Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown delivered a strong rebound in the ratings.

The show averaged 1.459 million viewers on USA Network, marking a 15.8 percent increase from the previous week. It stands as SmackDown’s largest audience since September 5 of last year.

In the key 18 to 49 demographic, the show posted a 0.35 rating. That figure is up 20.7 percent week over week and matches the brand’s best performance in that category since September 19.

The gains came despite stiff competition. SmackDown aired opposite NBC’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony coverage, which had streamed live earlier in the day on Peacock. Due to USA Network’s ongoing Olympics coverage, SmackDown will air on Syfy for the next two weeks.

Compared to the same week in 2025, overall viewership dipped 3.2 percent, while the 18 to 49 demo declined 27.1 percent year over year.

Looking at longer term trends, this week’s broadcast was up 24.5 percent in total viewers and 40 percent in the 18 to 49 demo compared to the recent 10 week averages.

It is also worth noting that beginning the week of January 26, Nielsen adjusted its ratings reporting methodology. The change has led to noticeable increases across all televised wrestling programs on cable since that time.