AEW Dynamite witnesses a massive upswing in ratings as former WWE Superstar debuts

The ratings for the May 18th edition of AEW Dynamite have been released. The weekly flagship program continued to recover from its recent slump, climbing from 840k total viewership to an impressive total of 922,000. They maintained their 0.33 rating in the key 18-49 demo.

AEW Dynamite this week witnessed a triple-header of Owen Hart Tournament bouts, with two 'Joker' entrants billed. Samoa Joe wound up facing the debuting Johnny Elite (formerly John Morrison in WWE) whereas Britt Baker clashed with returning TJPW star Maki Itoh.

This week's episode continued to improve upon recent totals, climbing back above the 900k threshold after consecutive rating drops in recent weeks. AEW endured a slide from 989k until they hit their lowest viewership since May last year at 821k.

Much of the decline can be pinned on playoffs season, as even this week AEW Dynamite fell behind NBA and NHL content; Rich and Shameless also placed ahead of Dynamite on TNT.

Last week on AEW Dynamite, fans were treated to an Owen Hart Cup quarterfinal clash between Darby Allin and Jeff Hardy. Prior to the main event, their match was made an Anything Goes contest and resulted in a human demolition derby.

What happened on this week's AEW Dynamite?

In addition to the previously mentioned clashes between Britt Baker, Samoa Joe and their 'Joker' entrants, Kyle O'Reilly and Fenix clashed in the Owen Hart Foundation quarterfinals before Adam Cole and Jeff Hardy determined who would advance to the finals.

Last week's Anything Goes match clearly took a toll on the younger Hardy brother as Cole lowered the Boom to book his trip to Double or Nothing. After the match, fans witnessed the Undisputed Elite attacking the Hardys before Sting and Darby Allin attempted to make the save. However, their bravery was rewarded with a savage attack on Darby and the WWE Hall of Famer.

Elsewhere, Hangman Page defeated DDT star Konosuke Takeshita with a Buckshot Lariat and GTS. Throughout the match, the World Champ's eyes were placed firmly on the spectating CM Punk. The pair faced off once more at ringside as their rivalry intensifies ahead of Double or Nothing.

Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland also defeated the Workhorsemen, cementing themselves as challengers to Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. When Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks interrupted, Christian Cage proclaimed that the three teams would all meet in a three-way for the tag titles.