Last Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown saw a strong jump in viewership for the final show before Backlash, with both total viewers and the key demographic posting sizable gains.

The May 9 broadcast averaged 1.279 million viewers on USA Network, marking a 10.9% increase compared to the previous week. It was the show’s largest audience since the SmackDown episode that aired the night before WrestleMania 42.

In the 18 to 49 demographic, SmackDown delivered a 0.29 rating, up 16% from the prior week. Despite the increase, it still ranked as the second lowest rating the show has produced in that category since March 6.

The show faced stiff competition from the NHL Playoffs on TNT, which led all television programming with a 0.33 rating in the key demo. SmackDown still managed to finish second across all cable and broadcast programming in the 18 to 49 category, while placing fifth on cable television in overall viewers.

Compared to the same week in 2025, SmackDown’s overall audience declined by 12.1%, while the 18 to 49 demo rating was down 29.3%.