Matt Hardy Draws More Viewers Than CM Punk on the Latter’s AEW Dynamite Debut

AEW and CM Punk seem to be the perfect recipe for viewers. After last Friday’s Rampage, the Punk Mania ran wild on Wednesday as well. But it all comes with a twist.

TNT recently revealed Dynamite drew its largest audience in P18-49 since the 2019 premiere, making it Wednesday’s #1 cable program. The show drew 1.172 million viewers on TNT, the most since April 14.

Punk‘s AEW Debut might have brought in viewers. But his quarter ratings weren’t the highest, according to Wrestlenomics. The opening match between Orange Cassidy and Matt Hardy quarter topped the night.

The match had topped with 1,241,000 viewers on average and 674,000 in the demo. Meanwhile, Punk was #3 in total viewers & 18-49. Last week Rampage drew 1.129 million viewers which jumped to 1.172 million viewers this week.

The 18-49 key demographic rating was at 0.48. Dynamite ranked #1 for the night on the Cable Top 150. Increasing viewership could be attributed to the viewers in the 35-49 demographic. This group would have been 25 to 39 during Punk’s Pipe Bomb (2011). The group popped its second-highest total ever at 455,000.

Apart from Punk, key moments from the night featured the victory of Orange Cassidy over Hardy. Darby Allin, Jon Moxley, and Eddie Kingston defeated The Wingmen. The Lucha Bros. defeated the Varsity Blonds in the AEW Tag Team Championship Eliminator Tournament Semi-Final. Chris Jericho put his career on the line in his match against MJF at AEW All Out.

Watch this story – CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, And More: Shocking Debuts And Returns From WWE And AEW

Who else is coming to AEW?

During his promo on Dynamite, Punk referred to former ROH and WWE colleague Daniel Bryan. He said fans have to be a little more patient when they started chanting “yes.”

Bryan last wrestled in WWE in March. He fought against WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns on SmackDown. According to the match stipulation, Bryan left SmackDown after he lost. His profile was removed to WWE’s Alumni Section.

On the other hand, reports say, that AEW’s partner, Impact has shown interest in signing Bray Wyatt. Wyatt was released last month after months of inactivity. If the deal is finalized then they both can come to AEW.

Who do you think will come to AEW next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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