WWE NXT Ratings Seemingly Buoyed By Becky Lynch's Presence

After gaining some strong momentum earlier in August, including a record-setting night on August 8, "WWE NXT's" ratings seemed to come back down to earth over the last few weeks, including 614,000 viewers and a 0.16 in the coveted 18-49 demo last week. So it comes as welcome news for WWE that viewership once again is on an uptick. Wrestlenomics reports that this past Tuesday's episode of "NXT" drew 673,000 total viewers and an 0.18 rating in 18-49, up 10% and 8% respectively from last week. Further information reveals that the episode, while down in several demos, was up 6% with women 18-49, and up a whopping 34% in women 35-49, indicating the female audience was key in "NXT's" slight rebound.

"NXT" featured several key matches on Tuesday, such as Ilja Dragunov defeating Orah Mensah, an appearance from Dominik Mysterio as special guest referee for a match between Dragon Lee and Mustafa Ali, and the continuation of the Global Heritage tournament. The most notable occurrence, however, was a surprise appearance from Becky Lynch, continuing her ongoing issues with "NXT" Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton. As Lynch's appearance was unannounced, it's unclear how much effect she had on the overall number.

Lynch will likely be a huge factor on the number of viewers "NXT" draws next week, however, as she is scheduled to challenge Stratton for the "NXT" Women's Title, looking to win the only women's championship she hasn't won during her WWE career. The show will also feature Dragunov vs. Wes Lee to determine the #1 contender for the "NXT" Title, and Tyler Bate vs. Axiom and Akira Tozawa vs. Nathan Frazer in Block A and B matches in the Global Heritage Invitational.