Throughout January, “WWE NXT” managed to stay above the 600,000 viewer mark, but coming into this month, it was expected that the show’s numbers would drop due to coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, “NXT” performed exceptionally well despite the stiff competition, with this past Tuesday’s episode being the highest rating the program has drawn since July.
According to Wrestlenomics and Programming Insider, “NXT” averaged 744,000 viewers and posted an 0.09 in the key 18-49 demographic. Compared to the previous week, total viewership increased by 17%, but strangely, the show didn’t improve in the 18-49 demo, being down in the category by 25%. This past Tuesday also marked the first time since September that “NXT” generated over 700,000 viewers for a single episode.
Although the developmental brand went head-to-head with Winter Olympic coverage, there were no NBA games on Tuesday night due to the all-star break, which may have contributed to the program drawing a strong rating. Additionally, WWE’s viewership across all brands traditionally increases during WrestleMania season, and with NXT Vengeance Day on the horizon, fan interest has seemingly picked up.
Despite “NXT” recording its highest viewership of 2026, the program’s totals compared to this time last year has decreased by 12%, when its average audience was 764,000 viewers. That said, WWE’s third brand has bigger issues in the 18-49 demo, with its numbers in the category declining by 44% since February 2025. Now that the 2026 Winter Olympics has come to an end, it remains to be seen if “NXT” will stay above the 700,000 viewer threshold, or if last Tuesday was an isolated occurrence.