CM Punk Sparks Ratings Recovery
After weeks of poor ratings, WWE SmackDown got some good news. However, the Undisputed WWE Champion, CM Punk, returned the show to form, and WWE was able to bounce back significantly from the many millions of viewers it lost due to the FIFA World Cup. The July 10th episode of the program had an average of 1,212,000 viewers, according to Wrestlenomics and Programming Insider. This was equaled by a 0.24 rating among the younger population (aged 18–49 years).
SmackDown Viewership Sees Big Increase
The May 22 show’s audience had been the biggest to date for the show. This increase was much better than last week. Almost 1 and a half million more people watched the programme. But this same metric for the key demographic didn’t see the same increase. The number of the 18-to 49 age group dropped 4% from the previous week.
SummerSlam Build Boosts WWE Interest
SmackDown wasn’t in that drop either, as this was Snarky’s No.1 cable show of the night before the big sell on Friday. It was also an overall good attendance, showing that Punk remains a big draw on WWE TV. The new ratings also come at a critical time for the company. WWE is gearing up for WWE SummerSlam 2026 and is starting to lay some groundwork for two big storylines to begin for one of the biggest events of Summer.
Yearly Ratings Decline Remains Concern
The plans will likely involve a significant amount of time being devoted to Punk’s reign as champion. Despite the improvement this week, SmackDown still has several long-term issues. The number of viewers has dropped substantially compared to last year’s numbers. This is a 17% decline from July 2025.
Can WWE Keep Momentum Going?
This is even worse in the key demographic group! SmackDown’s ratings have fallen about 40% in the last year, falling to 18-49. WWE will now wish the revival of Punk and the end of the ramp-up to SummerSlam will help keep it going. Whether it can continue its explosive growth, with new audiences coming in at a steady rate, will be one of the biggest challenges in the second half of 2026.
