NBA & NFL team-up to give SmackDown & Rampage historically low ratings

The ratings are in for April 29, and the combination of an NBA Playoff game and the NFL Draft gave Friday’s night’s wrestling shows some historically low numbers.

SmackDown had an audience of 1.95 million, which was essentially unchanged from the week prior. The 18-49 year old rating was way down, however. The pre-taped show (another factor worth considering) scored a .38 in the demo — 19% lower than April 22, and according to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, the show’s lowest ever in its normal timeslot.

Thurston says the same is true for Rampage. AEW’s hourlong show scored a .14 rating in the demo; 26% off the previous Friday number and its lowest ever at 10pm ET. The episode was watched by 464K, a 10% decline from last week.

The NFL Draft ran all night on multiple networks. ABC’s coverage tied for first on the broadcast channels, where WWE’s blue brand was tied for third. SmackDown was eighth overall on television, thanks to five cable programs focused on basketball or football outpacing it on the night. ESPN’s coverage of Memphis’ series-clinching NBA Playoff win was the highest rated show on TV, drawing 3.74 million viewers and a 1.20 rating. Rampage was 25th among cable originals.

Basketball and hockey playoffs will be on national television this Friday. WWE can look to bounce back with the WrestleMania Backlash go home. AEW is being pre-empted to 5:30 ET/2:30 PT by TNT’s NHL coverage, and is pretty much screwed.

Numbers via Showbuzz Daily