AEW Dynamite ratings up for Maximum Carnage

Wednesday night’s Maximum Carnage edition of AEW Dynamite averaged 679,000 viewers on TBS, up 10.4 percent from last week. It’s the best TV viewership total for the show since October 2, though no data has been made available for Dynamite’s Max simulcast since that began at the start of 2025.

Dynamite drew a 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s up 5.9 percent from last week and ties the second-highest rating the show has done in that category since November 20.

The episode was headlined by a rare televised AEW World Championship match between Jon Moxley and Powerhouse Hobbs, featured Kenny Omega’s first AEW match since December 2023, and also included the first-ever women’s Casino Gauntlet Match.

As compared to the same week in 2024, Dynamite’s overall viewership was down 23.8 percent while its 18-49 rating was down 45.5 percent, so the television audience is skewing much older. With the show simulcast on Max it’s likely — but not known for sure — that those viewers would be younger than on traditional television.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for Dynamite, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 14.2 percent in viewers but steady in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

AEW announces first-ever women’s Casino Gauntlet Match

The AEW women’s division is set to compete in its first-ever Casino Gauntlet Match.

Tony Khan has confirmed that the first-ever women’s Casino Gauntlet Match will take place on Dynamite next week (Wednesday, January 15). The winner earns an AEW Women’s World Championship shot against Mariah May at Grand Slam Australia next month.

In the Casino Gauntlet Match, two competitors start and then new entrants are added at regular intervals. The match ends when the first fall is scored, so it is better to enter early than late. The later participants may never get a chance to enter the match.

Grand Slam Australia is being held in Brisbane on Saturday, February 15. We’ll see if this Casino Gauntlet sets up a rematch between Toni Storm and May for Storm’s homecoming. After dropping the AEW Women’s World Championship to May at All In last year, Storm went missing from AEW programming and then returned with an amnesia gimmick where she believes she’s a rookie.

The Casino Gauntlet stipulation has been utilized before for the men’s and tag team divisions. A men’s Casino Gauntlet Match is happening on Dynamite this week with the winner earning an AEW World Championship shot against Jon Moxley on the January 15 Dynamite.

Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio is hosting the January 15 Dynamite episode, a special show named Maximum Carnage. Here is the updated lineup:

AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage (Wednesday, January 15) —

  • AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defends against men’s Casino Gauntlet Match winner
  • Hook vs. Christian Cage
  • Women’s Casino Gauntlet match for AEW Women’s World Championship shot at Grand Slam Australia