Stiff Competition Affects WWE SmackDown And AEW Rampage Ratings

If you are an AEW or WWE fan that bases their enjoyment on how their shows do in the ratings, it may be a good time to avert your eyes. The viewership numbers are in for both shows this past Friday, and stiff competition and another timeslot change for one of the programs combined to take their toll on both shows, according to Wrestlenomics.

Airing at 6:30 p.m. EST due to Game 6 between the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues, "AEW Rampage" drew 341,000 viewers and a 0.14 in 18-49. As one would think, this was down from the previous week (when Dynamite aired at 7 p.m. EST), with a 17% drop from 410,000 viewers, and a mild 7% drop from the 0.15 rating in 18-49. The show ranked #26th for the night in 18-49, according to ShowBuzzDaily.

Friday's "Rampage" was the official go-home show for AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday, and featured Bryan Danielson defeating Matt Sydal, the Young Bucks defeating Jon Cruz and Taylor Rust, Dante Martin conquering Max Caster, and Ruby Soho pulling one out against Kris Statlander to qualify for the finals of the Owen Hart Cup tournament. Wrestling legend Gangrel also made an appearance, accompanying the Bucks to ringside as they parodied The Hardy Boyz.

Meanwhile "SmackDown" also saw a drop, despite the main event that saw Drew McIntyre and New Day members Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods defeat the Brawling Brutes (Butch, Ridge Holland, and Sheamus). Going head to head with the Blues-Avalanche game, as well as Game 6 of the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics series, the show drew 1,878,000 viewers and a 0.43 in 18-49. This was down 8% from last week and 4% in 18-49. The show ranked 5th overall in 18-49 on all television, according to ShowBuzzDaily. The total viewership number is the lowest "SmackDown" has drawn since the July 2, 2021 episode last year.

In terms of year-over-year growth, "SmackDown" ended May up 1% in total viewership compared to 2021, joining Impact Wrestling as the only promotion to show growth in overall viewership. However, the show also dipped 16% from last year in 18-49, the second-biggest year-over-year drop for a wrestling show, behind only NXT 2.0. As Rampage hadn't begun airing this time last year, there is no year-over-year data at this time.