When it comes to television ratings, the end of the NBA Playoffs was supposed to offer reprieve for pro wrestling promotions, which have dealt with constant competition for the past two months. That theory, however, couldn’t have been further from the truth for All Elite Wrestling, with the June 19 episode of AEW Dynamite reaching a record low.
According to Wrestlenomics, Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite drew an average of 502,000 viewers and a 0.16 score in the key 18-49 demo. The rating marked new all-time lows in both total audience and demo for AEW’s flagship show on TBS excluding episodes that were preempted, with Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston noting that only two preempted episodes of Dynamite have ever drawn worse ratings.
Dynamite‘s poor rating is curious, as it didn’t appear to come against much major competition, with the NBA Finals over and no Stanley Cup Final game on the night. While it was the Juneteenth holiday, as Thurston noted, that didn’t stop the College World Series game between Texas A&M and Florida from drawing strong viewership on ESPN. Other competition on Wednesday included the viral Kendrick Lamar concert on Amazon’s Prime Video and the Olympic Trials on NBC.
Comparatively, WWE’s quasi-developmental/third brand, NXT — which Dynamite routinely beats in the weekly ratings — topped cable on Tuesday night with 724,000 viewers and a 0.26 demo score, despite going head-to-head against Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. This marks the second straight week NXT has topped Dynamite in total viewers.
While this week’s numbers were jarring, the decline in AEW’s ratings is nothing new as this marked the 31st straight week that Dynamite has declined year-over-year in total viewers, according to the Wrestling Observer. The trend seemingly couldn’t come at a worse time for AEW, which is currently negotiating its next media rights deal, with its exclusive negotiating window with current partner Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly nearing its end.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.