WWE SmackDown viewership takes a hit despite Brock Lesnar destroying Roman Reigns' vehicles
The latest episode of WWE SmackDown featured Brock Lesnar destroying multiple vehicles on the show. Still, The Beast's merciless yet entertaining hunt was not enough to retain viewership for the blue brand.
The opening segment of SmackDown saw Roman Reigns boast about his brutal attack on Lesnar during the MSG Live Event. However, the Tribal Chief quickly changed his tone when he found out that the Beast Incarnate had arrived on the show.
The Bloodline members tried to escape the arena, but Brock Lesnar had other plans for them. He destroyed their first car using a forklift. The WWE Champion then chased their second vehicle and ripped off its door. However, this time, Reigns and The Usos managed to escape.
Brock Lesnar with a forklift smiling and all lol #SmackDown https://t.co/lPgu6DBLUE
While viewers praised the segment on social media, it failed to retain viewership for the rest of the show. As per the reports in Ringside News, SmackDown's viewership averaged 2.0425 million viewers overnight. In contrast, the previous week's episode saw 2.133 million viewers for both hours.
It is also surprising to see WWE's blue brand record a drop in viewership in the 18 to 49 demographic on "Road to WrestleMania."
What else happened on WWE SmackDown last week?
Last week’s best match on WWE SmackDown saw Sasha Banks and Naomi lock horns with Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan in an epic in-ring battle. However, their match ended in DQ after Natalya and Shayna Baszler ran an unexpected interference. Later in the night, Sonya Deville added Natalya and Baszler to the women's tag team title match at WrestleMania 38.
THIS. MATCH. 🔥
#SmackDown @SashaBanksWWE @NaomiWWE @RheaRipley_WWE @YaOnlyLivvOnce https://t.co/nPVrJW2Ekf
Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs engaged in an impressive tag team match against Los Lotahrios on the show. Boogs was particularly impressive as his team looked to gain momentum ahead of the title match against The Usos.
Drew McIntyre teamed up with The Viking Raiders to defeat Happy Corbin, Jinder Mahal, and Shanky to make a big statement ahead of WrestleMania. Kofi Kingston faced Ridge Holland hoping to avenge Big E's injury but lost the match after Butch's interference.
We also saw Pat McAfee being forced to apologize to Austin Theory upon Vince McMahon's command. At the risk of losing his WrestleMania spot, the SmackDown commentator did apologize, but he manipulated the segment to further insult Theory on the show.
SmackDown ended with Charlotte Flair launching a vicious attack on Ronda Rousey. The reigning champion got the better of her WrestleMania opponent last week, but even that couldn't help the show's overall viewership.