WWE's NXT viewership jumps 44% in CW debut

Tuesday night's debut of WWE's NXT on The CW saw a significant increase in viewership.

The broadcast network debut of WWE's weekly developmental talent show averaged 895,000 viewers from 8 to 10 p.m. That's a 44% increase compared to last week's episode that aired on USA Network. Viewership peaked between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. with 965,000 viewers. The episode was also number one on the CW that year among adults 25-54 and adults 18-49, with 406,000 and 354,000 viewers, respectively.

Viewership represented a 143% increase in total viewership over the CW primetime average on Tuesday this season, with affiliates in markets including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Detroit also seeing triple-digit increases in viewership compared to last week .

The first NXT broadcast on The CW saw Trick Williams regain the NXT Championship and featured special appearances from CM Punk, Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. Next week, WWE Superstar Randy Orton will make a special guest appearance.

In November 2023, it was announced that NXT would be moving from the United States to The CW in a five-year deal worth $20–25 million per year. NXT is the brainchild of Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who now serves as WWE’s chief content officer. The show is currently overseen by Shawn Michaels, himself a WWE Hall of Famer with a legendary in-ring career.

Since its inception, NXT has become an integral part of WWE's talent development process. Current stars like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley and Kevin Owens all started in the WWE via NXT.