WWE NXT kicked off the New Year with a ratings bump.
Viewership numbers have surfaced for the NXT New Year’s Evil special, which aired Tuesday night from 8–10 PM EST on The CW Network.
According to Programming Insider, the January 6 episode of WWE NXT drew 627,000 viewers, marking an increase from the 604,000 viewers the show attracted on December 30.
The show also saw a noticeable uptick in the key demo. Tuesday’s broadcast posted a 0.10 rating in the 18 to 49 year old demographic, up from the 0.07 demo rating recorded the previous week.
New Year’s Evil served as NXT’s annual year-opening themed event and closed with a major moment involving the brand’s top championship.
WWE NXT World Champion Oba Femi successfully defended his title against TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater, then stunned viewers by leaving the championship belt behind in the ring following the match.
That moment quickly gained clarity.
The following day, WWE officially confirmed that Oba Femi has vacated the WWE NXT World Championship, signaling the end of his run atop the brand ahead of an expected move to the main roster on either WWE Raw or WWE SmackDown.
A new era for NXT appears to be underway.
Featured below are the top five most-viewed match highlight and segment videos on WWE’s official YouTube channel for the NXT New Year’s Evil 2026 special event on January 7:
- * FULL MATCH: Oba Femi vs. Leon Slater | NXT Title Match (207,000 views)
* Izzi Dame stuns Thea Hail to become North American Champion (89,000 views)
* Tatum Paxley defeats Izzi Dame in tense bout (86,000 views)
* Blake Monroe blindsides Thea Hail in vicious attack (65,000 views)
* Ricky Saints kicks off 2026 with a cryptic threat (47,000 views)
If you missed this week’s show, fear not, as you can check out our complete WWE NXT Results 1/6/26 here at WrestlingHeadlines.com.
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com every Tuesday night at 8/7c for live WWE NXT results coverage.
