The NBA Playoffs again did a number on wrestling ratings

The ratings are in for April 22. As has been the case for the past several weeks, NBA basketball played a big factor in the numbers for sports entertainment & pro wrestling.

For the second Friday in a row, SmackDown‘s numbers were their worst since July 2021. Viewership fell below 2 million; the audience of 1.95 million was 9% lower than the week prior. The decline among 18-49 year olds was smaller after last Friday’s steep fall. This week’s .47 was 2% off the April 15 number.

Rampage’s trajectory is a little harder to track since it was preempted by TNT’s NBA coverage last week. April 22’s episode drew 518K and a .19 demo rating. Viewers were up 7% from last week when the show was live at 7pm ET, but the 18-49 number was actually 14% lower that show’s. Both numbers are way down from April 8 when AEW’s Friday offering was last on in its usual pre-taped form at 10pm (14% less audience, 24% lower rating).

The three NBA games AEW & WWE went up against last Friday were watched by 7.63 million people with a collective rating of 2.51. SmackDown was the highest rated broadcast show on the night, beating the game on ABC and finishing third overall behind the two playoff games that aired on cable. Rampage finished 14th on cable.

It looks like only one of the first round playoff series (Memphis vs. Minnesota) will need its scheduled game next Friday, and word is Rampage will continue to bounce around the schedule as TNT adds the NHL postseason to its line-up.

Numbers via Showbuzz Daily