WWE SmackDown Ratings: January 10 Show Sees 6% Drop Amid Cotton Bowl Competition

One Big Thing

WWE SmackDown’s January 10 episode drew 1.436 million viewers, facing stiff competition from the Cotton Bowl College Football playoff game.

By the Numbers

• Total viewers: 1,436,000 (down 6% from previous week)
• Key demo (18-49): 0.40 rating (down 11% from previous week)
• Trailing 4-week average: 1,455,000 viewers

Competition Impact

The Cotton Bowl game between Ohio State and Texas dominated the night:

• Total Cotton Bowl viewership: 20.414 million
• ESPN viewers: 19.6 million
• SmackDown placed second among all primetime telecasts

Show Highlights

The episode featured:

• Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens confrontation
• Roman Reigns‘ Royal Rumble announcement
• Chelsea Green and Shinsuke Nakamura title defenses

Why It Matters

While SmackDown maintained its position as the second-most-watched program of the night, the significant viewership for the Cotton Bowl shows how major sporting events can impact wrestling ratings, even on a new network like USA.

Looking Ahead

With the Royal Rumble approaching, WWE will look to build momentum and potentially recover these viewers in the coming weeks.

What do you think about SmackDown’s performance against such strong sports competition? Share your thoughts in the comments below.