The CW's Reaction To WWE NXT Premiere Ratings Revealed

Following much anticipation, WWE NXT officially premiered on The CW on Tuesday, October 1 with an episode from Chicago's Allstate Arena. 

WWE were reportedly aiming for one million viewers for the premiere but the show only fell short by just over 100,000 viewers. NXT's total viewership averaged 895,000 total viewers and a 0.26 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. Compared to last week's show on the USA Network, NXT was up 36.8 per cent in the key demo and up 44 per cent in total viewership. 

WWE NXT was The CW's best ratings of the year in the 18-49 and 25-54 demos. Total viewership was also up for The CW affiliate stations in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Detroit, while the episode had a peak viewership of 965,000 viewers during the second quarter. 

Mike Johnson of PWInsider has reported that officials at The CW would have been happy with a viewership of 500,000. As the show averaged 895,000, though, officials were "absolutely thrilled" and they were celebrating the ratings. 

The premiere on The CW saw the introduction of new WWE NXT title belts, as well as a new NXT logo and theme music. One issue that popped up on the premiere, however, was fan chants of "holy sh*t" were censored by The CW.