2 days ago
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Whether it be on Fox or USA, "WWE SmackDown" has dealt with plenty of competition on Friday nights, from likes of Major League Baseball, College Football, the NBA, and so on. In most instances, all those situations would be seen as bigger competition than a boxing fight. But that was not the case this past weekend, where "SmackDown" not only went against a boxing card, but one featuring WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson taking on the brother of WWE star Logan Paul.
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And ultimately, that card, streaming on Netflix, proved to be among the toughest competition WWE has faced in years. Wrestlenomics reports that "SmackDown," going against the card, drew 1.234 million total viewers, and 0.32 in the coveted 18-49 demographic. Both numbers were down and down heavily from last week, with total viewership falling 20% from 1.536 million, while 18-49 was down 32% from 0.47. Similar drops occurred against the four week average, with total viewership falling 14% from 1.440, while 18-49 was down 27% from 0.44.
The 18-49 numbers represent the lowest "SmackDown" has drawn in the key demo since the show moved from Fox to USA earlier this fall. While the Paul-Tyson card was definitely the key factor in numbers falling, "SmackDown" never aired directly against their fight, or against the semi-main bout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. Netflix later announced that the card was watched by more than 60 million households, with Taylor vs. Serrano being seen by 50 million.
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Whether "SmackDown" recovers next week remains to be seen, though they will have a strong hook coming off the show closing scene. Said moment saw Roman Reigns calling Paul Heyman, only to find Heyman's line disconnected. Heyman hasn't been seen in WWE since he was laid out by Solo Sikoa's Bloodline earlier this year.

