After posting a strong rating following WrestleMania 41, “WWE Smackdown” drastically fell in total audience the following week, hitting the third lowest number of the year. That said, the Blue Brand final show before this Friday’s backlash was a growing audience, but improvements were minimal.
According to Wrestlenomics, “Smackdown” averaged 1,455,000 viewers, down 0.41 in the key 18-49 demographic. Comparing both categories to the previous week, total audiences rose by 3%, while the 18-49 demo is up 11%. Since moving to the US network in the past September, Smackdown has struggled to replicate that number since last year, with an average viewership drop of 34% since May 2024. Furthermore, the 18-49 demonstrations have not fallen 35% since last year.
Despite facing strong sports competitions on Friday nights, “Smackdown” worked very well in the cable’s major demographics, ranking #2 overall. The NBA playoff game between ESPN’s Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers finished #1 with 1.18 with 3,913,000 viewers. However, the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers NHL playoff game ranked third with a 985,000 viewers and a 0.28 18-49 rating.
WWE’s YouTube view was also impressive on “Smackdown.” The video of Randy Orton hitting RKO with John Cena has reached nearly 2 million views. Plus, clips from Alexa Bliss’ return match, Charlotte Flair’s conflict with Jada Cargill, and Claymore of Jacob Fatu’s Drew McIntyre’s Claymore drew over half a million clicks. Wrestletix also reported that “Smackdown” sold 9,879 tickets on Friday night.
