But there are still things to worry about with this week’s numbers.
Per Wrestlenomics, the June 26 “Dynamite” averaged 680,000 viewers, back in line with the low end of what the show had been drawing since the disastrous move on April 10 to hotshot the “All In” 2023 footage.
The show had been getting in the low 800s before that move; since, the show hasn’t hit the 800,000-viewer mark once.
So, there’s that.
Last week’s 502K was alarming, to say the least, particularly given that AEW is in the midst of an extended effort to negotiate a new TV deal, with the current deal with Warner Bros. Discovery coming to an end at the end of the year.
Getting back to 680,000 isn’t getting back to the low 800s, or the magical million mark that was routine back in the late summer of 2022, but it’s an important rebuild given what we saw last week.
Now, to the trouble within the numbers; again, per Wrestlenomics, the show started with an average of 846,000 viewers for the first quarter-hour, 8-8:15 p.m. ET, with the extended promo featuring MJF, Daniel Garcia and Will Ospreay.
That would be the only segment over 800,000 on the night.
The nadir was the 8:45-9 p.m. ET quarter-hour, which had the conclusion to the Ray Fenix-Jay White match, a postmatch angle with The Bang-Bang Gang and The Patriarchy, and a backstage promo for The Young Bucks.
That one drew 613,000 viewers on average.
The main event, a tag match with Swerve Strickland and Ospreay vs. The Gates of Agony, was spread across the 9:45-10 p.m. ET quarter-hour and the 10-10:07 p.m. overrun, which drew 615,000 and 617,000 viewers on average, respectively.
Strickland and Ospreay are the main event of Sunday’s “Forbidden Door” pay-per-view.
You’d probably want more people wanting to tune in to see them tagging with each other on your go-home show than what actually happened.
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Chris Graham
