WWE Smackdown Ratings Drops Heading Into No Mercy
Raw handily wins this week's battle.
Although Tuesday evening's Smackdown Live was the final episode of the show before the No Mercy Pay-Per-View, the ratings did not reflect the importance of the broadcast. An average of 2,316,000 viewers watched the show, down slightly from the previous week's 2,340,000.
The rating is disappointing - since Smackdown has gone live on Tuesdays, only September 20's episode has drawn fewer viewers - but the show was up against heavy competition, including the Vice Presidential debate and the MLB Wild Card game between the Orioles and the Blue Jays. If anything, a larger drop might have been expected, as last week's episode boasted a well-hyped WWE World Championship match between AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose.
Raw, which posted its lowest rating in the show's 23-plus year history last week, rebounded with its best number in a month off a strong Sasha Banks versus Charlotte main event. That means that the gulf between the red and blue brands' viewership levels was at its highest level since the first week in September.
With Sunday's No Mercy show boasting an AJ Styles versus John Cena versus Dean Ambrose main event and an Intercontinental Title versus career match featuring The Miz and Dolph Ziggler, next week's number should show growth.