WWE SmackDown Ratings Dip Without Roman Reigns

Friday Night SmackDown saw a slight dip in the ratings with Roman Reigns absent from the show as he licks his wounds from The Usos turning their backs on him.

Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics reported that the 23rd of June edition of SmackDown averaged 2.354 million viewers and earned a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 key demo. That made SmackDown the number one show on Friday night in that demo among broadcast primetime and cable originals.

While SmackDown is still far and away the most-watched wrestling show on a weekly basis in the US, that rating was down on the prior week’s show which averaged 2.43 million viewers and earned a 0.67 rating in the 18-49 demo. That episode of SmackDown featured Jey Uso making his decision as he dropped Roman Reigns with a superkick and declared himself out of The Bloodline.

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Roman Reigns was absent from the 23rd of June edition of the show with the night’s main event belonging to Solo Sikoa and Sheamus whose match went to a no contest. The show was beset with last-minute changes as Vince McMahon was reported to be behind alterations that saw no less than three advertised matches scrapped.

The show was notable for the return of Liv Morgan who will challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Raquel Rodriguez after they were forced to vacate the title due to an injury suffered by Morgan.