WWE Smackdown experienced a slight drop in viewership, maintaining numbers below the 1 million mark, with the January 16th episode seeing further declines. This show featured Drew McIntyre’s first appearance as the Undisputed WWE Champion following his victory over Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match a week earlier. Fans also got a glimpse of potential challengers for McIntyre’s title at the upcoming Royal Rumble.
The January 16 episode averaged 968,000 viewers, a 2 percent decrease from the previous week’s 990,000, according to Wrestlenomics. It posted a 0.21 rating in the key 18-49 age group, which is down 19 percent from a 0.26 rating the week before.
Over the next four weeks, the average viewership was 1,074,000, down 10 percent, and the show saw a 29 percent decline compared to the same period last year. Ratings also fell, with a 19 percent drop from the recent 0.26 average to 0.21, and a 43 percent decrease from the 0.44 rating seen at this time last year.
As WWE heads towards WrestleMania, starting with the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on January 31st, Smackdown is expected to attract over 1 million viewers. However, the latest episode might have lost some live viewers to alternative streaming options like Netflix accessed via VPNs. On the January 16th show, Randy Orton, Trick Williams, Sami Zayn, and Damian Priest were set for a four-way match in the main event on Saturday, with the winner earning a shot at McIntyre’s championship at the Rumble.
Fan Take: This decline in viewership highlights a shifting landscape for WWE as fans explore different ways to watch content, signaling WWE may need to adapt its distribution strategy. However, the build-up to WrestleMania remains a crucial period that could reignite interest and boost ratings for Smackdown, keeping the excitement alive for the sport’s biggest stage.
