7 months ago
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It may be a new era for WWE coming out of WrestleMania 40, but the momentum in viewership largely remains the same. The post-Mania edition of "Raw" last Monday drew the red brand's best viewership in recent memory, with 2.36 million total viewers tuning in for the show, accompanied by a robust 0.83 rating in the all-too-important 18-49. Just a few days later, "SmackDown" continued the hot streak, even if it wasn't quite as hot as "Raw."
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Wrestlenomics and Programming Insider report that Friday's "SmackDown" drew 2.499 million total viewers, along with 0.76 million viewers in 18-49. Despite being the first "SmackDown" since WrestleMania, both numbers were down slightly from the previous week, with total viewership declining a mere 4% from 2.603 million, while 18-49 was down only 1% from 0.77. Even still, WWE officials will likely be very happy with the number overall, as "SmackDown" ultimately topped the night as the #1 show on broadcast TV in 18-49.
Much like with "Raw," "SmackDown" was built around the presence of new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes, who kicked off the show addressing his confrontation with The Rock days earlier, before announcing his first challenger for the title would be the winner of a singles match, where the two opponents would be determined by two three-way matches later in the show. LA Knight and AJ Styles would emerge victorious in the three-way bouts, setting up a WrestleMania rematch between the two to determine Rhodes' challenger.
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Perhaps the biggest story coming out of "SmackDown," however, was the WWE debut of former New Japan star and Bullet Club member Tama Tonga. Tonga made his presence felt by aligning with Bloodline members Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman, attacking Jimmy Uso and kicking Uso out of the group.
