A look at the YouTube performance for this week’s WWE SmackDown Live!

As we all know, social media and other outlets have become a huge means of drawing in interaction and viewers for WWE. Most people will point to television ratings like they did during the Monday Night Wars in the late 1990’s, however that can be skewed with so many various means of watching today that do not include cable television.

As you’ve become accustomed to, here is this week’s SmackDown Live YouTube Report (2:30 PM EST, 12/20/18):

1. Shane McMahon relieves Paige of her duties as General Manager – 1 million views
2. Mr. McMahon addresses Asuka, Becky Lynch & Charlotte – 971k views
3. AJ Styles & Mustafa Ali vs. Daniel Bryan & Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas – 731k views
4. SmackDown Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Naomi – 592k views
5. Samoa Joe’s “apology” to Jeff Hardy – 294k views
6. The Miz wants Mr. McMahon’s blessing to be Shane’s partner – 286k views
7. SAnitY attacks Gallows, Anderson & The Usos – 264k views

It’s all about The McMahons this week as they not only lead the way on RAW for YouTube (see the full RAW YouTube Report), but SmackDown Live as well. For the blue brand they occupy two spots, although the caveat here is I believe the substance of number one (Paige losing her GM role) and the other participants at number two (Becky, Charlotte and Asuka) play a larger role in leading the SmackDown pack. The blue brand’s trio at the top of the Women’s Division is arguably the hottest thing going in the company right now, so the interest is there (I’ll explain why it wanes for number four a little further down).

At number three this week is the night’s main event, where SmackDown Live’s newest Superstar by way of 205 Live picks up a huge pinfall on WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. Another excellent blue brand main event here, so I have to wonder why the views aren’t higher. It’s got everything I’m told is what makes SmackDown Live superior to RAW with great in-ring action, the brand’s top title and title feud, plus a new match with the insertion of Ali to the mix with a surprising result. So why doesn’t it perform better? I don’t necessarily disagree that SmackDown is the more entertaining show, so if these are the types of things “everybody” wants, it should be doing much better.

Now I mentioned number four previously and how I thought Becky, Charlotte and Asuka’s presence aided the clip at number two into that spot. So why doesn’t it translate here? To me it’s a pretty simple answer and that’s because of an expected result. I mean, let’s be real here. I like Naomi, don’t have a bad word to say about her, but did anybody think she had any shot to win the title two days after Asuka won it? Of course that’s pure speculation on my part since there’s a big drop from numbers one and two down to three, then further to four, etc.

Speaking of that drop, we finish up SmackDown’s YouTube Report this week with the five, six and seven spots, all of which qualify for my “best of the rest”. Usually anywhere from spots five through seven for the blue brand on any given week can be a dogfight of clips with less than stellar performance. This is one of those weeks. The one that may surprise people is number six since Mr. McMahon is featured. I found it to be funny personally, but it is after all nothing more than a pretty meaningless backstage segment involving an angle that has garnered little interest. Regardless, getting one of these spots this week only entailed beating out the likes of R-Truth and Carmella vs. The Miz and Mandy Rose, a backstage interview with Rusev and the return to TV of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (boy, they’ve REALLY fallen off).

What do this week’s YouTube results for SmackDown Live tell you? Let us know on social media @theCHAIRSHOTcom and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!