On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, WWE and AEW went head to head to assert their dominance in television ratings as their weekly shows NXT and Dynamite were held on the same night for the first time in a year. Both companies went all guns blazing for the face-off and left no stone unturned to entice the viewers into tuning in.
AEW produced a special edition of its weekly show, Dynamite Title Tuesday, and advertised multiple high-stakes title and non-title matches for the episode, featuring the likes of Bryan Danielson, Adam Copeland, Adam Page, and Saraya. The show was well-produced and saw two title changes.
WWE, on the other hand, advertised main roster stars like John Cena, Cody Rhodes, and LA Knight for the show. An NXT Championship defense was made official in the show's opening segment, and the main event saw an appearance by The Undertaker.
As per the reports, WWE dominated the television ratings for the night, with NXT garnering 921,000 viewers with a 0.30 rating in the 18-49 demo. Dynamite, on the other hand, brought in 609,000 viewers with a 0.26 rating in the 18-49 demo.
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
While the numbers favor the Stamford-based company, it was a win-win situation for professional wrestling fans as both shows featured some great action and were worth watching.
The last time NXT and Dynamite were broadcast on the same night was on October 18, 2022. It seems that, due to MLB Playoff coverage, fans might see at least one head-to-head clash between NXT and AEW Dynamite every year moving forward.
Ilja Dragunov defends the WWE NXT Championship against Dominik Mysterio
Ilja Dragunov won the NXT Championship from Carmelo Hayes at the NXT No Mercy premium live event on September 30, 2023. The Mad Dragon defended his title against North American Champion "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio on the most recent edition of NXT.
The title clash was made official when Mysterio and Rhea Ripley interfered during an in-ring interaction between Cody Rhodes and Ilja Dragunov to challenge the champ. Rhodes, guest GM for the show, made it official at the champion's request with LA Knight as the special guest referee.
The match was entertaining, with Dominik Mysterio putting on one of the best performances of his career. Despite an attempted interference by members of The Judgment Day, Ilja Dragunov successfully retained his title.
Which was better, NXT or Dynamite? Tell us in the comments section below.