WWE vs. AEW: Another First-Ever Head-to-Head Ratings War Goes Down Tonight

AEW Dynamite airs opposite WWE NXT for the first time since NXT moved to The CW.

By Liam Crowley

The CW era of WWE NXT has arrived. Earlier this month, WWE migrated its developmental program to The CW, leaving the fan-favorite brand up to its own devices for the first time in its decade-long history. Prior to October 2024, WWE NXT aired on WWE Network and USA Network, two platforms that were boosted by more mainstream WWE products like monthly pay-per-view events and WWE Monday Night Raw, respectively. Now, WWE NXT is left to float on its own on The CW, as that network does not have any other WWE content besides the newly-christened silver and black brand. WWE NXT has had no issues swimming thus far, as it brought in 895,000 viewers in its debut episode, nearly double the half-million estimation that The CW's executives reportedly would've been happy with.

WWE NXT Battles AEW Dynamite in First-Ever CW vs. TBS Battle

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One week later, WWE NXT faces head-to-head competition.

Tonight's AEW Dynamite is the show's annual "Title Tuesday" event, one which sees All Elite Wrestling's flagship show pivot away from its typical Wednesday evening slot. This means AEW Dynamite will be broadcasted at the same time as WWE NXT, but only for half of the show. WWE NXT kicks off at 8 PM ET while AEW Dynamite starts at 9 PM ET.

WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite previously went head-to-head this time last year. Both companies made added efforts to supersize their shows, as WWE brought in top stars like John Cena, The Undertaker, Cody Rhodes, and Paul Heyman to make one-off appearances on the show while AEW hosted Adam Copeland's debut match as well as what would be the AEW ALL IN: London 2024 main event of Swerve Strickland vs. Bryan Danielson. WWE NXT definitively won the head-to-head clash, bringing in 921,000 viewers compared to AEW Dynamite's 609,000.

Before these one-off ratings battles were taking place, WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite were involved in an 18-month head-to-head ratings war when both programs aired on the Wednesday night primetime slot. AEW Dynamite won the viewership battle every week except for one.

The announced card for AEW Dynamite can be seen below...

Related:

  • AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson and AEW Trios Champion Wheeler Yuta vs. AEW Trios Champions Pac and Claudio Castagnoli
  • AEW Women's Title No.1 Contender's Match: Britt Baker vs. Willow Nightingale
  • AEW TBS Championship and NJPW Strong Women's Championship: Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Emi Sakura
  • Brody King and Darby Allin meet face-to-face
  • Komander vs. Hologram
  • Jay White speaks

The announced card for WWE NXT can be seen below...

  • NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Tony D'Angelo
  • Randy Orton vs. Je'Von Evans
  • Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and NXT Women's North American Champion Kelani Jordan vs. Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx)
  • WWE NXT Tag Team Championships: Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom) (c) vs. A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller and Austin Theory)
  • WWE NXT Champion Trick Williams speaks
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso appears

WWE NXT kicks off at 8 PM ET on The CW. AEW Dynamite begins at 9 PM ET on TBS.

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