'WWE SmackDown' & 'AEW Rampage' Ratings (12/30)

Viewership averages for WWE "SmackDown" and AEW "Rampage" have been revealed. The December 30 episode of "SmackDown," which emanated from Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL, was headlined by the return of John Cena, who teamed with Kevin Owens to take on Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn. The show also featured a surprise return from Charlotte Flair, who defeated Ronda Rousey to become the new WWE "SmackDown" Women's Champion.

Wrestlenomics reports that the final "SmackDown" episode of 2022 took in an average viewership of 2,629,000 for the FOX broadcast. Roughly 835,000 of those viewers were in the 18-49 demo. That marks a 0.64 rating in the key demo.

This is the highest viewership total for "WWE SmackDown" since the 2020 Christmas edition of the show. As far as the 18-49 demo is concerned, this is the highest mark for "SmackDown" since January 21, 2022. Total viewership for "SmackDown" was up 11 percent for the year-end show. The key demo saw an increase of 16 percent. Showbuzz Daily listed "SmackDown" finishing seventh on cable TV in the 18-49 demo for the night. 

"Rampage" had an average viewership of 470,000, with 157,000 of those viewers being in the 18-49 demo. That is a 0.12 rating in the demo. The viewership total dropped 17 percent from the prior episode of "Rampage" on TNT. That drop-off increased to 33 percent for the key demo. Rampage finished twenty-eighth in cable originals, according to Showbuzz Daily. The show slides to forty-three when you factor in broadcast primetime.