The January 16, 2026 version of WWE Friday Evening SmackDown on USA Community featured a number of standout moments and that included Cody Rhodes declaring himself for the Royal Rumble.
In line with Programming Insider, the printed averaged 968,000 viewers on USA Community, down from 990,000 viewers the earlier week. That represents a decline of twenty-two,000 viewers, translating to a 2.2% lower week over week.
The downturn was extra pronounced in the important thing P18–49 demographic, the place SmackDown posted a 0.21 score, falling from 0.26 on the January 9 episode. This marks a 19.2% drop within the demo.
These figures mirror conventional linear TV viewership on USA Community and don’t account for Peacock or delayed viewing.
WWE SmackDown January 16, 2026: Viewership and Highlights
This week’s episode of Friday Evening SmackDown noticed Cody Rhodes minimize a scathing promo after Jacob Fatu value him the WWE Undisputed Title and he ended up declaring himself for the Royal Rumble.
Leon Slater additionally answered Carmelo Hayes’ United States Championship open problem and he had an awesome match in opposition to Hayes. This and plenty of different moments befell all through the night time.
WWE SmackDown Week-to-Week Viewership Comparability
Ringside Information will proceed to supply the most recent viewership knowledge and key developments from Friday Evening SmackDown as WWE builds momentum in direction of Saturday Evening’s Foremost Occasion.
What do you consider final week’s episode of SmackDown seeing a lower in viewership? Please share your ideas and suggestions within the feedback part beneath.
