Tag: pro wrestling ratings

AEW Dynamite ratings up for first episode of 2026

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The January 7 edition AEW Dynamite averaged 516,000 viewers on TBS, up 29.7 percent from the New Year’s Smash episode the prior week. This ties the best audience total the show has done since November 12.

Dynamite drew a 0.08 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s up 14.3 percent from last week’s record low but ties the second-lowest rating the show has ever done in that category on a Wednesday night.

As compared to the same week in 2025, when Nielsen was still using its old panel-only reporting system, Dynamite’s overall viewership was down 16.1 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 52.9 percent.

Listed below are the last 10 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings that are currently available for Dynamite, as well as the nine-week average in both categories. Numbers for the episode that aired on Christmas Eve have not yet been reported. This week’s show was up 3.6 percent in viewers but down 11.1 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE NXT ratings up for New Year’s Evil 2026

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Tuesday night’s WWE NXT episode — the brand’s annual New Year’s Evil special — averaged 627,000 viewers on The CW, up 3.8 percent from last week. It’s the best audience total for the show since December 9.

In the 18-49 demo, NXT drew a 0.10 rating. That’s up 42.9 percent from last week and is the highest rating the show has done in that category since November 18.

As compared to the same week in 2025, when Nielsen was still using its old panel-only ratings reporting method, NXT’s overall viewership was down 21.4 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 52.4 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for NXT, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 7.9 percent in viewers and 25 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE NXT ratings —

DateNXT 18-49NXT total viewers
10/21/20250.07525,000
10/28/20250.07527,000
11/4/20250.08528,000
11/11/20250.07554,000
11/18/20250.11650,000
11/25/20250.07562,000
12/2/20250.08532,000
12/9/20250.09647,000
12/16/20250.08607,000
12/23/20250.08602,000
12/30/20250.07604,000
*10 wk avg0.08573,400
not including current week

WWE SmackDown ratings up for move to three hours

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.175 million viewers on USA Network, up 3.3 percent from the previous week. It’s the second-largest audience total for the show since November 21.

This was the first SmackDown episode of 2026 and marked the return to a three-hour format. The show drew a 0.28 rating in the 18-49 demo, which is up 3.7 percent from the prior week and ties the best rating SmackDown has done in that category since the November 21 edition.

As compared to the same week in 2025, (which used Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting method), SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 23.1 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 37.8 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s episode was up 5.2 percent in viewers and 7.7 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
12/2/20260.281,175,000
10-week average0.261,116,700

WWE SmackDown ratings up for final show of 2025

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 1.138 million viewers on the USA Network, up 14.4% from the previous week. It was, however, the third lowest audience for the show since Halloween Night.

SmackDown averaged a 0.27 rating in the 18-49 demo, which topped all television on the night. That’s up 28.6% from the prior week and ties the third highest rating the show has done in that category since October 24th.

As compared to the same week in 2024, when Nielsen still used it’s previous ratings measurement system, the overall viewership was down 20.8% while the 18-49 rating was down 34.2%.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for WWE SmackDown on the USA Network as well as the 10 week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 1.5% in overall viewers and 3.8% in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.

Date18-49Total viewers
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
10 week average0.261,121,100

AEW Collision ratings down on Christmas night

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The December 25 airing of AEW Christmas Collision averaged 217,000 viewers on TNT, down 34.8 percent from the previous episode that followed Dynamite on a Wednesday night. This ties the lowest audience total for Collision since September 20.

Collision drew a 0.04 rating in the 18-49 demo, finishing 44th on the primetime cable charts for the night. That’s down 20 percent from the prior week and is the second-highest rating for Collision in the month of December, although no ratings have been reported for the December 13 episode that aired in the afternoon due to TNT’s coverage of college basketball.

There is no year-over-year comparison as Collision did not air an episode this week in 2024.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for Collision (minus the week for which no numbers have been reported), as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was down 23.7 percent in viewers and 20 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

AEW Collision ratings —

WWE NXT ratings steady for Christmas week episode

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The December 23 episode of WWE NXT averaged 602,000 viewers on The CW, down 0.8 percent from the previous week. This marks the fourth-highest audience for the show since October 14.

In the 18-49 demo, NXT drew a 0.08 rating. That’s identical to the rating the December 16 episode drew and matches the third-highest rating the show has done in that category since October 14. Among network programming in prime time, NXT tied a repeat episode of the Fox series “Doc” for the lowest rated show of the night.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (under Nielsen’s old panel-only ratings measurement system), NXT’s overall viewership was down 16.7 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 42.9 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for NXT, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 3.4 percent in viewers and steady in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown drops below one million viewers for pre-taped episode

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The December 19 pre-taped edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 995,000 viewers on USA Network, down 19.8 percent from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience total for the show since Halloween night.

In the 18-49 demo, SmackDown drew a 0.21 rating. That’s down 19.2 percent from the prior week and is also the lowest rating SmackDown has done since the Halloween night episode.

The show went head-to-head with a College Football Playoff game that combined for nearly 15 million viewers between ABC & ESPN and drew a 3.15 rating in 18-49. SmackDown finished ahead of everything else on television in the key demo.

There was also competition from the undercard of Netflix’s Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua boxing special that took place on the same night.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (which used Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting method), SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 25 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 43.2 percent.

This Friday’s December 26 episode of SmackDown has also been taped in advance. Spoilers for the show can be found here.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership totals and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was down 11.5 percent in viewers and 19.2 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
10/10/20250.221,025,000
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
10-week average0.261,124,100

AEW Dynamite ties record low 18-49 demo rating

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The December 17 episode of AEW Dynamite averaged 511,000 viewers on TBS, down one percent from the previous week. It’s the fourth-largest audience total for the show since October 15.

Dynamite drew a 0.08 rating in the 18-49 demo, down 11.1 percent from last week. It ties the lowest rating the show has ever done in that category on a Wednesday night and is the lowest rating for Dynamite overall since October’s Title Tuesday episode.

The show went head-to-head with a speech from President Donald Trump, which led to increased ratings for cable news networks across the board.

The episode of Collision that immediately followed Dynamite averaged 333,000 viewers. That’s up 3.4 percent from the last time the show followed Dynamite in November and is the best audience for Collision since October 15, which also was an episode that aired after Dynamite.

In the 18-49 demo, Collision did a 0.05 rating. That’s down 28.6 percent from the previous Wednesday airing of the show and is the lowest of the four episodes that have followed Dynamite on a Wednesday.

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 4.2 percent in overall viewers but down 20 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

DateAEW 18-49AEW total viewers
10/7/20250.07321,000
10/15/20250.11534,000
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
*10 wk avg0.10490,300
*not including current week

WWE NXT ratings down for last live episode of 2025

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Tuesday night’s WWE NXT episode averaged 607,000 viewers on The CW, down 6.2 percent from the previous week. Despite the decrease, this is the third-highest audience total for the show since October 14.

In the 18-49 demo, NXT drew a 0.08 rating. That’s down 11.1 percent from last week but ties the fourth-highest rating the show has done in that category since the October 14 episode.

There was no major sports competition on the night, although a college basketball game did air head-to-head on ESPN and averaged a 0.28 rating in the 18-49 demo.

As compared to the same week in 2024, when Nielsen was still using its panel-only measurement system, NXT’s overall viewership was down 14.3 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 50 percent.

This was the last live NXT episode of 2025, as the final two shows of the year have already been taped in advance. Spoilers can be found here.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for NXT, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 3.9 percent in viewers but down 11.1 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE NXT ratings —

DateNXT 18-49NXT total viewers
10/7/20250.12625,000
10/14/20250.12690,000
10/21/20250.07525,000
10/28/20250.07527,000
11/4/20250.08528,000
11/11/20250.07554,000
11/18/20250.11650,000
11/25/20250.07562,000
12/2/20250.08532,000
12/9/20250.09647,000
12/16/20250.08607,000
*10 wk avg0.09584,000
*not including current week

WWE SmackDown draws best viewership in three months

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.24 million viewers on USA Network, up 16.7 percent from the previous week. It’s the best audience for the show since September 19, which was before Nielsen switched over to its new Big Data + Panel ratings system.

The show took place on the eve of John Cena’s retirement match but did not include an appearance by Cena himself. It drew a 0.26 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s up 8.3 percent from the prior week but ties the second-lowest rating SmackDown has done in that category since October 31.

SmackDown topped all of television in the key demo on Friday night. The most significant sports competition was women’s college basketball on ESPN2 with two games that each partially ran head-to-head with SmackDown. Those games ranked second and fourth on the cable charts for the night.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (which used Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting system), SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 19 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 44.7 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 12.4 percent in viewers but was steady in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
10/3/20250.231,030,000
10/10/20250.221,025,000
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
10-week average0.261,103,100

WWE NXT ratings up for Deadline fallout

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Tuesday night’s episode of WWE NXT averaged 647,000 viewers on the CW Network, up 21.6% from the previous week. It was the second highest audience for the show since October 14th.

NXT averaged a 0.09 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s up 12.5% from last week and was also the second best rating the show has done in that category since the October 14th episode.

The show went head to head with NBA Cup games on Amazon Prime along with a slew of holiday related specials on the major networks that dominated the ratings charts.

As compared to the same week in 2024, and under Nielsen’s previous ratings reporting method, the overall viewership was down 4.9% while the 18-49 rating was down 47.1%.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for WWE NXT on the CW Network as well as the 10 week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 12.2% in overall viewers but even in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.

DateNXT 18-49NXT total viewers
9/30/20250.1572,000
10/7/20250.12625,000
10/14/20250.12690,000
10/21/20250.07525,000
10/28/20250.07527,000
11/4/20250.08528,000
11/11/20250.07554,000
11/18/20250.11650,000
11/25/20250.07562,000
12/2/20250.08532,000
12/9/20250.09647,000
*10 wk avg0.09576,500
*not includingcurrent week

AEW Dynamite viewership up, 18-49 rating steady

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Wednesday night’s episode of AEW Dynamite averaged 516,000 viewers on TBS, up 4% from the previous week. It was the highest audience for the show since November 12th.

Dynamite averaged a 0.09 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s identical to last week’s rating and ties the lowest rating the show has done in that category since October 29th.

The show went head to head with a women’s college basketball game on ESPN that topped the cable ratings chart with a 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demo. It also went up against CBS’s Survivor which topped all television with a 0.73 rating in the key demo.

As compared to the same week in 2024, and under Nielsen’s previous ratings reporting system, the overall viewership was down 13.1% while the 18-49 rating was down 47.1%. This year’s numbers do not include viewership on HBO Max.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for AEW Dynamite on TBS as well as the 10 week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 6.3% in overall viewers but down 10% in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.

DateAEW 18-49AEW total viewers
10/1/20250.09465,000
10/7/20250.07321,000
10/15/20250.11534,000
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
*10 wk avg0.10485,200
*not includingcurrent week

AEW Collision ties record low 18-49 demo rating

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Saturday night’s AEW Collision episode averaged 267,000 viewers on TNT, down 6.3 percent from the previous week. This is the lowest viewership number for the show since the November 1 broadcast that went head-to-head with WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.

In the 18-49 demo, Collision drew a 0.03 rating. That’s down 50 percent from last week and ties the lowest rating the show has ever done in that category.

There was heavy competition on the night. Collision went up against WWE’s NXT Deadline PLE, as well as the UFC 323 prelims and several big college football championship games on various cable and broadcast networks.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (which used Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting method), Collision’s overall viewership was down four percent while the 18-49 rating was down 57.1 percent. This year’s numbers do not include people watching on the HBO Max simulcast.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership totals and 18-49 demo ratings for Collision, along with the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was down 1.8 percent in viewers and 40 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

AEW Collision ratings —

DateCollision 18-49Collision overall
9/27/20250.05248,000
10/4/20250.03226,000
10/11/20250.06286,000
10/15/20250.11400,000
10/25/20250.04228,000
11/1/20250.03217,000
11/8/20250.06289,000
11/15/20250.03219,000
11/19/20250.07322,000
11/27/20250.06285,000
12/6/20250.03267,000
*10 wk avg0.05272,000

WWE SmackDown ratings down for Survivor Series fallout episode

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The December 5 episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 1.063 million viewers on USA Network, down 6.9 percent from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience total the show has done since Halloween night.

SmackDown drew a 0.24 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s a 14.3 percent decrease from the prior week and also ties the lowest rating the show has done in that category since the October 31 episode.

The biggest sports competition came from a slate of college football championship games, including the American Athletic Conference title game on ABC. SmackDown was headlined by Gunther defeating LA Knight in the Last Time is Now tournament finals.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (under Nielsen’s previous panel-only ratings reporting method), SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 28.9 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 45.5 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership totals and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in each category. This week’s episode was down 5.1 percent in viewers and 11.1 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
9/26/20250.351,238,000
10/3/20250.231,030,000
10/10/20250.221,025,000
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
10-week average0.271,120,600

Note: The first week on the chart was prior to Nielsen implementing the new Big Data + Panel system.

AEW Dynamite viewership and 18-49 demo rating down slightly

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The December 3 episode of AEW Dynamite averaged 496,000 viewers on TBS, down 3.1 percent from the previous week. It’s the second-lowest audience total for the show since October 29.

Dynamite drew a 0.09 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s down 10 percent from the prior week and ties the third-lowest rating the show has done in that category since October 7.

The only major sports competition on the night was college basketball on ESPN. Parts of two different games aired head-to-head with Dynamite and averaged 844,000 and 928,000 viewers respectively.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (under Nielsen’s old panel-only ratings reporting method), Dynamite’s overall viewership was down 15.4 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 47.1 percent. This year’s numbers also do not including viewership on HBO Max.

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 episode was down 0.7 percent in viewers and 10 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

DateAEW 18-49AEW total viewers
9/24/20250.14638,000
10/1/20250.09465,000
10/7/20250.07321,000
10/15/20250.11534,000
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
*10 wk avg0.10499,400
*not including current week

Note: The first week on the chart was before Nielsen switched to its new Big Data + Panel system.