WWE SMACKDOWN LIVE's Ratings Were Way Better Than Expected On July 4th
This week's episode of SmackDown Live aired on the Fourth of July, a date classically associated with terrible ratings. However, the return of John Cena managed to turn things around for the show in a big way!
WWE had some seriously bad luck this week due to the fact SmackDown Live aired on July 4th, a day when people aren't commonly sat in front of the television! However, despite the fact the vast majority were out celebrating the Fourth of July, WWE still decided to use this episode for John Cena's big return to the company as a free agent.
However, while you might be expecting ratings to have plummetted, the numbers weren't too bad at all. WWE got 2.33 million viewers for the show and that's only 11% less than the 2.6 million who tuned in the week before. The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer says that's an "amazing number" for Independence Day and notes that SmackDown Live beat the #2 show on cable by over 800,000 viewers.
You have to believe that Cena's big return played a huge role in why this number was so good, though it was a stacked show thanks to an entertaining rap battle between The New Day and The Usos and a Battle Royal which saw AJ Styles named the new #1 contender for Kevin Owens' United States Championship.
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