NXT moved from the WWE Network to the USA Network in August 2019 to act as counterprogramming for AEW’s Dynamite series on TNT. The first time the shows went head to head, Dynamite averaged 1.409 million viewers against NXT’s average of 891,000 viewers. While Dynamite’s ratings haven’t hit those heights since, AEW’s flagship show has dominated the head-to-head battle, with Dynamite winning 58 times, NXT 9 times with 2 ties.
TNT was clearly happy, so they renewed Dynamite through 2023 and greenlit a second weekly television show due to debut later this year, meaning WWE’s counterprogramming attempts had failed. It now looks like the Wednesday night rivalry is set to end, as according to The Mat Men podcast, NXT will move to Tuesday nights from 13th April, which would be the first episode after WrestleMania.
If they are accurate, and others have since collaborated the report, it will undoubtedly look like WWE has failed. However, it may not be WWE’s choice as the USA Network have a massive say in what night NXT airs, and with the NBC Sports Network closing this year, it’s likely the National Hockey League will be moving to the USA Network and would have caused a scheduling conflict.
Ultimately going against Dynamite is costing the USA Network both viewers and money, and with Dynamite and NXT on different nights, both shows should see an increase in viewership. This was demonstrated when the shows ran unopposed for four weeks between 19th August 2020 and 9th September 2020 due to the NBA playoffs and NHL Stanly Cup causing preemptions. The big loser in all this could end up being Impact Wrestling, whose flagship show currently airs on Tuesday and saw an approximate 40% drop in viewers when NXT went against them in 2020.
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