3 Reasons AEW Summer Blockbuster 2025 failed to defeat WWE NXT in ratings 

After the success of last week's Fyter Fest, AEW hosted another four-hour television special this week, in the form of a brand new show dubbed Summer Blockbuster. The event was loaded with several high-stakes matches and angles that are meant to shape the path heading towards the promotion's upcoming pay-per-view, All In: Texas.

However, the Dynamite portion of the aforementioned special witnessed a surprise decline in terms of viewership numbers. In fact, the show fell behind this week's episode of WWE NXT in ratings. Even though the figures do not account for numbers from MAX (where AEW programming is simulcast), let us explore three potential reasons why the All Elite Wrestling Summer Blockbuster failed to defeat the Stamford-based company's developmental show in TV ratings.

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#1. AEW's four-hour show might have been too long to retain viewers

Usually, AEW's weekly television programming is split up between Wednesdays and Saturdays, featuring Dynamite and Collision, respectively. However, in recent months, the promotion has tried to shake up its broadcast schedule on occasion, such as when Collision was moved to Thursday last month because TNT was scheduled to air the NHL Playoffs.

Last week, the company deviated from its weekly routine by bringing back one of its original events, Fyter Fest, as a four-hour program that included both Dynamite and Collision in two consecutive parts. This idea was repeated this past Wednesday in the form of a new show, Summer Blockbuster, airing from Portland, Oregon.

While AEW excels at booking lengthy pay-per-views, producing quality wrestling content for a four-hour television block is no easy task. Quarter-hour analysis reports indicate that, despite starting on a stronger note, viewership figures for the Dynamite section of Summer Blockbuster declined over the course of the show.

Such a ratings dip could have occurred because the entire show was too long for many viewers to keep up with throughout. It should be noted that Collision : Summer Blockbuster actually saw a boost in ratings compared to last week's Fyter Fest, although the program did lose a huge chunk of viewers towards the end.

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#2. Absence of championship matches at AEW Summer Blockbuster

Title matches tend to immediately raise the stakes for any show or event to which such bouts may be added. Both AEW and WWE regularly schedule championship battles on their respective flagship programs to attract more viewers to their television product. All Elite Wrestling, in particular, is well-known for consistently booking title fights on both Dynamite and Collision.

In an unexpected departure from this trend, however, Summer Blockbuster did not feature a single championship bout on its card, despite showcasing World Tag Team Champions The Hurt Syndicate, Women's World Champion Toni Storm, and even ROH World Champion Bandido. By contrast, the June 10 episode of WWE NXT saw both the Men's and Women's NXT Titles being successfully defended by champions Oba Femi and Jacy Jayne, respectively, against Jasper Troy and Lainey Reid.

Although AEW Summer Blockbuster made strides towards building multiple title matches for All In: Texas and even for next week's Grand Slam Mexico, it may have suffered a ratings blow for not putting any of those titles on the line on the show itself.

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#3. WWE's recent surge in momentum

AEW Summer Blockbuster followed merely a few days after WWE Money in the Bank 2025, an event that made headlines across the wrestling world with the triumphant and shocking return of Ron Killings. The show also followed on the heels of WWE x AAA Worlds Collide, a cross-promotional event featuring talent from both the Stamford-based promotion and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.

The interest and momentum generated by the aforementioned WWE events may have played a big part in the ratings boost that NXT experienced this week compared to last week's show. The June 10 episode featured appearances from AAA names such as Psycho Clown, Octagon Jr., and Mr. Iguana, as well as TNA stars AJ Francis and Elijah. It also witnessed the return of Ricky Saints and the unveiling of former AEW Women's Champion Mariah May's new ring name, Blake Monroe.

The hype created by WWE's recent product and programming maneuvers may thus have led to NXT's ratings victory this week over Summer Blockbuster.