WWE SmackDown ratings up big for AJ Lee return

With a loaded-up show including an appearance by John Cena and the long-awaited return of AJ Lee, WWE SmackDown got a sizable ratings increase on Friday night.

The episode averaged 1.585 million viewers on USA Network, up 38.2 percent from the previous week. It’s the largest audience total for the show since July 25.

SmackDown topped all of TV with a 0.51 rating in the 18-49 demo, nearly doubling the closest competition. That’s up 82.1 percent from last week and ties the best rating the show has done in that category since April 18.

Though not included in the TV charts, there was competition from a YouTube-exclusive NFL game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs that averaged more than 17 million viewers globally.

Lee’s return was not officially announced in advance, but it was all but confirmed with WWE heavily hinting that she would be on the episode.

As compared to the same week in 2024, SmackDown’s viewership was down 10.5 percent while the 18-49 rating was up 13.3 percent. The episode one year ago was the last SmackDown on Fox.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, as well as the 10 week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 11.6 percent in viewers and 27.5 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.