WWE SmackDown ratings up for Day 1 fallout

Friday night’s episode of SmackDown, which featured the brand’s fallout from Day 1, averaged 2.271 million viewers on Fox. That’s up 15.2 percent from two weeks ago, the last time the show aired on Fox, and is the second-best viewership number for SmackDown since September 10.

The show featured a confrontation between Universal Champion Roman Reigns and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar following Lesnar’s title win at Day 1.

In the 18-49 demo, SmackDown drew a 0.58 rating, up 20.8 percent from two weeks ago. It’s the highest rating for the show since October 1.

SmackDown finished third on cable in 18-49 behind Shark Tank and 20/20, both on ABC. SmackDown was last on the networks in total viewers. 

SmackDown finished second on the networks in 18-34 with a 0.37 rating, up 23.3 percent from two weeks ago.

As compared to this week in 2021, SmackDown was up 7.1 percent in total viewers and up 3.6 percent in 18-49. It’s the first time the show has had year-over-year growth in both categories since October 1.

Listed below are the viewership and 18-49 demo numbers for the last 11 weeks where SmackDown has aired on Fox. This episode was up 6.4 percent in viewers and up 9.4 percent in 18-49 as compared to the 10-week averages prior to this week.