3/4 NXT And 3/5 AEW Dynamite Ratings Increase – Television viewership for both WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite saw modest increases during the first week of March, according to data reported by Wrestlenomics.
The March 3 episode of WWE NXT aired on The CW Network and drew 604,000 viewers. This number represents a slight increase compared to the February 24 broadcast, which attracted 589,000 viewers.
In addition to the overall viewership gain, the show also experienced a small rise in the key advertising demographic. Tuesday’s episode recorded a 0.09 rating in the 18–49 demographic. The previous week’s episode posted a 0.08 rating in the same category.
While the increase was not large, it continues a recent trend where NXT has maintained stable audience numbers on The CW. The incremental growth in both total viewers and the demographic rating suggests that the program held a consistent audience heading into March.
Most Viewed WWE NXT (3/3) Videos on YouTube
Sol Ruca exacts payback on Zaria and Jacy Jayne (191K views)
Blake Monroe unleashes The Woman From Hell to brawl with Jaida Parker (84K views)
Myles Borne beats Ethan Page in impromptu North American Title Match (82K views)
FULL SEGMENT: NXT Champion Joe Hendry goes undercover to attack Ricky Saints (81K views)
Tatum Paxley delivers a chilling message to Izzi Dame (60K views)
Meanwhile, AEW Dynamite also saw an increase in its weekly numbers. The March 4 episode of Dynamite aired on TBS and averaged 650,000 viewers. That figure is up from the 633,000 viewers recorded by the February 25 broadcast.
The show also improved its performance in the 18–49 demographic. Wednesday night’s episode posted a 0.12 rating, which is an increase from the 0.10 rating the program achieved the previous week.
Most Viewed AEW Dynamite (3/4) Videos on YouTube
David Finlay arrives in All Elite Wrestling! (66K views)
The IInspiration vs The Brawling Birds (62K views)
Swerve Strickland AMBUSHES and CHALLENGES Brody King (61K views)
Thekla vs Thunder Rosa – AEW Women’s World Championship (36K views)
Jet Speed Rodeo vs Don Callis Family – AEW World Trios Championship (31K views)
Both shows experienced similar patterns during the week, with moderate gains in overall audience and demographic performance.
The 18–49 demographic remains one of the most important metrics in television ratings because it represents the audience most valued by advertisers. Even small shifts in that category can be important when networks evaluate weekly performance.
With both WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite showing slight growth compared to their previous episodes, the early March broadcasts reflected stable viewership trends across both promotions.
It remains to be seen whether these increases continue in the coming weeks as both companies move closer to their upcoming major events and storylines continue to develop across their weekly programming.
Aleister Black is looking back at a transformative year since his high-profile return to WWE in the spring of 2025. In a new interview with The Stunner, the “Dark Father” characterized his second stint with the promotion as a major achievement, pointing to his intense schedule as a sign of his standing in the company.
Since re-emerging on the April 25, 2025, episode of SmackDown, Black has shifted from a trios competitor in his previous promotion back into a top-tier singles threat under the creative direction of Triple H.
“First and foremost, I consider it a massive success. A lot more work, a lot more things that I have done inside the ring and outside the ring,” Black stated. “I like being busy; once I feel like I am not busy, I feel like I am not doing something right. The amount of work I have had within WWE has been a lot, which is good. Several main events, headlining several Smackdown episodes, merchandise sales, commercials, various interviews, and then obviously as of recently, working the main event with Randy Orton and beating him. I cannot really complain when it comes to that.”
The Evolution of the Dark Father
A central part of Black’s success has been the revival of the “Dark Father” persona. This character, which was briefly teased at the end of his first WWE run in 2021 before his departure, focuses on the psychological corruption of his rivals. While Black explored similar themes leading a faction in AEW, he believes the concept has found its true home on Friday nights.
“I was happy that I was able to bring over something that I was working on at the end of my first run when we did the Dark Father. This whole corrupting people’s character that was going to start with the Dark Father and obviously had its life in AEW for a minute, bringing that over to WWE, I feel like it has a lot more legs,” Black explained. He noted that his recent high-profile program with Randy Orton is only the beginning of this creative direction.
The Impact of the Randy Orton Victory
Black’s victory over Randy Orton on the February 20 episode of SmackDown remains one of the most talked-about moments of the year. The finish saw then-champion Drew McIntyre interfere, striking Orton with the title belt and allowing Black to capitalize with a devastating Black Mass.
While the win was controversial due to McIntyre’s involvement, Black views it as a career-defining moment. However, the fallout from that match has had long-term consequences. As reported earlier, the tension between Orton and McIntyre eventually led to the current WrestleMania 42 plans, where Cody Rhodes—who won the title back from McIntyre on March 6—is now set to defend against “The Viper.”
With his first year back in the books, Aleister Black appears more motivated than ever to continue his “corruption” of the SmackDown roster.
Aleister Black Reflects on “Massive Success” of First Year in WWE Return
Demolition React to WWE Hall of Fame Induction – Since the announcement of their WWE Hall of Fame induction, Demolition has seen a huge wave of love from fans and fellow wrestlers.
On a new episode of their DemoPod, Bill “Ax” Eadie and Barry “Smash” Darsow took time to thank everyone who helped them finally get into the Hall of Fame for the 2026 class.
The legendary tag team believes that fan support was a major reason for the move, along with help from icons like Kevin Nash and Bret Hart.
“We really do gotta say, you brought up Kevin Nash, he’s a great guy,” Darsow said during the show. “And he’s been pushing for us getting into the Hall of Fame for years. We need to thank him.”
Darsow also shared a funny story about a phone call he received from Ric Flair a year ago.
“Ric Flair called me up last year and said, ‘Congratulations, you’re getting into the Hall of Fame.’ I said, ‘Ric, no, not yet, we’re not there.’ [Flair said], ‘Oh, I thought you were going in,’” Darsow recalled.
The duo noted that many stars have reached out to congratulate them, including The Hardy Boyz, The Dudleyz, Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard. After years of being away from the company due to legal disputes, signing WWE Legends contracts last year paved the way for their return.
“It’s nice to be back in the frat house. We were in the fraternity for years, but we weren’t allowed in the frat house for some reason,” Eadie remarked. “But now we’re back in the house.”
The Surprise Call from The Undertaker
The team revealed they were completely surprised by the announcement. They thought they were hopping on a Zoom call to discuss new merchandise and action figures.
“When you get the call from the Undertaker and he says ‘Hey I want to get you guys inducted into the Hall of Fame,’ that’s a pretty huge deal,” Smash stated.
Ax explained exactly how the surprise happened: “The Zoom call originally was for showing us new merchandise that’s coming out – action figures, apparel, and things of that nature. And then all of a sudden, Undertaker butted in and surprised us and that’s when he made the announcement”.
Weather Ruined the Original Plan
WWE originally planned to announce the induction live in Montreal earlier this year, but a massive snowstorm forced the team to cancel their travel.
“We were invited to go to Montreal,” Smash explained. “They were going to talk about the Royal Rumble in Montreal. This was before they went to Saudi Arabia. So we were all set—we were doing a show up in Atlanta—so we were all set to go right after that show to go to Montreal and that’s when that big snowstorm hit. So they were going to do all of this live in Montreal during that show and we had to cancel because we couldn’t get there”.
Fans Made the Difference
Both men credited the fans for keeping their names alive at conventions and signings for the last several years.
“I think that the powers that be listen to the fans and they’re swayed by the fans,” Ax said. “We just appreciate all the support over these years. Like you said, every time we’re at a convention or a signing, people come up to us and we have no control over it, but we’re happy that it’s transpired”.
Demolition joins a 2026 Hall of Fame class that already includes Stephanie McMahon and AJ Styles. The ceremony will take place in Las Vegas on Friday, April 17, 2026, as part of the WrestleMania 42 festivities.
The new tag team of Damian Priest and R-Truth are the No. 1 contenders for the WWE tag titles after outlasting a tag team turmoil match that included Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, Wyatt Sicks, and Los Garza on “SmackDown”.
MCMG and Fraxiom started things off with a match that would have stolen the show any other night — — until the closing moments. Sabin was pinned by Axiom when Shelley placed his foot on the rope to break the fall in front of Frazier. The spot was late, allowing the ref to count to three and eliminate The Guns.
Los Garza was the next team and quickly eliminated Fraxiom. Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy were the next entrants. Tanga Loa and Tama Tanga distracted Wyatt Sicks to allow Berto pin Lumis. R-Truth and Damian Priest were the final team.
Berto landed a moonsault on Priest off the ropes. Priest sent Garza into the announce table. In response, Garza connected with a tope suicida on Priest. Truth tagged in and hit multiple shoulder tackles and a Five Knuckle Shuffle on Berto. He missed with the AA, but locked in the STFU, only for Garza to break it up. Priest connected with South of Heaven on Berto while Truth simultaneously connected with the AA on Garza to get the win.
Earlier in the night, Priest was speaking with Nick Aldis backstage when Truth informed Priest he was in turmoil, but he was too. Aldis clarified that they were in a tag team turmoil match later in the night and that he thought Priest knew. Tonga and Solo Sikoa won the titles from Wyatt Sicks in January and have yet to defend their titles.
