WWE Friday Night Smackdown viewership declines

SmackDown on FOX suffers yet again a viewership decline as the number on Friday Night garnered a total of 2.44 million, 15 percent down from the week before.

The first week of October was an anticipated week for wrestling fans as not only did AEW Dynamite make its debut on TNT, but also WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown made its return to broadcast television on FOX. Many thought could potentially set up a “boom” period for wrestling, as a show like SmackDown being aired on FOX could potentially bring in more viewers. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider this “boom” as a “bust.”

After three weeks on FOX, Showbuzz Daily has reported that SmackDown viewership has fallen to 2.44 million last Friday night, which constitutes a 15 percent drop from the prior week. SmackDown had already dropped down by 1.4 million viewers from its heavily-hyped debut episode which featured wrestling legends such as The Rock. However, one positive note that came out of this is the fact that SmackDown still secured the best rating of that night in the key 18-49 demographic with a 0.75.

Although the prior two weeks of SmackDown were hyped up as special episodes which includes the second week being advertised as the start of the WWE Draft, it seems that SmackDown‘s normal viewership on FOX isn’t as big as expected. In addition, it’s also possible that some fans may be tuned out with WWE in general after the debacle to close the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view and the Draft, as both were heavily criticized.

With SmackDown scheduled to air on FOX for the next couple of years, will the blue brand continue to be hyped as WWE’s main show and attract new viewers, or will it always looked upon as the “B” show?