WWE is going to great lengths to push NXT as their third brand. A week ago, in a pretty shocking development, Bron Breakker randomly challenged Monday Night Raw’s Seth Freakin’ Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. On the latest edition of NXT, Seth Rollins answered Breakker’s challenge by making a special TV appearance. However, The Visionary’s presence failed to bump up the show’s ratings.
In fact, NXT saw a significant drop in their rating, despite Rollins’ appearance. This has put unimaginable pressure on the NXT head honcho, Shawn Michaels. Conversely, the show rating had seen a rise two weeks ago when Bron Breakker challenged Seth Rollins. So, what caused the plummet in viewership?
NXT sees a significant drop in viewership rating despite Seth Rollins’ appearance
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Although the lineup for this week’s show was nothing short of amazing, the white and gold brands failed to attract its audience. Seth Rollins’ appearance led to the announcement of a two-week special NXT Gold Rush. But, surprisingly, the viewership took a massive dip.
According to a new report from Wrestlenomics, the show averaged 581,000 viewers, which is a far cry from its performance last week. Shawn Michaels-led brand averaged 615,000 viewers on June 6th. At this point, WWE has to figure out a way to avoid the pitfalls they clearly fell into this week. Despite having a top Champion from Raw make his appearance, Dana Brooke, and Mustafa Ali’s arrival on the show, NXT ranked No. 8 going from No. 5.
WWE NXT last night on USA Network (8-10:08pm):
581,000 viewers
P18-49 rating: 0.16
#8 cable original in P18-49
📊 https://t.co/qDSSxyAPtr pic.twitter.com/h1kstI2JYb— Wrestlenomics (@wrestlenomics) June 14, 2023
As per the P18-49 key rating demo, the show garnered a 0.16 rating, going downhill from last week’s 0.17. Nevertheless, things may change next week when Seth Rollins makes his return to the brand that helped build the foundations of his career in the WWE. Although it’s highly unlikely, Bron Breakker could send shockwaves around the wrestling world by defeating Seth Rollins and claiming the World Heavyweight Championship.
The NXT star’s chances of winning are low with a marquee matchup already awaiting the WWE Universe. Seth Rollins is set to lock horns with his old rival for the 9th time at the upcoming Premium Live Event, Money in the Bank.
Seth Rollins Vs Finn Balor is confirmed for Money in the Bank
In less than three weeks, WWE will be flying to London to organize its Money in the Bank PLE. The show will emanate from the O2 arena. The match card for the show is currently in the works but Seth Rollins’ next challenger is revealed.
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After Seth Rollins became the inaugural WHC at Night of Champions, his first title defense came on Monday Night Raw against Damien Priest. After a very physical match, Priest earned Rollins’ respect though he lost the match. But, at some point during the match, Seth Rollins and Finn Balor had an intense staredown.
The duo have a history together and it’s safe to bet that they have each others’ numbers. Moreover, the match was made official on the latest edition of Raw when Seth Rollins accepted Finn Balor’s challenge.
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We will have to wait and see if Finn Balor is able to dethrone the Visionary at Money in the Bank. Meanwhile, fans will witness Seth Rollins’ much-awaited title defense on NXT next week.
What do you think of NXT’s drastic decrease in viewership rating? Comment below!