AEW Rampage Ratings Find Improvement While WWE SmackDown Suffers Amidst NFL Preseason

"WWE SmackDown" may have been a newsworthy show, but the viewership was intercepted by pro football getting back on the small screen.

Wrestlenomics released the viewership information for Friday night and the 8/12 episode of "SmackDown" had 1,927,000 average viewers, down eight percent from last week and the lowest number the show has seen since June 10.

The key demographic was also down. The program was seen by 574,000 viewers aged 18-49 on average giving the episode a 0.44 P18-49 rating. That is down 10% from last week's number of 639,000.

The drop in viewership was at least in part due to the start of the NFL preseason and games being aired in their local markets. All that considered "SmackDown" still finished first overall Friday evening in the key demographic.

"AEW Rampage" is a different story. The program was watched by 528,000 average viewers, up thirteen percent from last week for its highest viewership since April 8.

Looking at the key demographic, "Rampage" roped in an average of 222,000 for a 0.17 P18-49 rating. This is up thirteen percent and its highest number in the demo since April 22.

Ranking-wise, "Rampage" was tenth among cable originals. In broadcast primetime, it ranked 24th.

"SmackDown" was highlighted by the main event Intercontinental Title match between champion Gunther and Shinsuke Nakamura. The episode also saw the surprise return of Hit Row. "Rampage" had Bryan Danielson confront Daniel Garcia and featured Orange Cassidy vs. Ari Davairi in the main event that showcased a Sonny Kiss heel turn.