WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had a reason behind putting Daniel Bryan in the main event of WWE Friday Night SmackDown along with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and having him leave Smackdown, rather than it being a PPV match.
But it is reported that overnight viewership dropped below 2 million following this week’s edition. Edge ‘Removed’ From Smackdown For Sad Reason
According to overnight numbers released by Showbuzz Daily, the April 30 episode of SmackDown averaged 1.923 million viewers, down from the 2.042 million viewers the April 23 episode averaged.
Now Dave Meltzer reported in response to Smackdown ratings saying the match and stipulation burying Bryan was strictly for TV ratings against the NFL Draft,
“It got hurt by the NFL draft. That’s the reason they did that main event. But man, I didn’t think it would be hurt that much.”
You can check out the detailed ratings below:
In the 18-49 demographic, the show averaged a 0.5 rating. WWE SmackDown tied for the top spot with the first hour of the NFL Draft. The show also drew a 0.6 rating in the 25-54 demographic, trailing Blue Bloods, Magnum P.I., MacGyver, and hour one of the NFL Draft.
Hourly Breakdown:
Hour 1: 1.875 million viewers, 0.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic
Hour 2: 1.971 million viewers, 0.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic
Top 5 Most Viewed WWE SmackDown (4/30/21) Videos On YouTube:
Roman Reigns’ new entrance: (857,516 views)
Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns: Universal Title Match: (730,671 views)
Roman Reigns delivers the Con-Chair-To to a conquered Daniel Bryan: (666,072 views)
Six-Person Mixed Tag Team Match: (302,820 views)
Big E vs. Apollo Crews – Intercontinental Title Match: (295,691 views)
