The CW premiere of WWE NXT was a major success

WWE NXT kicked off a new era on Tuesday, October 1. The premiere episode of NXT on the CW Network was a showcase that almost felt like a WWE PLE. By all measures, this show was a success not only for the night but set the tone for the brand in the years to come.

While television ratings are a dated model for measuring the impact of television, the October 1 episode of WWE NXT was a strong event. According to Wrestlenomics, the show did 895,000 viewers which is the highest the show has done since October 10, 2023. For those that love to get on social media and argue about television ratings, this was certainly a win by all accounts.

But beyond those numbers, WWE NXT did an excellent job in presenting the product during those two hours. In many ways, this episode was presented as if it was an introduction to all things WWE NXT. By the end of the night, viewers who may not be the most familiar with the product now know who are the most important characters to watch going forward.

All the NXT championships were featured in some fashion. There were two title matches, and each of the other title holders were on screen either in vignettes or in-ring segments. Along with them, several other performers were cemented as threats to the title or names to watch. WWE even hinted at the debut of DELTA, which is seemingly set for October 27, which is scheduled for the next edition of Halloween Havoc.

Everything about this show worked from start to finish. The CW premiere of WWE NXT made the brand that is considered to be WWE “developmental” feel just as big and as important as Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. If this momentum continues for weeks and months to come, it will be interesting to see if this has an impact on how NXT is booked compared to its main roster peers. There was once a time when NXT felt like the underdog, but this transition to a new network shed that idea and the brand has never felt hotter.

The CW premiere of WWE NXT was a major win. It is one that should build some momentum for the entire promotion as it heads to its transition to Netflix in 2025. At the end of the evening, every performer felt like a big deal for not only NXT’s future, but that of WWE entirely.