"WWE NXT's" Heatwave premium live event wasn't enough to keep viewers' attention as the summer comes to a close, and WWE's developmental brand saw a dip in ratings compared to the last few weeks. "NXT" had posted some of its best numbers for the year in August, drawing over 700,000 viewers in back-to-back weeks, but viewership dipped for the August 26 episode from the previous week's 675,000 viewers.
According to Programming Insider, this week's episode of "NXT" drew 615,000 viewers following Heatwave.The episode earned a 0.12 rating in the ever-important ages 18-49 demographic. The episode was down nine percent in viewership from the August 19 episode and 13 percent over the trailing four weeks average of 704,000 viewers. In the demographic, "NXT" fell 20 percent from the previous week and 25 percent over the trailing four weeks.
The episode saw a blindfold match pitting Myles Borne against Lexis King, which was announced previously by "NXT" General Manager Ava in a backstage segment with King during Heatwave. Ricky Saints defeated Josh Briggs to earn a shot at Oba Femi's NXT Championship at No Mercy at the end of September. The main event saw six-woman tag team action with Lola Vice, the new number one contender for the NXT Women's Championship, teaming up with Sol Ruca and Zaria to take on Fatal Influence.
While two titles changed hands at Heatwave, including Jacy Jayne losing the TNA Knockouts Championship to Ash by Elegance and Darkstate capturing the NXT Tag Team Championships from Hank & Tank, the moves didn't appear to affect the ratings in a positive manner.
