The March 25, 2026 episode of AEW Dynamite set the stage for the Dynasty pay-per-view on April 12 and delivered a notable jump in TV viewership and key title matches.
Big matches set for Dynasty
Kenny Omega defeated Swerve Strickland on Dynamite to earn a shot at the AEW World Championship held by MJF. That win officially set up a top match for the Dynasty pay-per-view on April 12.
Thekla made another defense of the AEW Women’s World Championship against Mina Shirakawa on the same show, keeping her title in place heading into the pay-per-view window.
Will Ospreay issued a challenge to Jon Moxley for the AEW Continental Championship. Moxley accepted the challenge, adding another high-profile match to the Dynasty lineup.
TV ratings and total viewers
AEW Dynamite averaged 765,000 viewers on March 25. That was a 5% increase from the previous week and 18% higher than the trailing four-week average of 658,000 viewers.
These numbers do not include viewers who streamed the show live on HBO Max. The 765,000 average is the highest for Dynamite since July 2024, when the Blood and Guts special averaged 786,000 viewers.
Key demographics and rankings
In the important 18-49 demographic, Dynamite posted a 0.14 rating. That is an 8% rise from the prior week and 27% above the trailing four-week average of 0.11.
The show ranked fifth in prime-time cable for Wednesday night. It finished behind NBA coverage on ESPN and several cable news hours, but it performed strongly in younger demos.
Dynamite placed second behind the NBA in both the 18-34 and 12-34 demographics, each with a 0.14 rating. It was joint third in the 25-54 demo with a 0.21 rating.
Match results and recent notes
Key outcomes and developments from the March 25 episode are listed below.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Kenny Omega | Defeated Swerve Strickland; earned AEW World Title shot vs MJF |
| Swerve Strickland | Lost to Kenny Omega |
| Thekla | Made another defense of the AEW Women’s World Championship vs Mina Shirakawa |
| Mina Shirakawa | Challenged Thekla for the AEW Women’s World Championship |
| Will Ospreay | Issued a challenge to Jon Moxley for the AEW Continental Title |
| Jon Moxley | Accepted Will Ospreay’s challenge for the AEW Continental Championship |
With these results, AEW has multiple headline matches confirmed for Dynasty on April 12. The strong TV numbers give momentum to the promotion heading into the pay-per-view.
