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A Look at Last Week’s ‘Dynamite’ Rating

How significant is last week’s rating for AEW Dynamite?

Justin Barrasso

SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.

How significant is last week’s rating for AEW Dynamite?

The last Wednesday of June is suddenly an important week in professional wrestling.

Last week, Dynamite drew its lowest rating since the show started airing for AEW more than five years ago.

The Week in Wrestling

  1. The (Online) Week in Wrestling
  2. Wyatt 6 photo sparks controversy
  3. Tweet of the Week

The June 19 episode of Dynamite delivered 502,000 viewers and a 0.16 rating in the highly sought-after 18-49-year-old demographic. For some added context: a year ago, on June 21, 2023, Dynamite drew over 902,000 viewers, as well as a .33 rating in the 18-49 demo. Two weeks ago, the numbers for Dynamite were 681,000 and .23.

So how can that decline be explained?

Primarily, it was the lead-in. The two-hour block of Big Bang Theory episodes that typically precede Dynamite did not air last week. TBS instead aired The Black Panther, which changed the viewing pattern.

Television is all about the tune-in and the lead-in. You’re either tuning in for the show, or part of the prior show’s lead-in. The TBS network, as a whole, was down last week. The first quarter hour from 8-8:15pm ET is critical for the ratings, but that was hurt by a weak last quarter hour from the lead-in. One positive from last week’s Dynamite rating was that it was built primarily from the tune-in, which could benefit the program tonight if it is combined with a robust lead-in.

Other factors were at play. Last Wednesday was Juneteenth, a federal holiday, and a holiday is bound to affect a weekly rating. AEW is also committing to a new story structure, a new champion, and new players in the Forbidden Door storyline.

It is also worth exploring whether the Forbidden Door concept might be a bit niche. It was extremely effective the last two years, but there is a key difference in 2024. The majority of the big stars from New Japan–like Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, and Jay White–now work for AEW. Then again, if Forbidden Door sells over 10,000 seats at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York and hits $1 million for the gate, then there is plenty of incentive to continue the yearly event.

The recent string of Dynamite shows has been very good, with more emphasis on the stories. The matches are always excellent, but the key for AEW is making sure they have purpose. MJF-Rush, which opened last week’s Dynamite, is a perfect example of that. The build was solid, and the match was outstanding.

Speaking with multiple members in the locker room, no one is panicking. No one is happy about last week’s rating, especially the roster, who were collectively proud of last week’s performance, which may have been the best Dynamite, front to back, of the year. For the roster, it provides even more motivation to be better.

Contacts at Warner Bros. Discovery stressed that the one low rating was not a cause for concern. The belief is that the rating will jump considerably tonight, especially with the Big Bang Theory returning to its familiar spot as the lead-in.

Last week’s rating places a bright spotlight on tonight’s Dynamite. A rating like the one from last week is out of the ordinary, and it is difficult to further analyze or understand until we see this week’s numbers. If it starts a trend of low ratings that are under 600,000 viewers, then the show is not serving its fan base–and changes in style and structure will need to be addressed.

More than likely, however, AEW will post a strong rating tonight–and the goal of surpassing one-million viewers will resume.

The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • Paul Heyman and CM Punk were brilliant together last week on SmackDown.
  • One week ago, Drew McIntyre quit WWE on Raw–only to return on Friday at SmackDown and lay down a brutal beating on Punk. This feud, which has shades of Bret Hart-Steve Austin, has been exceptional.
  • Jacob Fatu is the newest member of The Bloodline.
  • RIP, Afa, a founding father of The Bloodline–and wrestling legend best known for his run with The Wild Samoans.
  • I am still hesitant to say this will work, but The Wyatt 6 backstory was a positive for the group.
  • Has anyone seized the opportunity from the NXT-TNA relationship better than Joe Hendry?
  • Mariah May, Toni Storm, and Mina Shirakawa have all been exceptional in the build to Forbidden Door.
  • Paul Walter Hauser extended his stay in MLW, where he was attacked by “Filthy” Tom Lawlor.

Wyatt 6 photo sparks controversy

When Bray Wyatt conducted interviews, he made a point to never stray too far from character. In the latter years of his character, he turned down high-profile interview opportunities that simply would not fit the character.

A third-generation professional wrestler, Wyatt had an innate understanding of how to protect the business.

Yet that was not on display when the members of The Wyatt 6 went out to eat after their debut last week on Raw.

An out-of-character Wyatt 6
An out-of-character Wyatt 6 /

Does it matter? Should it matter? It certainly wouldn’t in Hollywood, where a prerequisite of acting is not staying true to the role in public. Yet professional wrestling has a long history of protecting the gimmick, especially with heels.

For decades, a suspension of disbelief has added an extra layer of excitement to pro wrestling. Part of this is largely a generational gap; those who grew up in the era of kayfabe likely shudder at this clear sign of disrespect to wrestling’s past, while more modern fans see a group of hungry people.

Ultimately, the success of the group will depend on what happens on-screen. An out-of-character photo at Whataburger is not the end of the world, but the discussion over it would have been non-existent had the group simply used the drive-through.

Tweet of the Week

Kayla Braxton added constant value to WWE, especially whenever she shared the screen with Paul Heyman. Best of luck to her post-WWE.

Published
Justin Barrasso

JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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