AEW Dynamite ratings stay strong for special Saturday episode
AEW Dynamite was preempted this past Wednesday and moved to Saturday due to TNT airing the NBA Playoffs. Now, the ratings for the August 22nd AEW Dynamite are in. Saturday Night Dynamite finished with 755,000 viewers, which is down from the August 12th episode that finished with 792,000 viewers.
In the key 18-49 age demographic, AEW Dynamite finished with 0.21 rating, which is also down from the previous Wednesday that finished with a 0.32. That 18-49 number was down only five percent from the previous week, but it was AEW's lowest rating in the demo since July 5th. Although the number is down from August 12th, this rating can not be viewed as a negative considering the circumstances.
AEW Dynamite was not only on a different night, but the show also was in direct opposition with the NXT TakeOver: XXX card on the WWE Network. AEW was supposed to begin their telecast at 6PM EST, but the episode was preempted by more than a half an hour due to the NBA game running long. They only had 30 minutes unopposed before the TakeOver event kicked off.
All things considered, this was a solid week all around for AEW Dynamite. This also makes things very intriguing over the next few weeks for both AEW and WWE NXT. AEW Dynamite will once again be on a different night this week, airing on Thursday August 27th. Then the following week, AEW will be back on Wednesday September 2nd, while WWE NXT will be moving to Tuesday night September 1st due to the NHL Playoffs on the USA Network.
Mr. Brodie Lee becomes the new TNT Champion in the main event of AEW Dynamite
The main event of this past Saturday's special AEW Dynamite featured the crowning of a new champion. Mr. Brodie Lee defeated Cody to win the AEW TNT Championship in a surprising three-minute destruction. The former Luke Harper has been booked well in his role as the Exalted One of the Dark Order, but this outcome was certainly shocking.
After the match, Cody was put on a stretcher, but the beating was not over. Mr. Brodie Lee and the Dark Order took out Cody, Arn Anderson and the rest of the Nightmare Family in a dominant display for the group. Mr. Brodie and his group of underlings have been entertaining on AEW Dynamite and their appearances on Being The Elite. However, this was the first time the stable was presented in this way and made quite the impression to end AEW Dynamite.
This coming week on Dynamite, we will see the All Out contract signing for AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and MJF. The episode will also feature Matt Hardy facing Sammy Guervara in a Tables Match and a Tag Team Gauntlet to determine the No. 1 contenders for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. This seems like another stacked lineup for AEW Dynamite, this time on Thursday night.