WWE NXT ratings were down on Jimmy Kimmel’s big night

His late night show obviously wasn’t head-to-head with NXT, but seemed to be a hot topic in primetime on Sept. 23.

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What is the story about?

The ratings and viewership data are in for the Sept. 23 episode of WWE NXT on The CW.

According to Programming Insider, the No Mercy go home was watched by 617,000 viewers and drew a 0.12 rating in the 18-49 year old demographic. That‘s a 16% drop from the overall audience number the previous Tuesday’s guest star-laden Homecoming show, and NXT’s smallest audience in a month. Tuesday’s demo rating was down 29% week-to-week, and the lowest since last August.

It was a pretty big night on television, at

least for fans of reality competitions and basketball… and those who were interested in what a late night host would have to say about freedom of speech in a certain WWE Hall of Famer’s America.

Dancing With The Stars and The Voice led the way in total viewership and 18-49 ratings; ABC’s celebrity dance-off in first with a 1.02 from 5.46 million viewers, and NBC’s celebrity-coached sing-off with a .41 from 5.43 million. The WNBA Playoffs also did well in the ratings, as did ABC’s 10 p.m. ET offering (Kaitlyn Olsen’s fun-if-formula detective show High Potential) — likely in anticipation of Jimmy Kimmel’s return at 11:30, which drew record viewership despite being pre-empted in several markets by conservative affiliate owners. Fox News shows also had a strong night, likely discussing the controversy over Kimmel’s comments, the FCC chair’s response, and the comedian’s subsequent suspension.

Next Tuesday’s show shouldn’t have to deal with such a… complex… night on TV, but it will have fallout from both TNA Victory Road and NXT No Mercy, which should shift the invasion story started last Tuesday into a new gear.

Here’s a rundown of NXT’s audience and ratings share of the 18-49 demographic over the past year: