NJPW's Will Ospreay Vs Kenny Omega Replay Ties Impact In Key Demo

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega's battle at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 was a critical and commercial success, and it appears AXS TV is reaping some of the benefits of the landmark contest with their latest episode.

According to Wrestlenomics, the "NJPW on AXS TV" replay of Omega's clash with Ospreay over the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship retained the entire Impact Wrestling audience for the first time in the history of the partnership between NJPW and AXS TV. Both NJPW and Impact were watched by 81,000 viewers, a 20% decrease for Impact and a 72% increase for NJPW, as well as sharing a 0.1 in the 18-49 demographic. This was the largest viewership for NJPW since March 24, 2022, and the highest in the 18-49 demo since June 2.

On the night in question, Impact Wrestling was presenting the go-home show the night before their Hard To Kill event. The main event saw Eddie Edwards, Moose, and Steve Maclin get the win over Jonathan Gresham, Rich Swann, and Joe Hendry. The show also featured Sami Callihan getting his head shaved by The Design.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Wrestle Kingdom clash between Omega and Ospreay was meant to set up a series of matches, likely meaning boosts to NJPW's AXS TV ratings sometime in the future. NJPW has been airing on AXS TV since 2022, which wasn't just a reunion between NJPW and their former broadcaster but also a mending of the relationship between Impact Wrestling and New Japan.