The January 3 "WWE SmackDown" was a big event in more ways than one. Not only was it the first three-hour episode of WWE's blue brand in the show's history, but it also saw Tiffany Stratton cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase on long-time friend Nia Jax to become the new WWE Women's Champion. With all that in mind, how many fans tuned in to USA to see the action unfold live?
According to Wrestlenomics, the January 3 "SmackDown" averaged a total of 1,528,000 viewers, a 6% increase on the 1,436,000 viewers from the previous week, and a 6% increase on the trailing four week average, which stands at 1,446,000 viewers. There was also an increase in the key 18-49 demographic as the episode earned a 0.45 number, 10% higher than the 0.41 the December 27 episode earned, and 7% higher than the trailing four week average of 0.42.
Despite the increase in both average viewership and the 18-49 demo, "SmackDown" was unable to top the night in prime time telecasts according to Programming Insider, placing second behind the Mayo Bowl college football game on ESPN between Minnesota and Virginia Tech, which earned a 0.65 with over 3.3 million viewers. The Mayo Bowl also beat "SmackDown" to the top of the 25-54 demographic with a 0.89 beating WWE's 0.61, but with both of these telecasts airing on cable, it does mean that "SmackDown" was able to beat everything that aired on network television for the night, including the college basketball game that aired in "SmackDown's" old timeslot on FOX. WWE will be hoping to continue this momentum with the January 10 episode, which is currently set to feature Shinsuke Nakamura defending the United States Championship againstLA Knight.
