The World Series proved to be insurmountable competition for professional wrestling this past weekend, as both WWE SmackDown and AEW Collision recorded some of the lowest numbers in their respective histories.
Games 6 and 7 of the championship series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays went head-to-head with WWE and AEW programming, drawing massive audiences that heavily impacted both wrestling shows.
The October 31 edition of SmackDown from Salt Lake City averaged 933,000 viewers and 272,000 (0.20 rating) in the key 18–49 demographic on the USA Network, according to WrestleNomics. Both figures mark the lowest in SmackDown’s history.
While airing on Halloween already posed a challenge, the added competition from Game 6 of the World Series — which averaged 17.43 million viewers and a 3.52 demo rating on Fox, plus another 313,000 viewers (0.09) on Fox Deportes — further eroded the audience.
Despite a 19% drop in total viewership and a 31% decline in the key demo, SmackDown still ranked #1 among cable programs on Friday night, finishing ahead of the Syracuse vs. North Carolina college football game on ESPN.
However, the demographic breakdown showed steep declines across the board:
Males 18–49 fell 32%, averaging 175,000 viewers.
Females 18–49 dropped 30%, from 134,000 to 94,000 viewers.
The November 1 taped episode of AEW Collision faced even stiffer competition from Game 7 of the World Series, which pulled in 24.83 million viewers and a 5.85 demo rating on Fox.
Collision averaged 217,000 total viewers and 41,000 (0.03 rating) in the 18–49 demographic on TNT, excluding any streaming data from HBO Max.
While the overall audience dipped just 5%, the key demo dropped 24% — marking the lowest 18–49 figure in the show’s history. Interestingly, the demographic split showed:
Females 18–49 plummeted 52% (from 27,000 to 13,000).
Males 18–49 remained identical to last week’s 27,000, appearing unaffected by the baseball competition.
Collision ranked #21 among cable programs for the night, airing opposite multiple college football and NBA games.
The show will return to a live format this Saturday from Houston, Texas, as AEW looks to rebound following one of its toughest weekends in ratings history.
