WWE SmackDown WrestleMania Backlash Go-Home Show Draws Lowest Key Demo Rating Since July
Friday's live WrestleMania Backlash go-home edition of WWE SmackDown, featuring the final build for the pay-per-view with Cesaro vs. Jimmy Uso in the main event, drew an average of 1.917 million viewers on FOX, according to @SportsTVRatings.
This final number is up 6.5% from the overnight viewership that was released on Saturday morning, which was an average of 1.80 million viewers. This number is down 16% from last week's final SmackDown viewership of 2.282 million viewers for the Throwback SmackDown episode.
Friday's SmackDown drew a 0.44 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, but we do not have data for the 25-54 and 18-34 demos. Last week's Throwback SmackDown drew a 0.65 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, a 0.76 rating in the 25-54 demo, and a 0.43 rating in the 18-34 demographic.
Friday's SmackDown drew the second-lowest audience for the show this year, behind the February 12 episode, which aired during the week of the impeachment hearings. Friday's SmackDown also drew the lowest 18-49 key demo rating for SmackDown on FOX since the July 3, 2020 episode.
Friday's SmackDown viewership was down 16% from last week, while the 18-49 key demographic rating was down 32.3% from last week.
Friday's SmackDown viewership was down 6.1% from the same week in 2020, while the key demo rating was down 12% from the same week in 2020. It should be noted that the same week last year is when WWE was taping shows from the Performance Center with no fans, at a time when all shows were on the decline.
We do not have Friday's rating and viewership rankings as of this writing, but we will keep you updated.
Stay tuned for more ratings data.
Below is our 2021 SmackDown Viewership Tracker, along with the Top 10 moments from Friday's show:
January 1 Episode: 2.013 million viewers with a 0.53 rating in the 18-49 demographic (New Year's episode)
January 8 Episode: 2.120 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 15 Episode: 2.262 million viewers with a 0.67 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 22 Episode: 2.383 million viewers with a 0.63 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 29 Episode: 2.304 million viewers with a 0.62 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 5 Episode: 2.257 million viewers with a 0.65 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Royal Rumble episode)
February 12 Episode: 1.990 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 19 Episode: 2.217 million viewers with a 0.59 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 26 Episode: 2.145 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Elimination Chamber episode)
March 5 Episode: 2.252 million viewers with a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 12 Episode: 2.171 million viewers with a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 19 Episode: 2.093 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 26 Episode: 2.191 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Fastlane episode)
April 2 Episode: 2.137 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 9 Episode: 2.250 million viewers with a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 16 Episode: 2.119 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-WrestleMania 37 episode)
April 23 Episode: 2.121 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 30 Episode: 2.018 million viewers with a 0.49 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 7 Episode: 2.282 million viewers with a 0.65 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Throwback episode)
May 14 Episode: 1.917 million viewers with a 0.44 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 21 Episode:
2020 Total: 113.372 million viewers
2020 Average: 2.180 million viewers per episode (2 FS1 airings)
2019 Total: 112.530 million viewers
2019 Average: 2.164 million viewers per episode (1 FS1 airing)
2018 Total: 122.304 million viewers
2018 Average: 2.352 million viewers per episode
2017 Total: 132.401 million viewers
2017 Average: 2.546 million viewers per episode