Friday night’s WWE SmackDown drew an average of 990,000 viewers on USA Network, representing a 15.7 percent decline from the previous week. It was the lowest audience total for the blue brand since Halloween night 2025.

The episode originated from Berlin, Germany and aired live internationally on Netflix before later broadcasting on USA Network in the United States. The show was built around a major championship moment, as Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match to capture the WWE Championship.

In the key 18 to 49 demographic, SmackDown delivered a 0.26 rating. That figure was down 7.1 percent week to week, though it still ranked as the third strongest performance in that demo for the show since November 28.

SmackDown faced stiff competition from a College Football Playoff game on ESPN, which dominated the night with a 3.86 rating in 18 to 49 and drew more than 17 million viewers. Despite the tough opposition, SmackDown still finished second on all of television in the demo on a night where the main English language broadcast networks combined for fewer than nine million viewers overall.

Compared to the same week in 2025, during Nielsen’s former panel only measurement period, SmackDown’s total viewership was down 31.1 percent, while its 18 to 49 rating declined by 35 percent.

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