The CW Touts Best WWE NXT Ratings Performance In Nearly A Year Following Debut Episode

"WWE NXT" made its broadcast television debut on Tuesday and the jump to a larger pool of viewers paid off — so much so that The CW put out a press release touting the numbers on Wednesday.

According to Wrestlenomics, "NXT" was viewed by 895,000 viewers overall, a 44% increase from last week's finale on the USA Network, while the 18-49 demographic showed up to the tune of a 0.26 in the demographic, a 37% increase from last week. These numbers mark "NXT's" best performances in both metrics since the episode that aired on October 10, 2023, almost a year ago, a fact The CW highlighted in their statement.

"The episode fueled triple digit increases compared to The CW's Tuesday primetime season average, up +143% in total viewers, and delivered triple digit increases in total viewers for major markets," the network added.

The show notably did not include overrun, as "NXT" will now have to account for the network's commitment to broadcasting local news at 10pm. The CW has a larger viewership base than the USA Network, though USA Network programming often garners higher ratings; despite this, "NXT" did rarely-seen numbers for the broadcast network, with The CW's press release claiming the debut episode "was the #1 telecast on The CW this year among adults 25-54 (406,000) and adults 18-49 (354,000)." The statement also emphasized the value of live sports on The CW, now including "NXT" and NASCAR.

This was the first of two "NXT" episodes to broadcast from outside the WWE Performance Center, taking place in Rosemont, Illinois' Allstate Arena, just outside of Chicago; next week the show emanates from St. Louis, Missouri, with both the NXT Tag Team Championship and the NXT North American Championship on the line, as well as Je'Von Evans vs. Randy Orton.