The May 22 episode saw gains in viewers and the key demo.
Summary
– WWE SmackDown rose to 1,258,000 viewers for the May 22 episode on USA Network
– The show also improved to a 0.29 rating in the key 18-49 demographic
– SmackDown was still down year-over-year compared to the same week in 2025
WWE SmackDown saw a small ratings rebound for its May 22 episode on USA Network.
The show drew 1,258,000 viewers and a 0.29 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. That was up from the May 15 episode, which drew 1,184,000 viewers and a 0.23 demo rating.
The increase gave SmackDown a 74,000-viewer gain over the previous week. The demo also improved by 0.06, giving WWE a stronger Friday night number as the road to upcoming premium live events continued.
The episode also performed slightly above the current 2026 average. SmackDown’s May 22 audience came in just over the year-to-date viewership pace and slightly above the year-to-date demo average.
The year-over-year comparison was less positive. SmackDown drew 1,383,000 viewers and a 0.33 demo rating during the same week in 2025, meaning the May 22, 2026, episode was down in both categories.
Even with that yearly decline, the week-to-week increase gave WWE a better result after the previous episode dipped. SmackDown remained steady above the one-million-viewer mark and showed improvement in the advertiser-friendly demo.
