WWE SmackDown roped in ratings when The Rock returned two episodes ago, but the program couldn’t hold as big of numbers the following week without his electrifying presence.
Viewership numbers for 9/22 were released on Monday and although SmackDown did have some decent numbers, it was nowhere near when the show had an unexpected appearance from The Rock.
The 9/22 episode of SmackDown had a total average viewership number of 2,227,000 which is down from the previous week’s 2,569,000, totaling for a 12% drop.
The key demographic also encountered a similiar fate for Friday as Smackdown accrued a 0.63 P18-49 rating, down from The Rock episode which had a 0.70 rating, a 10% decrease.
What Happened On WWE SmackDown?
WWE SmackDown did have it’s fair share of news both on and off the air. A report from Fightful cited LA Knight was all set to partake in the main event but the rising star happened to test positive for COVID-19 before the show and was sent home.
However, John Cena happened to get himself into a match for WWE Fastlane, but not in the manner the future WWE Hall of Famer wanted. Cena was slated to tag with AJ Styles as the two were going to compete against Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa, but Styles was stretchered out of the arena befoe he could sign the contract for the match. The Bloodline taunted Cena enough that he took on the brothers, but the numbers game into play and as it stands now, Cena has to take on both men by himself.