WWE SmackDown Ratings Report For October 10, 2025: Record Low Viewership on USA Network
WWE SmackDown (October 10, 2025 edition) took a hit in the ratings this past Friday, averaging 1.025 million viewers on USA Network — down slightly (0.5%) from the previous week but enough to mark a new record low for the blue brand on the network. It’s also SmackDown’s lowest overall viewership since a November 2023 episode that aired on FS1.
This week’s episode had the added challenge of a tape delay. The show aired live on Netflix internationally from Perth, Australia before being broadcast later in the U.S. on USA Network. That delay likely factored into the drop, as U.S. fans had already seen clips, spoilers, and social media highlights before the stateside airing.
In the key 18–49 demographic, SmackDown scored a 0.22 rating, down 4.3% from last week — also setting a record low for the show’s USA Network run. It’s the weakest SmackDown performance in that category since a New Year’s Eve 2021 “Best Of” special that pulled a 0.08.
Despite the slip, SmackDown still managed to finish fifth overall in the demo on Friday night — but the competition was stacked. The show went head-to-head with the Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers playoff matchup on FOX, which pulled an enormous 8.049 million viewers and a 1.74 demo rating, making it the most-watched MLB Divisional Series game in 14 years. Add to that a WNBA Finals game on ESPN and college football on ESPN2, and WWE’s competition couldn’t have been much tougher.
Year-over-year comparisons paint an even grimmer picture. Versus the same week in 2024 (measured under Nielsen’s old panel-only system), SmackDown’s total viewership is down 38%, and its 18–49 rating has fallen 55.1%. Nielsen’s new Big Data + Panel system, introduced October 3, has impacted nearly every wrestling show’s reported ratings, but SmackDown’s drop stands out given the star power and international buzz surrounding the Australian broadcast.
Wrestling.news | Backstage Take
SmackDown’s low number this week isn’t just about competition — it’s about timing. Airing from Perth on tape delay stripped the show of its usual “live” electricity, and by the time it hit U.S. airwaves, fans had already seen the biggest moments online. WWE may want to rethink how it handles international time zones, especially with marquee events now streaming on Netflix. The good news? The Netflix global metrics are rumored to be solid — but for linear cable, this was a rough Friday night down under.
