For years, wrestling programs have utilized Neilson ratings to help gauge viewership for programs. At times, quarter-hour breakdowns have also been made available, to help narrow down which segments draw, and which don't. With technology advancing, there are new metrics, albeit controversial ones.
Many shows (WWE specifically) upload their clips and have view counts that are made public. As I did at Wrestling Inc., I'll bring you these updates on what I hope is a fairly consistent basis, the day after they air, or are posted. The first shows -- WWE NXT and the Cruiserweight Classic.
It's not much of a surprise, but Kota Ibushi's match on the opening edition of the Cruiserweight Classic was by far the biggest draw, at over 157,000 views. The former NJPW star had plenty of worldwide exposure and hype leading into the event. Perhaps shockingly, former ROH star Cedric Alexander's appearance ranked at the bottom, with only 85,00 views.
NXT runs things a little differently, as they don't traditionally post each of their segments. For the two that they posted, Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Balor performed exceptionally well. WWE even broke it into two parts, with the second getting over 240,00 views.
Cruiserweight Classic Youtube Rankings as of 7/14, 2 PM EST
1. Kota Ibushi vs. Sean Maluta (157,605)
2. Gran Metalik vs. Alejando Saez (128,332)
3. Ho Ho Lun vs. Ariya Daivari (94.773)
4. Cedric Alexander vs. Clement Petiot (85,11)
NXT Youtube Rankings as of 7/14, 2 PM EST
1. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Balor (215,257 to 240,872)
2. Rhyno confronts Samoa Joe (150,951)
By Sean Ross Sapp
