A look at the YouTube performance for this week’s 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, 1/17/19):

1. Mandy Rose welcomes Jimmy Uso to her hotel room – 2.2 million views
2. The Miz vs. Sheamus – 932k views
3. Becky Lynch tries Heavy Machinery’s protein shake – 719k views
4. AJ Styles sends Daniel Bryan through the concession stand – 657k views
5. Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade – 425k views
6. The Bar crashes Shane McMahon’s birthday bash – 422k views
7. Jimmy Uso receives Mandy Rose’s hotel room key – 417k views

Well, well, well…look at what got over here…another segment that a lot of fans found to be “insulting to women’s wrestlers” pulls massive numbers on YouTube. Just as we saw with our RAW YouTube Report and Alexa Bliss taking the top spot, we see more of the same for SmackDown Live with the Mandy Rose/Naomi/Jimmy Uso in a hotel room segment. If you want to know my feelings on the subject, I simply refer you to my take about the Alexa Bliss segment (RAW YouTube Report here) or you can check out the below tweets. Also, if you don’t think WWE has noticed just how many people have watched these clips, you’re sadly mistaken. Looks like a lot of those ‘Sensitive Stevens’ are saying one thing and possibly acting differently behind closed doors. The clip building up to number one also clocks in at number seven:

I can't even with the sensitivity of people over this Mandy/Naomi angle. #UseYourHead #SDLive

— Eric Ames (@E_Ames323) January 16, 2019

I wonder how many actresses in Hollywood think a role where they try to seduce a married man is insulting? Just curious. #UseYourHead #SDLive

— Eric Ames (@E_Ames323) January 16, 2019

Our number two clip this week comes nowhere near the top spot in terms of views, but beats out its next closest competition by over 200k. The Miz vs. Sheamus was our main event segment, but to be completely honest, I have no clue where the interest comes from here. Perhaps it’s my own feelings on the whole angle, which I’ve found to be less than entertaining to say the least. Considering the other matches and segments this ranks ahead of, which include things that I’ve been told draw, I’m as stumped as anybody else here.

Sliding into third is ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch in a simple backstage segment that opened up the show. Unpopular opinion here and something I know people don’t like to admit, but Becky doesn’t move the needle. By that I mean, she’s popular with the hardcore wrestling crowd, but that’s it. It takes time to become anything like, for example, someone she’s been compared to in ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and get that mainstream attention. She can get there, but she’s not yet and that’s a tough pill to swallow for some. I think we can say the only reason this clip got this many views is because of Heavy Machinery and interest in them since they’re new. Why do I say that? The clip that was really the “meat and potatoes”, as they say, of Becky’s story for SmackDown Live didn’t even crack the top seven with only 323k views.

At number four is the next chapter of WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles, SmackDown Live’s main event for next weekend’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. It was pretty basic stuff with ‘The Phenomenal One’ mocking Bryan’s segment from last week and getting the chance to bust him up a little. At this point, I’ve done enough of these YouTube Reports that I can tell you that the top draws have always been Reigns, Lesnar, Rousey and Cena. Guys like Bryan, Styles and Rollins are all just a tier below that, often fluctuating.

Lastly, at number five is another thing I’ve been told by some that WWE needs more of in order to improve ratings, as Andrade and Rey Mysterio put on a pay-per-view quality, instant classic wrestling match. Look, I’m not saying that I didn’t love it, but I’m in the die-hard wrestling fan category. I was supposed to. The problem is, that doesn’t draw in your casual/mainstream audience and quite frankly, never has outside of the occasional aberration.