Latest ratings show another weekly dip for the blue brand
Summary
– WWE SmackDown drew 968,000 viewers on January 16
– Both total viewership and the key demo declined week over week
– Randy Orton segments led SmackDown YouTube traffic
WWE SmackDown continued to hover below the one million viewer mark for its January 16, 2026, episode on USA Network. According to Wrestlenomics, the broadcast averaged 968,000 viewers, down from the 990,000 viewers recorded the previous week.
The show also saw a drop in the 18–49 demographic. SmackDown posted a 0.21 rating in the key demo, down from the 0.26 rating earned on the January 9 episode. The decline marks another week of modest downward movement for WWE’s flagship Friday night program.
Despite the softer television numbers, SmackDown maintained strong engagement across digital platforms. Randy Orton’s interruption of Drew McIntyre’s celebration topped WWE’s YouTube uploads from the episode, pulling in approximately 1.3 million views. A brawl involving Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu followed, while additional segments featuring Damian Priest, The Miz, Jordynne Grace, and Jade Cargill rounded out the most-watched clips.
