Tag: AEW New Year’s Smash

AEW Dynamite does record low viewers for New Year’s Eve episode

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Image: AEW

Last Wednesday’s New Year’s Eve edition of AEW Dynamite averaged 398,000 viewers on TBS, down 22.1% from the last episode to air in its regular time slot two weeks earlier.

That marks the lowest audience Dynamite has ever done on a Wednesday with the only two lower numbers coming when the show was moved to Tuesday.

Dynamite averaged a 0.07 rating in the 18-49 demo, down 12.5% from the December 17 episode. That ties the record low rating the show has done in that category, regardless of day or time slot.

Numbers are still not available for the Christmas Eve Dynamite.

As compared to the same week in 2024 and using Nielsen’s previous ratings reporting method, overall viewership was down 32.3% while the 18-49 rating was down 56.3%. This year’s numbers do not include people watching on HBO Max.

Listed below are the last 10 weeks of available total viewers and 18-49 demo ratings for AEW Dynamite on TBS as well as the nine week average in both categories with the December 24 numbers not available.

This week’s show was down 21.4% in overall viewers and 30% in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.

DateAEW 18-49AEW total viewers
10/22/20250.08477,000
10/29/20250.08459,000
11/5/20250.09497,000
11/12/20250.15600,000
11/19/20250.1491,000
11/26/20250.1512,000
12/3/20250.09496,000
12/10/20250.09516,000
12/17/20250.08511,000
12/24/2025Not AvailableNot Available
12/31/20250.07398,000
*9 wk avg0.1506,556

Mercedes Mone issues callout for AEW New Year’s Smash Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

The first match appears set for this Wednesday’s New Year’s Smash edition of AEW Dynamite and it involves both two champions and a grudge.

During Saturday’s Worlds End pay-per-view, Mone and Athena failed to dethrone AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron. The end came when Mone was pinned by Nightingale on a counter roll-up after attempting a Mone Maker.

In a backstage interview later in the show, Mone destroyed her locker room in frustration before talking to interviewer Lexy Nair. Mone bristled at the question of having a bad 2025 after the last few months and then called out Nightingale for Wednesday in Omaha, Nebraska, saying, “…I’m going to beat your f**king ass.”

It was confirmed later that the TBS title will be on the line.

The two have had an interesting past with Nightingale besting Mone in the May 2023 finals for the inaugural NJPW Strong Women’s title when Mone suffered a leg injury. Mone then ended Nightingale’s first-ever TBS title run at May 2024’s Double or Nothing and hasn’t lost the belt since.

AEW reveals location for special New Year’s Eve Dynamite

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On New Year’s Eve, AEW will be in Nebraska for its final event of 2025.

It was announced today that Liberty First Credit Union Arena in the Omaha area will host the Wednesday, December 31, 2025 edition of AEW Dynamite. It’s being branded as a special New Year’s Smash edition of the show — which is the usual theme for the last Dynamite of the year.

The general public on-sale date for tickets is next Monday (November 3).

Hangman Page, Kris Statlander, and Darby Allin are featured on AEW’s graphic promoting the show.

New Year’s Smash will be the Worlds End fallout episode of Dynamite, with that pay-per-view set to be held at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Saturday, December 27.

This marks AEW’s second-ever event at Liberty First Credit Union Arena. The promotion made its Nebraska debut earlier this year with the venue hosting a March episode of Dynamite, along with two one-hour Slam Dunk Collision specials that were filmed there that same night.

With this show now announced, AEW will begin rolling out its dates for January 2026 soon. A February visit to Australia is already confirmed for early next year. There will be two shows on that Australia trip: Grand Slam Australia 2026 and a House Rules live event.

Bryan Danielson vs. Ethan Page added to AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Bryan Danielson vs. “All Ego” Ethan Page has been added to the December 28 AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash. 

Page and manager Stokely Hathaway interrupted an in-ring promo segment with Danielson and Renee Paquette on this week’s Dynamite where Danielson staked his claim to be next in line to face MJF for the AEW World title. Page pointed out that he had made it to the finals of last month’s AEW World title eliminator tournament and deserved the shot more than Danielson. Danielson then challenged Page, who accepted for next week.

Also set for next week’s New Year’s Smash is match six in the best-of-seven AEW World Trios Championship series, with Death Triangle taking on The Elite in a Falls Count Anywhere bout. 

Already announced for next week is a TNT title match, with Samoa Joe defending against Wardlow. 

Here is the announced lineup for next week: 

AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash, Wednesday, December 28 —

  • TNT Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Wardlow
  • Trios Championship best-of-seven series Falls Count Anywhere match: Death Triangle vs. The Elite — Death Triangle leads 3-2
  • Bryan Danielson vs. Ethan Page

CM Punk appearance announced for AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A CM Punk appearance has been added to tonight’s AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash. 

AEW announced on Twitter that Punk would be appearing in the company’s Daily’s Place home base in Jacksonville, Florida for the first time on tonight’s show. 

Punk, Sting and Darby Allin defeated MJF, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler in the trios match main event of last week’s AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash. 

Also added to today’s show is a ten-man tag match, with AEW World Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers, Jurassic Express and Christian Cage taking on Matt Hardy, FTR and Private Party. 

Jim Ross will also return to the commentary team after announcing that he is cancer-free after undergoing radiation treatments for skin cancer. 

Here is the announced lineup for Dynamite: 

  • Jim Ross returns
  • CM Punk appears
  • TBS Championship tournament semifinals: Thunder Rosa vs. Jade Cargill
  • Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Orange Cassidy, Trent & Chuck Taylor
  • Lucha Brothers, Christian Cage, Jurassic Express vs. Matt Hardy, Private Party & FTR
  • Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia & 2point0

AEW producer Keith Mitchell retiring

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Long-time wrestling producer and director Keith Mitchell will be retiring after tonight’s AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash. 

Mitchell, who began his time in the wrestling business with World Class Championship Wrestling, went on to work for WCW, TNA/Impact Wrestling, then joined AEW in 2019. 

AEW president Tony Khan tweeted:

“Tonight’s the last #AEWDynamite ever on TNT & this event New Year’s Smash is very special as this will be the final wrestling event produced by the great Keith Mitchell in his amazing 40 year career spanning World Class/WCW/Impact/@AEW. Let’s make Keith’s retirement show a Smash!”

Speaking on his Something to Wrestle podcast in 2019, WWE executive Bruce Prichard stated that he tried to hire Mitchell away from WCW decades ago. He also said that a highlight of his time in TNA was getting to work with Mitchell. Answering a fan question on his 83 Weeks podcast in 2019, Eric Bischoff stated that were he to start a wrestling company from the ground up, Mitchell would be the first person he would try to hire. 

Here is the announced lineup for Dynamite: 

  • Jim Ross returns
  • CM Punk appears
  • TBS Championship tournament semifinals: Thunder Rosa vs. Jade Cargill
  • Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Orange Cassidy, Trent & Chuck Taylor
  • Lucha Brothers, Christian Cage, Jurassic Express vs. Matt Hardy, Private Party & FTR
  • Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia & 2point0

Ten-man tag added to AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A new match has been added to this evening’s AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash lineup. 

AEW World Tag Team Champions Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus and Christian Cage will face AAA World Tag Team Champions FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler), Isiah Kassidy and Mark Quen and Matt Hardy. 

GM Tony Khan made the announcement today on Twitter. Khan posted:

“It’s Wednesday, you know what that means: #AEWDynamite TONIGHT, our final show on TNT! I’m adding to tonight’s great card: 4 of wrestling’s top teams & a classic rivalry all collide TONIGHT: Lucha Bros/Jungle Boy/@luchasaurus/@Christian4Peeps vs #FTR/#privateparty/@MATTHARDYBRAND”

Six of FTR’s last ten matches as a unit have included Penta and Fenix, with all of those matches taking place since October 16. The teams are set to square off again next month at a AAA television taping for the AAA Tag titles. 

Here is the announced lineup for Dynamite: 

  • Jim Ross returns
  • TBS Championship tournament semifinals: Thunder Rosa vs. Jade Cargill
  • Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Orange Cassidy, Trent & Chuck Taylor
  • Lucha Brothers, Christian Cage, Jurassic Express vs. Matt Hardy, Private Party & FTR
  • Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia & 2point0

Kyle O’Reilly to make AEW in-ring debut at New Year’s Smash

Posted on by Josh Nason

A week after making his surprise debut on the Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite, new roster member Kyle O’Reilly will make his in-ring debut on next Wednesday’s New Year’s Smash edition of the show.

O’Reilly appeared Wednesday to attack Orange Cassidy during his match with Adam Cole, eventually leading to a Cole win. Cole, O’Reilly and Bobby Fish will reunite for the first time since they split up in March while in NXT as they take on Cassidy and Best Friends (Trent and Chuck Taylor).

Wednesday’s show will also see the remaining semifinal in the TBS title tournament as Thunder Rosa faces Jade Cargill. The winner will advance to face Ruby Soho in the finals on the January 5th Dynamite debut on TBS as Soho beat Nyla Rose Wednesday.

Also announced for the show: Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia and 2point0 in a continuation of their feud from the past few weeks; and the return of Jim Ross to the announce team following the completion of three-plus weeks of consecutive radiation therapy for skin cancer.

Here’s the lineup currently announced for Jacksonville, Florida:

  • Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish vs. Best Friends and Orange Cassidy
  • TBS title tourney semifinal: Jade Cargill vs. Thunder Rosa
  • Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz vs. 2point0 and Daniel Garcia