“WWE SmackDown” jumped in the ratings, albeit for a tragic reason as the blue brand’s stars and various legends paid tribute to Hulk Hogan, who died at the age of 71 last Thursday, to kick off the show with a 10-bell salute and length tribute package. The show saw its highest viewership since just before WrestleMania 41.
The July 25 episode of “SmackDown” earned an average 1.707 million viewers, according to Wrestlenomics, citing Programming Insider. The show was number one in the ages 18-49 demographic for the night across cable and broadcast, with Celebrity Jeopardy coming in second. “SmackDown” earned a 0.48 rating. The July 25 episode was the highest in total viewership since the April 18 “SmackDown” before WrestleMania, and the highest rated in the demographic since the “SmackDown” following “The Showcase of the Immortals.”
The episode was up 10 percent in viewership from last week, with the July 18 episode pulling in an average of 1,546,000 viewers. The episode also was up 23 percent over the trailing four weeks. The episode’s rating was only slightly up from a 0.45 the previous week, perhaps due to older viewers tuning in to watch WWE’s tribute to Hogan.
In addition to the various Hogan tributes throughout the night, the episode also saw Alexa Bliss take on Roxanne Perez, Jelly Roll face-off against Logan Paul, and a six-team TLC match be made for SummerSlam after interference ended the WWE Tag Team Championship match pitting The Wyatt Sicks’ Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy against Rey Fenix and Andrade.
