The ratings are finally out of AEW Rampage: ‘The First Dance’ and WWE SmackDown from last Friday night. Now, as always, SmackDown topped the charts, but CM Punk debut drew one of the best ratings for AEW on the day of his debut.
According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, the one-hour episode brought in a viewership of 1.129 million and a 0.53 rating.
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Watch this story: Former WWE Superstars Who Are Thriving in AEW
These numbers show the highest rating in the target demographic for any AEW show aside from AEW Dynamite’s premiere back in October 2019 itself.
AEW Rampage is thriving in the name of CM Punk
AEW’s new flagship show recorded 692,000 viewers in the 18-49 demo, which is up 53% from last week’s impressive Rampage debut. Meanwhile, SmackDown drew a 0.57 rating in the key 18-49 demographic which is down 1.72% from last week’s 0.58 rating.
Brandon Thurston from Wrestlenomics gives a detailed chart regarding the viewership for multiple wrestling promotions last week.
AEW Rampage on TNT Friday was watched by 1,129,000 viewers total.
P18-49: 692,000 (0.53), higher than all but the debut episode of Dynamite in 2019.WWE Smackdown on Fox Friday was watched by 2,102,000 viewers total.
P18-49: 738,000 (0.57)📊Read more: https://t.co/Z0rG5QbZu4 pic.twitter.com/aCztYnSJvm
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) August 23, 2021
The first quarter-hour of last week’s Rampage had a 0.65 rating and was viewed by 1.341 million people; this was the same time when CM Punk made his debut and was cutting his first promo.
The General Manager of TBS, TNT, and truTV, Brett Weitz, acknowledged this feat accomplished by Tony Khan and his company, In a press conference released by WarnerMedia following the success of AEW Rampage, Brett praised the AEW.
“You could feel the joy and unabashed enthusiasm for CM Punk on Friday’s Rampage episode – that type of fan connection is what it’s all about,” Brett said. Rampage also featured a stellar tag-team match between Private Party and Jurassic Express, and Jade Cargill demolishing a debuting Kiera Hogan.
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In the main event, Jon Moxley faced Ryan Garcia. The match ended in chaos after Darby Allin and Sting put a beat-down on the heels.
WarnerMedia sent out the following press release, promoting the viewership and rating success of AEW Rampage, and CM Punk's debut pic.twitter.com/kddEsP44VC
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) August 23, 2021
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Surely, CM Punk is a draw and money-maker for any wrestling promotion on this planet. His association with AEW will lead us into a golden age of professional wrestling. Dream match scenarios, cross-promotion appearances and many other avenues are available for Punk to experience.
