CM Punk’s appearance led to the show achieving its largest audience over the past three months and topping the prime-time cable rankings.
The September 17 episode averaged 677,000 viewers and 282,000 (0.21) in the 18-49 demographic, per Programming Insider and Wrestlenomics.
The show’s viewership improved by 8% while its 18-49 audience grew by 10%. It was NXT’s largest audience since June 18 and the best mark in the core demo since July 9.
NXT ranked first among prime-time cable programming on Tuesday ahead of three programs on Fox News and Love & Hip Hop Atlanta on MTV.
The program was structured around CM Punk appearing during the crossover segment into hour two and being confronted by Roxanne Perez. Punk returned unannounced at the end to declare himself the special guest referee for the October 1 match between Ethan Page and Trick Williams in Chicago.
NXT aired at 11 p.m. ET again on Sportsnet 360, which appears to be a permanent move throughout the ongoing season of Dana White’s Contender Series, which airs from 8-10 p.m. on the broadcaster. Contender Series averaged 20,000 viewers and 8,000 in the 25-54 demographic, with NXT averaging 61,500 viewers and 31,700 in the demo (the show also airs live on the Sportsnet Now streaming service).
