How Did the Lack of Star Power Affect “Smackdown’s” Audience?

When you miss upon the stars? This week’s episode of “Smackdown Live” was a bit different than most, mainly because it didn’t feature several top names. There was no Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura or Randy Orton, at least not live in the arena. So how did the audience do as a result?

According to Wrestlinginc.com, this week’s episode of “Smackdown Live” drew 2.602 million viewers, virtually even with last week’s 2.603 million viewers. This week’s show featured a much smaller roster with many big names missing and two wrestlers working twice in the semifinals and finals of a tournament to crown a new United States Champion. The tournament final was moved to this week’s show with no advance warning.

Miss the show? Here are some highlights:

Top 10 SmackDown LIVE moments: WWE Top 10, January 16, 2018

Opinion: I’m not sure what it says that the lack of most of the show’s star power left the audience virtually unchanged. The numbers were almost exactly the same and very little changed with the stars gone, which makes for a bit of a head scratching reaction. It should be interesting to see where the numbers go next week after ans saw this show, but for now it’s mostly fine.

What did you think of this week’s show? Did you miss the star power? Let us know in the comments below.