For four straight weeks now, WWE’s SmackDown Live has steadily increased its viewership as we inch closer and closer to SummerSlam on August 19th. Despite this, the blue brand has yet to catch up with Monday Night RAW’s ratings, even on weeks when fans mostly believe SmackDown Live has been the better show. Did this week offer the same results?

Unfortunately, the answer is, “No”. This week’s episode of SmackDown Live came down to a 2.197, a decrease of 8.49% and as stated, the first time in a month where the rating did not move upward. Here’s a look at the last four weeks of ratings for the blue brand:

• July 17th: 2.293
• July 24th: 2.340
• July 31st: 2.401
• August 7th: 2.197

However, SmackDown Live has maintained its hold on the number one spot in the Cable Top 150 Rankings for the 18-49 demographic for the second straight week:

1. SmackDown Live – USA Network – 0.73
2. Below Deck Mediterranean – Bravo – 0.54
3. Miz & Mrs – USA Network – 0.47
4. Animal Kingdom – TNT – 0.44
5. The Challenge: Final Reckoning – MTV – 0.41

Source: Showbuzz Daily

EA’s Take: I have to be honest here, I’m a big fan of the blue brand on a weekly basis, but this week felt lackluster to me. At this point, it feels as if we’re just killing time until SummerSlam. The main event of The New Day vs. The Bar was tremendously entertaining, but as we all know by now, the masses don’t tune in for the in-ring product. None of SmackDown Live’s biggest stars were in action this week (unless you want to make a case for Shinsuke Nakamura), as Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, The Miz, Daniel Bryan…none of them wrestled. We got a rematch from last week with Lana vs. Zelina Vega (another rough outing) and the aforementioned Nakamura taking on R-Truth, in addition to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair vs. The IIconics. Real big lineup, right? Ultimately, with no real big name matches advertised ahead of time, there wasn’t much reason to tune into SmackDown Live this week. With next week being the go-home show for SummerSlam, I’d expect that in itself to increase the rating much as I think it will for RAW.

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