WWE Smackdown rating: How did the show perform when headlined by a four-way for a shot at the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble?

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

WWE Friday Night Smackdown finished with an average of 943,000 viewers for USA Network, according to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics.com. The number was down compared to the previous episode’s 968,000 viewership average.

Powell’s POV: Friday’s Smackdown finished with a 0.22 rating in the 18-49 demographic, up compared to the previous week’s 0.21 rating. The two previous episodes aired on delay from Europe. Friday’s show airing live didn’t seem to matter. One year earlier, the January 24, 2025, edition of Smackdown produced 1.455 million viewers and a 0.44 rating for USA Network.

(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)