To say 2023 was a rough year for AEW would be an understatement. Controversies and issues with wrestlers and management left Tony Khan’s company in a hot mess. During this time viewership numbers on the network also dropped or dipped to an all-time low. However, with the new year rolled around, fortunes seem to have improved for the Florida-based promotion.
The most recent episode of AEW Dynamite reached the #1 spot on cable. The show beat out the competition by a significant margin and even managed to usurp WWE.
Tony Khan’s AEW Dynamite ranks #1 in Canada and beats NXT
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The most recent episode of AEW Dynamite saw a massive increase in viewership numbers. With a stacked card and titles on the line, it was obvious the fans would be watching but the final numbers for the show came as a surprise to everyone. Taking to social media, Khan thanked the fans for putting AEW on the #1 spot.
While this could be hard to believe, even Dave Meltzer confirmed it. Taking to his social media, Meltzer said, “AEW did 891K/0.33 last night and as noted among the best numbers ever in Canada as well.” While the numbers speak for themselves, AEW Dynamite beat WWE’s NXT, which aired the day before. This was the most surprising aspect of it.
AEW did 891K/0.33 last night and as noted among the best numbers ever in Canada as well. NXT Tuesday night did its second best numbers ever in Canada.
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) January 18, 2024
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Meltzer continued, “NXT Tuesday night did its second best numbers ever in Canada.” This comes as an enormous shock to wrestling fans as AEW has always trailed behind the WWE when it came to numbers. 2023 was proof of this. However, with AEW Dynamite beating WWE’s NXT, this could be a sign of change to come.
The AEW Dynamite episode had one massive main event, which could be the reason for the high viewership number. Samoa Joe defended his AEW World Championship title against Hook. After winning the title at AEW Worlds End, Joe announced that anyone who would challenge would get beat. This resulted in not one but three challengers coming out, Swerve Strickland, Adam Page, and Hook. Unfortunately, Hook could not secure the win.
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Nevertheless, it seems like Tony Khan has found the formula to create a captivating show that also achieves the numbers that he has dreamed about. Now it’s just a matter of applying that formula consistently to beat out the WWE in the numbers game and creating a long-term threshold in the pro wrestling realm. What do you make of AEW’s achievement? Do you think they can sustain it to beat out its competition? Let us know in the comments section below.
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