The numbers for last night’s SmackDown don’t indicate much buzz for Royal Rumble

Not much to see here, as SmackDown remained in the same viewership and ratings ballpark on Jan. 24 that it’s been in since settling in on Fox Friday nights (last week included). WWE won the night in key demos like 18 - 34 year olds and men under 50.

Audience and ratings numbers were down slightly however, which could be because NBC was offering a live sports alternative with U.S. figure skating championships - something quite like wrestling, in the sense that performers mix pageantry & athleticism for unseen judges and the approval of crowds.

Anyway... here’s last night’s network numbers:

Showbuzz Daily

Here’s a detailed look at that ballpark WWE & Fox have been occupying on Fridays (all data via Showbuzz Daily):

If anything stands out, it’s that there’s less buzz for Royal Rumble than there was for Survivor Series. Hardcore wrestling fans probably rank the latter over the former, but TV audiences seem to tune in for the brand supremacy.

For complete results and the live blog for SmackDown this week click here. To read a complete recap & review of all the night’s events click here. For a full playlist of the show click here.