Tony Khan believes that NXT underperformed on Tuesday night.
Following the conclusion of the head-to-head battle between NXT and AEW Dynamite, wrestling fans eagerly awaited the ratings to come in to see who drew the most viewers and what the difference was.
When the results were unveiled, NXT destroyed AEW and claimed a decisive victory with 921,000 viewers, while Dynamite garnered 609,000. Although his rivals celebrated this achievement, Khan offered an alternative view on the ratings.
On social media, Khan made reference to the appearances of John Cena and The Undertaker and how, despite their star power, NXT fell short of breaking the coveted seven-figure viewership barrier.
This week, 2 active decades-long ratings streaks from 2 great legends were ended With all due respect, until this week’s head-to-head AEW on TBS vs WWE on USA, neither John Cena nor Undertaker had ever been on a WWE show with under 1 million total viewers + under 400k in the demo
It’s now been reported that some within WWE saw Tony Khan’s post as a declaration of war.
Tony Khan Acknowledges AEW’s Journey
Prior to the surprising take on the ratings, Khan initially praised his promotion for the progress that has been made over 4 years. Beginning with no TV deal and a roster of predominantly unknown talent, Tony Khan was proud of how AEW has progressed from a startup company that held its first press conference in a parking lot.
Confident that AEW would have a successful night before the show went on air, the AEW President was very active on social media, interacting with wrestling fans who gave their opinions on the upcoming ratings war. When a report came to light that Triple H and Shawn Michaels were doing all they could to prove a point to AEW, Tony Khan gave a unique two-word response to the WWE Executives.