AEW Rampage Beat WWE SmackDown In Key Demo During October 15 Head-To-Head

The ratings everyone has been waiting for are finally in after AEW Rampage and WWE Friday Night SmackDown went head-to-head for the first time last week.

The October 15 episodes of Rampage and SmackDown had a 30-minute overlap, due to WWE running a supersized episode of the blue brand, and the biggest story out of the ratings is certainly how AEW outdrew their WWE opponent in the key 18-49 demographic.

During the head-to-head 30 minutes on television, AEW Rampage received a higher viewership figure in the crucial 18-49 demo than SmackDown, according to PWTorch. Rampage earned 328,000 compared to SmackDown's 285,000.

In terms of overall ratings, SmackDown claimed the higher figure, although the number was severely affected by the show's move across to FS1. According to Wrestlenomics, WWE blue brand reportedly only had 878,000 viewers - well down from the over 2 million that watched the week prior - while AEW Rampage secured 602,000 viewers for their show.

According to ShowBuzzDaily, the two wrestling shows were tied in their overall 18-49 demo score. SmackDown's overall 18-49 demo score for Friday 15 October was a 0.24 rating (314,000) with Rampage reaching the same number. The AEW show's audience in this category slightly skewed towards a higher male viewership.