As Nielsen’s new method of measuring viewership continues to take its toll on skilled wrestling, one other nemesis has come alongside to trigger hardship: sports activities. Not solely is Monday Night time Soccer as soon as once more in full swing, however so are the begins of the NBA and NHL seasons, and Main League Baseball’s World Sequence, which started final Friday. And it simply so occurred to be going face to face with none apart from “WWE SmackDown.”
Fortuitously, “SmackDown” appeared to carry its personal. Wrestlenomics stories that the blue model drew 1.147 million whole viewers on October 24, together with 0.29 within the coveted 18-49 demographic. Whereas whole viewership was down general from the earlier week, dropping 3% from 1.180 million, 18-49 was up, rising 4% from 0.28. Each numbers have been additionally up in opposition to the 4 week common, with whole viewership climbing 3% from 1.118 million, and 18-49 going up 7% from 0.27.
Whereas neither the beneficial properties nor the decline are all that substantial, the numbers are more likely to be seen as a win by WWE given the competitors from the World Sequence. The sport, which noticed the Toronto Blue Jays soar out to a 1-0 collection lead on the Los Angeles Dodgers, did place #1 for the evening in all of tv, with their pre-show protection bumping “SmackDown” to #3. On cable, “SmackDown” was #1 for the night.
The massive story popping out of “SmackDown” was the return of Jade Cargill, who has been out of motion after struggling a nasty gash on her head throughout a three-way match with Nia Jax and WWE Ladies’s Champion Tiffany Stratton one month in the past. And Cargill made essentially the most of her return, blind siding Stratton with an assault and turning heel for the primary time in her WWE tenure.
