Programming Insider has dropped the latest Nielsen ratings for the September 27 episode of “WWE SmackDown” on the USA Network, the blue brand’s third show since its move from FOX. Last week’s show pulled in 1,568,000 total viewers, with a 0.45 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, which put “SmackDown” at number two overall behind the Virginia Tech vs. Miami college football game on ESPN.

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On the bright side, that’s a 5% uptick compared to the September 20 edition of “SmackDown,” which had 1,494,000 total viewers. But when stacked against the average of the last four weeks (including FOX’s final two episodes), overall viewership is down slightly from 1,760,000.

The numbers suggest that September wasn’t a strong showing for “SmackDown” as a whole. The month’s average viewership of 1,639,000 is 30% lower than what “SmackDown” pulled in during September 2023 (2,327,000).

In the ever-important 18-49 demographic, the show’s 0.45 rating was the same as last week. Breaking down that audience further, female viewers actually increased by 2% while male viewers dropped 15%, which could have something to do with college football. Viewership outside the 18-49 group also dipped 11%.

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As for the action inside the ring, September 27’s “SmackDown” was headlined by Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens teaming up to face Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa of The Bloodline. It also featured a number one contender’s match for the WWE Women’s Championship. Bayley’s victory over Naomi ensured that she will receive her rematch with Nia Jax at Bad Blood on October 5. The return of AJ Styles after a three-month hiatus was also announced for the October 4 go-home episode before Bad Blood.