'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgf/2gAIAQEAAAAAjr//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAE//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAfEAABBAICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEEQATBRYIEiP/2gAIAQEAAT8A7ZJd5RiYrDO35NuCoiQOBrFVsaq7S/bI/kNLhR2ovXmndA6thzTs6z//xAAYEQEBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgATUf/aAAgBAgEBPwC3WEzwz//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAREi/9oACAEDAQE/AG3Nsf/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
There's a new king in town, and its name is AEW Dynamite.
This week's episode of AEW drew approximately 1.09 million viewers for a live telecast highlighted by the Blood & Guts match between The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle.
In comparison? Once a pro-wrestling gold standard on cable television and a stalwart in the same timeslot for almost 30 years, Monday Night RAW averaged about 1.8 million.
So, when it's Wednesday night, do you know what that means?
It means AEW is gaining on WWE in both popularity and notoriety. The promotion has established itself as must-see TV among the sports entertainment audience, loyal followers, and those who tune in to "hate-watch" the shows.
Even if longtime fans and the so-called haters don't want to bow to the throne of the nearly two-year-old promotion, there's no question that it thoroughly won the short-lived Wednesday Night War.
There's also no doubting that AEW put out an appealing product. All Elite Wrestling features slick production and an intriguing cast of longtime legends and perennial pros.
AEW not only achieves excellent ratings for a current, nationally televised wrestling show, it is also the king of the castle when it comes to cable television. The special Blood & Guts episode of AEW Dynamite came first in its timeslot.
If the peasants in the village of naysayers want to doubt the ascension of AEW, then that's fine. But eventually, they will have to kiss the new ring of wrestling royalty.
TNT will be thrilled with AEW's viewership and ratings
Don't think for one second that the executives at TNT aren't thrilled with these figures. They took a chance on a promotion that was a project - unproven and unknown - and it has turned out to be a winner for a network that already has a solid lineup of content.
Although it will be bumped from its Wednesday sanctuary by the NBA playoffs this week, it is still a diamond in the rough for Turner Sports. And likely one that the company will continue to polish.
While many critics will say that AEW cites "demographics" too often, that may not matter to fans, but it matters to advertisers. And with a pro-wrestling audience that continues to get much older, Dynamite appeals to younger fans more than WWE does. That only helps its bottom line, as it tries to lure in more corporate sponsors and a new generation of fans.
And? As much as Triple H and the head honchos in Stamford insist that they didn't program NXT to be a direct competition to AEW, the truth lays bare. It was a futile attempt to sabotage the upstart promotion, as it laid claim to the crown.
While there were several factors that led to NXT's move to Tuesday nights, it's still a victory for AEW in that it has a chance to reign supreme in a kingdom all to themselves.
Now? Having vanquished its prime-time opponents, AEW now has an opportunity to showcase its abilities to an even larger audience and show everyone just how majestic and ELITE it really is.
