Tuesday’s WWE Smackdown Live averaged 2.569 million viewers for USA Network, according to Showbuzzdaily.com. The number was up from the 2.535 million count from last Tuesday’s edition.
Powell’s POV: A minor increase for the show headlined by the Shinsuke Nakamura vs. John Cena match that was advertised a week in advance along with the AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens match for the U.S. Championship. The August 2, 2016 edition of Smackdown delivered a 1.86 rating with 2.681 million viewers.
There is a big difference between advertising to viewers that already watch the show and those that do not but might. If I am not watching how would I know a top match is coming up next week. WWE needs to advertise outside their comfort zone.