WWE NXT Sees Viewer Increase But Key Demo Drops Week To Week

WWE NXT Sees Viewer Increase But Key Demo Drops Week To Week

WWE NXT saw a modest rise in overall viewership for its March 17, 2026 episode on The CW Network, while the key demographic dipped slightly.

The show brought in 588,000 viewers and posted a 0.07 rating in the P18 to 49 demo, according to Programming Insider. That marks an increase of 47,000 viewers compared to the March 10 episode, which drew 541,000 viewers, though the demo slipped from 0.08.

Looking at the bigger picture, the numbers show a noticeable decline year over year. The same week in 2025 saw NXT pull in 676,000 viewers with a 0.15 demo rating. This year’s figures represent a 13 percent drop in total audience and a sharp 53.3 percent decrease in the key demo.

Nikki And Brie Bella Talk Wrestling For WWE Women’s Tag Titles On Tonight’s SmackDown

Brie gave birth to her second child, a son, Buddy, the day after Nikki gave birth to her first child, also a son, Matteo, in 2020. Nikki agreed with her sister about the title match meaning more now that she’s a mom. She also described looking back on her career alongside Brie, remembering their journey to Tampa, Florida before they signed their WWE contracts.

“We started it together. Our first wrestling match, were weren’t in singles. We were together. We were a tag team,” she said. “Nattie and Alicia Fox, that was our first match ever. I remember all those things and one thing that we never accomplished for being, like you said, a tag team from the womb, but even beyond that in this profession, we never won what actually makes a tag team a champion.”

Nikki said she feels fortunate that her body is in such great shape that she can go back and fight for the gold alongside her sister. She said that when they’re older, they can look back on the match, and hopefully the titles and say, “We did that.”

“Dang. To do it as moms, nothing is better,” Nikki said. “You and I talked about it when the boys were born. I didn’t know if we’d make it. I always said, ‘When the boys are five.’ Remember, I would always say five? When you think about that, I have been manifesting since when the boys were babies… Now, they’re five-and-a-half.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “The Nikki & Brie Show” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Triple H Announces Nickelback Song To Serve As Theme Of WWE WrestleMania 42

WWE is racing along the “Road to WrestleMania” ahead of the 42nd edition of the event next month, and now, “The Showcase of the Immortals” has another theme song. After WWE had been promoting the event with “Back in the Saddle” by Aerosmith, Paul “Triple H” Levesque announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday that Nickelback’s “Bones For The Crows” is another official WrestleMania 42 theme.

“They’ve rocked with us for over 20 years, and their new song will soundtrack the Grandest Stage of Them All,” Levesque wrote in the post, alongside an official WWE video complete with a clip of the song, as well as photos of the band.

Nickelback just released “Bones For The Crows” on Friday and teased an announcement along with the drop of the song. The announcement doesn’t appear to be WrestleMania-related initially, despite front man Chad Kroeger mentioning they were “teaming up with someone,” as the teaser on Instagram included the date March 26. The song is the first new release from Nickelback since 2022.

WWE previously used Nickelback’s “Burn It To the Ground” as the theme for “WWE Raw” and the band has performed live at WWE’s Tribute to the Troops events. The company has partnered with numerous artists for multiple “official” theme songs for WrestleMania over the years. Last year, rapper Travis Scott’s “Fein” and The Weeknd’s “Timeless” were both used, marking the latter artist’s sixth consecutive WrestleMania theme song.

WrestleMania 42 is set for Allegiant Stadium for the second year in a row. The event will take place over two nights, on April 18 and 19.

Former WWE Star Ted DiBiase Jr. Found Not Guilty In Welfare Fraud Case

Former WWE star Ted DiBiase Jr. was found not guilty on Friday of all criminal counts in his Mississippi welfare fraud conspiracy trial after being accused of misappropriating millions of dollars intended for families in need. The son of WWE Hall of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, and former Legacy stablemate alongside Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes, was indicted by the US Department of Justice almost three years ago. He was charged with the theft of millions of dollars in federal funds.

According to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, jurors deliberated for around four hours. DiBiase Jr.’s trial began on January 6, though was halted for over a month shortly after it began, due to an illness suffered by his lead defense attorney. The Ledger reported DiBiase faced 13 counts, including four counts of money laundering and two counts of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. The former WWE talent pleaded not guilty to the charges and did not testify in the federal case. He faced up to five years in prison.

DiBiase Jr. spoke to local media following the conclusion of the trial, and a clip of his comments to WAPT News was posted to X. He said that the past seven years of “being slandered” had “about torn his family apart,” and he was thankful it was all over.

Several high profile defendants were also initially named in the scandal, including “The Million Dollar Man” and his other son, Brett, as well as former NFL quarterback Brett Favre. As of January, DiBiase Jr. was the only defendant to stand trial. DiBiase Sr.’s friend, John Davis, the former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, is alleged to have given millions of dollars in funds from the department to two companies owned by DiBiase Jr. and a nonprofit owned by DiBiase Sr.

Toni Storm Set For Extended AEW Absence Following Injury Angle

Toni Storm Set For Extended AEW Absence Following Injury Angle

AEW is now bracing for Toni Storm to be sidelined for the rest of 2026 at the very least following the injury that forced her off the March 18 episode of Dynamite, with creative already pivoting around her absence.

Storm was written out during Dynamite in Fresno through a non contact backstage attack angle. The segment included subtle clues to spark fan speculation, while AEW already has a clear direction planned for revealing the attacker.

She had originally been set to face Marina Shafir in a no holds barred match, but was pulled after not being medically cleared. Mina Shirakawa stepped in as a late replacement and defeated Shafir using Storm Zero. Just minutes before the broadcast, AEW shared footage showing Storm bloodied in her locker room, with Shirakawa and Luther checking on her.

Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline.com reported the situation was legitimate, confirming Shirakawa was not part of the original plan. The latest update suggests the injury is far more serious than first believed, with AEW now preparing for a lengthy absence that could stretch through the remainder of the year.

The development also throws a wrench into the teased storyline with Ronda Rousey, who made a surprise appearance at AEW Revolution on March 15 and confronted Storm after her win. Dave Meltzer has since indicated there has been no word of a Storm versus Rousey match currently being scheduled.

AEW has yet to publicly confirm details on the injury, and Storm has not addressed her condition.