WWE SmackDown’s Move to SyFy Expected to Tank in the Ratings

WWE SmackDown is making a temporary move—and it’s expected to come with a big drop in viewership.

Due to NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Winter Olympics, WWE SmackDown will air on SyFy for two weeks—February 13 and 20, 2026—instead of its usual spot on USA Network. The change was announced as part of the network’s Olympic programming shift, which will take over USA and NBC from February 6 through 22.

Even though the show will remain in its normal 8:00 PM ET timeslot and run for three hours, it’s expected the move to be brutal for ratings.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer didn’t sugarcoat it, “They’ll do record-low numbers for those.” Why the pessimism? It’s not just the move to SyFy—SmackDown will be airing head-to-head against the Olympics on NBC.

“Not only is it on SyFy, which is going to hurt, but it’s going against the Olympics on NBC.”

“It’s not just the Olympics on USA. I mean, we’re talking about the Olympics on NBC—broadcast TV.”

Historically, SmackDown has struggled whenever it’s bumped to SyFy. While the Winter Games don’t hit as hard as the Summer Olympics, Meltzer still sees the damage coming:

“A couple of years ago, SmackDown actually held up pretty decent against the Winter Olympics. It’s not like the Summer Olympics, which hurts a lot worse. But still, being not on your regular channel is going to hurt.”

WWE plans to return to USA Network on February 27, just in time for the final SmackDown before Elimination Chamber—a key night on the road to WrestleMania. But for now, the next two weeks look bleak on the ratings front.

Will WWE shake things up to offset the loss in viewership—or are we about to witness two of the weakest-rated episodes of the year?

How do you feel about SmackDown moving to SyFy during the Olympics? Will you still tune in, or does this kill the hype? Let us know in the comments.

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