WWE SmackDown Live will have added juice after Jinder Mahal's shocking WWE Championship victory over Randy Orton, but this may not translate to the blue brand pulling out of annual low viewership territory.
Jinder Mahal celebrates his first WWE Championship victory.
Credit: WWE.comMonday's Raw achieved yet another 2017 low, with just 2.615 million average viewers. This doesn't bode well for SmackDown Live as the Tuesday night flagship has followed suit with 2017 lows two out of the last three times Raw achieved the vaunted feat. It's doubly concerning that SmackDown Live's viewership has seen a decrease from the prior-week for its last two pay-per-view fallout shows.
Mahal's victory was certainly shocking, but ticket sales slowed for the otherwise fertile Chicago market once the entire Backlash card was announced. On Sunday night, just under 10,000 fans sprinkled into the Allstate Arena, which is able to hold more than 18,000 people for a pro wrestling event.
Interest in every selling point, from Jinder Mahal's improbable rise to Shinsuke Nakamura's debut—which was heavily promoted—was soft for SmackDown Live's first brand-exclusive pay-per-view since February. Hopefully the fallout of a brand-new world champion can spark enough curiosity to breathe momentum into SmackDown Live's ratings.
| Airdate | Average Viewership | Pay-Per-View | Viewership vs. Week Prior |
| September 13, 2016 | 2.650 Million | WWE Backlash 2016 | Up from 2.450 Million |
| October 11, 2016 | 2.448 Million | WWE No Mercy | Up from 2.316 Million |
| December 6, 2016 | 2.479 Million | WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | Down from 2.576 Million |
| February 14, 2017 | 2.626 Million | WWE Elimination Chamber | Down from 2.630 Million |
| Average Viewership | 2.550 Million |
Last Week's SmackDown Live Viewership: 2.175 Million (Down from 2.348 Million, new 2017 low)
WWE SmackDown Live Key Competition
- NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers (Eastern Conference Finals, Game 4)
- Sidebar: If NBA's TV ratings eating into SmackDown Live's viewership wasn't scary enough, this suddenly important game is being played just two hours from the Huntington Center in Ohio, which could negatively impact the already low-ceiling attendance for a "C" market in WWE.
- Tucker Carlson Tonight
Last week's WWE SmackDown Live Total YouTube Viewership: 4,225,380 (Down from 4,612,722)
- Most-Viewed: AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal (1,341,378)
- Least-Viewed: Negativity Won't Stop The New Day (173,838)
- Sidebar: The New Day's promotional vignettes have consistently been the least-viewed videos on the SmackDown Live YouTube channel. Perhaps this could explain why the otherwise popular and record-breaking trio made a rather unheralded debut during Talking Smack. It's easy to dismiss the lack of viewership by noting that these were just promotional videos, which traditionally don't get as many views as live or in-ring segments. But it's also worth noting that Lana's promotional vignette that same week drew 438,417 viewers, over 2.5 times that of The New Day. With new scenery, and hopefully a more wrestling-heavy schedule, The New Day should have no problem restoring its popularity as WWE's premier tag team.
SmackDown Live Social Media Score:
- Twitter: 41,000 interactions with 11,000 unique authors (Up from 40,000; 10,000)
- Facebook: 69,000 interactions with 46,000 unique authors (Up from 61,000; 41,000)
Average WWE SmackDown Live Ticket Price at the Huntington Center: $111
Average SmackDown Live Attendance for "C" City: 4,546
WWE SmackDown Live Estimated Live Gate: $504,606
| Raw Airdate | Raw Average Viewership | SmackDown Live Airdate | SmackDown Live Average Viewership | SmackDown Annual Low? |
| January 1, 2017 | 2.907 Million | January 2, 2017 | 2.533 Million | Yes |
| May 1, 2017 | 2.870 Million | May 2, 2017 | 2.300 Million | Yes |
| May 8, 2017 | 2.696 Million | May 9, 2017 | 2.348 Million | No |
| May 22, 2017 | 2.615 Million | May 23, 2017 | Pending | Pending |
| Average Viewership | 2.772 Million | 2.394 Million |
Baron Corbin is an early favorite to win Money in the Bank, which makes him screwed once Vince McMahon changes his mind to keep us all on our toes.
All this group warfare in the women's division is reminiscent of the ill-fated stables that launched the Divas Revolution. Remember The Submission Sorority PCB? Team B.A.D.? Team Bella? The Justice League? Which one of those did I just make up? Don't cheat by Googling it.
Sami Zayn's gimmick is basically "I can't believe he just won!"
There was nothing sinister about Jinder Mahal's grand entrance. Toledo, OH was getting a free show that just saved them $100 on tickets to Zumanity. People cheered the impressive and vibrant dance number, and why not? This is Toledo. It's either this or kayaking.
Conspiracy Theory No. 2 of why The New Day was relegated to Talking Smack: WWE had never tested so many different neon color schemes on one show and feared lawsuits stemming from blindness.
I understand Jinder Mahal going with Maharaja as a villainous nickname but it's so easy to chant.
I'm not sure what Mahal said to "his people" in "his language," but if I find out he didn't thank those awesome dancers, then that's a bigger heel move than cheating to win the WWE Championship.
WWE's segment with The Usos taking two losses to Tyler Breeze and Fandango, only to successfully defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships moments later, is WWE's entire booking philosophy for people too busy to watch long-term.
Shinsuke Nakamura was successful in his SmackDown Live in-ring debut. Ideally he shouldn't lose for months. Philosophically? He'll be batting .500 by the end of June.
