WWE SmackDown ratings down against tough sports competition

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.599 million viewers on USA Network, down 8.2 percent from the previous week. It’s still the second-highest audience total for the show since March 7, which was the episode after John Cena’s heel turn at Elimination Chamber.

SmackDown finished fourth on television with a 0.51 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s down 7.3 percent from last week but is the second-best rating the show has done in that category since March 14.

There was heavy sports competition on Friday night with SmackDown going against day two of the NFL Draft on multiple networks as well as NBA and NHL playoff games. NFL Draft and NBA broadcasts were the only shows ranked above SmackDown in the demo.

As compared to the same week in 2024, when the show still aired on Fox, SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 25.8 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 12.1 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership totals and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 0.2 percent in viewers and 6.3 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.