With SmackDown airing on FS1 instead of FOX this past Friday, WWE pulled out off the stops to make sure AEW Rampage didn't overshadow the blue brand. That included adding an extra commercial-free 30 minutes to this "Supersized" edition, something AEW countered by making CM Punk vs. Matt Sydal similarly commercial-free.
The two shows only went head-to-head for that 30 minutes (so the final 30 of SmackDown and the first 30 of Rampage), and the fast national numbers for them both have now been revealed.
SmackDown drew 793,000 viewers on FS1, while Rampage did 549,000. The former obviously ran for 90 minutes longer, but AEW was never necessarily looking to top WWE in terms of overall viewership. That was always going to be a big ask; instead, it's the key 18-49 demographic that will be most telling. If AEW beat WWE, then that's a massive win because that's what advertisers care about.
It's worth noting that the last time SmackDown was on FS1, it drew 1.030 million viewers; as a result, it's hard not to wonder whether that AEW "Buy-In" on YouTube ended up hurting WWE.
The war is definitely being waged between the two companies right now, and we hope to have some official numbers to share with you either later today or tomorrow.
Which show did you end up watching on Friday night?
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