WWE SmackDown ratings decline for June 10 episode

The ratings for the June 10 episode of WWE SmackDown have been released. Friday's show saw a dip in overall viewership and in the key demographic as well. Last week, SmackDown drew 1.939 million viewers, with a 0.44 rating (613,000 viewers) in the 18-49 demographic.

According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, this past Friday's episode fell short of that mark, bringing in 1.914 million viewers and 0.44 in the key demographic. The blue brand ranked #4 overall for Friday in viewers 18-49 years old.

He also reported that AEW Rampage on TNT drew 476,000 viewers and a 0.16 in the demo. This is a slight increase from last week's ratings (475,000 and 0.14).

Thurston also published data regarding YouTube views for both SmackDown and Rampage. According to the report, Zayn and Riddle's match was the most viewed for the blue brand while Will Ospreay's segment made the biggest splash for Rampage.

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Will the ratings improve for SmackDown next week?

This past Friday's episode featured an Intercontinental Championship match, two Money in the Bank Qualifying matches, and Ronda Rousey in action against Shotzi in a Championsip Contender's match.

Natalya attacked Rousey after the match to set up their title match at WWE Money in the Bank. In the main event, Riddle defeated Sami Zayn to earn a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

WWE has announced that Roman Reigns will defend the title against Riddle on this Friday's show. Reigns hasn't been prominent on WWE television since unifying the WWE and Universal Championships, so one would think that the mere presence of The Tribal Chief would boost the ratings.

It is rare for the biggest titles in the company to be on the line in a TV match, as matches like this are usually reserved for WWE's premium live events. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns sent out a warning to Riddle ahead of their title clash this Friday night.