WWE SmackDown, AEW Rampage Ratings Down Slightly Going Into Forbidden Door

A week and a half ago, on June 16, both "WWE SmackDown" and "AEW Rampage" saw strong growth in the Nielsen TV ratings, with "SmackDown" popping a big rating and "Rampage" finally returning to the level it was at before it was waylayed by preemptions during the NBA and NHL playoffs. A week later, on the back of a big angle for WWE and with Forbidden Door 2 days away for AEW, how did they do?

According to reporting from ShowbuzzDaily as well as Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics on Twitter, the June 23 "SmackDown" averaged 2,354,000 viewers overall across its two hours (down three percent from the previous week), approximately 796,000 of which were in the "key demo" most valued by advertisers, adults aged 18 to 49 (down approximately nine percent from the week prior). The latter figure translates to a 0.61 rating in P18-49, once against earning "SmackDown" the honor of being the top show on television on Friday among broadcast prime time and cable originals. Second place had less than half the audience in the demo, with Univision's "Perdona nuestros pecados" earning a 0.31, while the second-place English-language show behind "SmackDown" was "Dateline Friday" on NBC with a 0.25.

"SmackDown" also drew a 10.8 share in men aged 18 to 49, meaning 10.8 percent of men in that age group watching television in that time slot were watching the show. down four percent from the week prior.

"Rampage" on TNT, meanwhile, averaged 391,000 viewers overall across its 60 minutes (down eight percent from the previous week), approximately 144,000 of which were in the key demo (down approximately 15 percent from the week prior). The latter figure translates to a 0.11 rating in P18-49, which earned the show 11th place in ShowbuzzDaily's rankings of Friday's cable originals.