Report: USA Network Really Wanted To Win The Ratings Battle Between WWE NXT And AEW: Dynamite This Week

Ahead of night one of The Great American Bash 2020, WWE announced the special event would feature limited commercials. The decision was extended to night two which resulted in the Winner Take All match between Adam Cole and Keith Lee airing commercial-free and fans were treated to 20 minutes of uninterrupted action.

Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio the decision to run limited adverts was made by USA and not WWE because the TV network really wanted to win this week's edition of the Wednesday Night Wars.

Meltzer said: "NXT had so few commercials and that's a difference-maker… It was very clear that this show from the NXT side was all about winning and not about making money… I shouldn't say NXT because it's USA Network that makes that call. So, USA Network really wanted to win."

The black and gold brand ultimately picked up the win in total viewership for the third week in a row as they drew 759,000 viewers to AEW's 715,000. NXT continued to struggle in the 18-49 demographic, however, as they drew a 0.20 rating to finish 24th on the night compared to their rival's 0.28 rating.