, Stephanie Vaquer, and Zaria defeated Cora Jade and Fatal Influence.

The biggest story coming out of AEW Dynamite is the future of Malakai Black. In the closing stages of his match with Adam Cole, his opponent kicked out of the Black Mass and then lowered the boom as Black sat cross-legged and seemingly invited the move. After the bell, the pair embraced, and Cole paid tribute to Black as he addressed fans.

This sparked speculation Black could be leaving AEW or even retiring, however, in a video on social media, the star hit back at the rumours, claiming he’s going nowhere.

The show also featured the return of Powerhouse Hobbs who teamed with Ricochet to defeat Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher. The star had been out of action since suffering a serious knee injury in April.

NXT Defeats AEW Yet Again

As noted by Programming Insider, NXT drew an average of 619,000 viewers, scoring a 0.17 rating in the 18-49-year-old demographic. By contrast, AEW Dynamite pulled in 523,000 viewers with a 0.16 rating in the key demographic.

The rating for NXT represents an increase from 588,000 viewers the previous week, while the Dynamite viewership was down from 628,000.

The blow comes after Dynamite was soundly beaten by an NXT episode packed with main roster talent on Tuesday, October 8th. That particular edition of Dynamite was the lowest-rated episode of the show in its history.

WWE’s third brand has now beaten Dynamite in the last three head-to-heads.