Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: ratings, Smackdown, wrestling, wwe
Smackdown Dips Below 2 Million as Grinch Delivers Ratings Beatdown
WWE Smackdown dropped below 2 million viewers last night. According to the overnight ratings, the first time the number has been under 2 million since August, prior to the launch of the Thunderdome, not counting the episode on October 23rd that aired on FS1. It was an embarrassing defeat for the pro wrestling behemoth as another heavyweight champion, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, won the night, leaving WWE Smackdown staring up at the (Christmas) lights.
WWE Smackdown Gets Coal in Ratings Stocking
Smackdown drew 1.987 million viewers on average across its two hours, according to Showbuzz Daily. That's off-hours of 2.016 million and 1.957 million viewers. In the 18-49 demographic, Smackdown averaged a .55, with hours of .6 and .5. Both The Grinch and the Minions Holiday Special on NBC scored a .7, and both shows also topped Smackdown by over a million viewers. Jobbers Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman fared worse in 18-49, with .5s for two hours of Santa Claus is Coming to Town and the eponymous Frosty the Snowman, while Frosty Returns scored a .4. Even so, more viewers tuned in to all of those, including Frosty Returns, than watched WWE Smackdown.
The Bottom Line 'Cause Chad Said So
What a way to kick off the holiday season for The Chadster. Merry f**king Christmas to me, right? I told Keighleyanne that if Smackdown loses in the ratings all December, I'm not going to be in a very jolly mood. Hopefully, this is just an anomaly as wrestling fans, like Otis when Jey Uso beat him down last night, were too full of Turkey to put up a fight and slept through the show. I guess we'll see next week if this is a holiday curse or if WWE Smackdown can pull out a Christmas miracle.
