WWE Smackdown Ratings Drop Due To NFL Preseason Preemption, Bloodline Still Does Numbers

Following a polarizing SummerSlam main event in which Roman Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship after Jimmy Uso betrayed his brother Jey, some were looking towards the ratings of Friday's episode of "SmackDown" as a sign regarding whether the Bloodline angle would stay hot or cool off. As it turned out, the NFL preseason made sure that no conclusions can be determined just yet.

Wrestlenomics reports that "SmackDown" drew an average of 2,097,000 viewers on Friday night, with 722,000 viewers and a 0.55 in 18-49. While total viewership and 18-49 declined 7% and 11% respectively from the previous week's episode, the likely culprit for that is due to "SmackDown" being preempted due to the aforementioned NFL preseason action. In total, "SmackDown" was either delayed or aired on a separate affiliate, in nearly 20 US cities.

The decline in ratings suggests a similar trend will occur for "SmackDown" as it did in the summer of 2022, with preseason football expected to preempt the show until the end of August. Last year, "SmackDown" would suffer a 10% decline in total viewership, and a 12% decline in 18-49 during the preemption stretch; at least through one week, the decline in total viewership would be slightly less, with the decline in 18-49 being nearly the same.

That said, it should be noted that Wrestlenomics' quarter-hour breakdown indicated that the final quarter hour — the segment that saw Jey lay out Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Jimmy, before declaring he was quitting the Bloodline, "SmackDown," and WWE before leaving through the crowd — was by far the most-viewed part of the show. The last quarter-hour drew an audience of 2,385,000, almost 300,000 more than the average, with more than 300,000 viewers gained over the previous quarter-hour.