WWE SmackDown ratings virtually unchanged from last week

[Big Red Machine]

Source: www.F4WOnline.com

By Paul Fontaine | @PaulAceFontaine | Feb 15, 2017 2:25 pm

Tuesday night's episode of SmackDown on the USA Network averaged 2,626,000 viewers, down just 1,000 from last week's show.

As has been the case with episodes following brand-specific pay-per-views since the roster split, there was no PPV "bounce back" this week following Sunday's Elimination Chamber show.

SmackDown finished eighth for the night on cable in total viewership, and was down to second this week in the 18-49 demo after finishing in first the last few weeks.

The show was headlined by a triple threat WWE Championship match with Bray Wyatt defending against former champs John Cena and AJ Styles, which Wyatt won to retain his title. That main event had been advertised as a singles match between Wyatt and Cena going into the night.

SmackDown retained 85 percent of the Raw audience from the previous night for the second week in a row, which is slightly higher than usual since the brand split.