WWE’s European tour rolled on with the March 21, 2025, episode of “WWE SmackDown,” marking the blue brand’s first broadcast from Italy in 18 years and Bologna’s debut as a host city for a televised WWE event.
The night delivered key developments: Kevin Owens and Randy Orton formalized their WrestleMania showdown, Braun Strowman’s disqualification victory over Jacob Fatu secured him a WWE United States Championship opportunity, and a chaotic brawl featuring Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins capped off the show.
Following the precedent set by the March 14 episode, “SmackDown” aired live for many international audiences before hitting U.S. screens on a tape delay—a scheduling quirk that may have contributed to another dip in viewership.
Data from The Programming Insider and Wrestlenomics reveals the March 21 broadcast drew an average of 1,459,000 viewers, a 7% decline from the prior week and 14% below the four-week trailing average of 1,695,000.
The episode posted the lowest average viewership since Valentine’s Day and notched a 2025 low in the coveted 18-49 demographic with a 0.39 rating—down 25% from the previous week and well off the four-week average of 0.52.
However, “SmackDown” faced stiff competition from the NCAA’s “March Madness” basketball tournament, which dominated Friday night ratings. Nine of the top ten prime-time telecasts across all networks were basketball games, leaving “SmackDown” at eighth overall while still securing fifth place among cable programs.
The European tour continues this week with “SmackDown” emanating from London, England, where LA Knight will defend the WWE United States Championship against Braun Strowman, and The Street Profits will put their WWE Tag Team Championships on the line against Pretty Deadly.
