The latest WWE SmackDown episode on Friday night attracted an average of 1.546 million viewers on the USA Network, marking a 10.5% rise from the previous week. This surge represents the highest audience count since the April 25th broadcast following WrestleMania 41, highlighting the impact of John Cena <a href="https://cynicaltimes.org/category/wrestling-news/wwe/”>WWE SmackDown return on the show’s viewership.
Key Demographic Ratings Reach Season High
In the important 18-49 age group, SmackDown earned a 0.45 rating, an increase of 21.6% compared to last week. This rating is the strongest in this demographic since the post-WrestleMania April 25th show. On the same night, SmackDown outperformed other broadcasts in the 18-49 category, including the WNBA Skills Competition on ESPN, which secured a 0.31 rating, positioning SmackDown as the top-ranked program in that key demo.
Comparing Current Results With Previous Broadcasts and Networks
Despite the recent spike, when comparing year-over-year figures from the same week in 2024, during which SmackDown aired on Fox, current overall viewership represents a 33.2% decrease, with a corresponding 30.8% drop in the 18-49 rating. Over the past 11 weeks on USA Network, this episode’s performance was 11.4% higher in total viewers and 21.6% stronger in the targeted demographic relative to recent averages, indicating that Cena’s return positively influenced both metrics.
Impact and Outlook Following Cena’s Appearance on SmackDown
John Cena’s comeback to WWE SmackDown has evidently energized the audience and bolstered ratings, achieving peaks not seen since the post-WrestleMania broadcast. This improvement in both overall viewers and the coveted 18-49 demographic suggests renewed interest and engagement with the program, which may encourage WWE to feature Cena in future episodes to sustain and potentially grow its audience on the USA Network.
