There is no verified, comparable all-time Nielsen ranking of seven WWE SmackDown episodes in the available published sources. WWE has released audience figures for selected broadcasts and highlighted milestone episodes, but not a complete episode-by-episode dataset measured on one consistent basis. The seven broadcasts below are therefore ranked editorially for their documented audience significance or place in SmackDown history—not as the seven highest-rated episodes.
What “highest rated” can—and can’t—mean here
Audience figures from different periods are not automatically comparable. Total viewers, household ratings, shares and demographic ratings measure different things, and the sources available do not provide a consistent episode-level series-wide table. WWE did report that the November 9, 2000 broadcast drew 7.9 million total viewers, citing Nielsen national viewing statistics. It also described demographic highs for that date’s UPN Thursday programming context; those claims do not prove the episode was SmackDown’s all-time ratings leader.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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WWE: The Best of SmackDown - 10th Anniversary, 1999-2009 | $19.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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WWE: Smackdown 20th Anniversary (DVD) | $16.37 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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WWE: SmackDown - The Best of 2009-2010 | $18.71 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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WWE: The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2012 | $30.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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WWE: Best of Raw and Smackdown 2014 | $14.94 | Buy on Amazon |
A separate WWE release reported 7.6 million viewers for SmackDown in March 2000. Its accompanying demographic results described UPN’s Thursday night, not necessarily that episode alone. Neither figure establishes a seven-place all-time ranking. The list below uses WWE’s milestone chronology to select historically notable episodes, with the November audience report included for its explicitly published total-viewer figure.
Seven historically significant SmackDown episodes
This is an editorial selection, not a Nielsen ranking. The chronology and match details come from WWE’s SmackDown milestone moments retrospective; the audience figure is discussed separately where applicable.
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#1 Best Overall
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August 26, 1999: The series premiere
SmackDown debuted on UPN with Triple H defeating The Rock after guest referee Shawn Michaels intervened. WWE’s inclusion of the premiere in its milestone history supports its significance as the start of the series—not a claim about its Nielsen placement.
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September 9, 1999: A Buried Alive tag-title change
Big Show and The Undertaker won the tag team titles from The Rock and Sock Connection in a Buried Alive match. The unusual stipulation and championship change make this one of the early broadcasts WWE singled out in its retrospective.
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September 16, 1999: Mr. McMahon takes the WWE Championship
Mr. McMahon defeated Triple H for the WWE Championship after Steve Austin intervened. The title change and the involvement of two major figures in the period’s storylines give the episode a clear historical marker.
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January 20, 2000: Kane wins a 27-person lumberjack match
Kane won a triple-threat, over-the-top-rope lumberjack match featuring 27 lumberjacks. The large field and match format distinguish it among the milestone broadcasts listed by WWE.
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March 30, 2000: Stephanie McMahon becomes Women’s Champion
Stephanie McMahon won the Women’s Championship on this episode. WWE’s retrospective records the title change as a notable moment in SmackDown’s early run.
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November 9, 2000: A documented 7.9 million viewers
WWE reported that this broadcast drew 7.9 million total viewers, attributing the figure to Nielsen national viewing statistics in its November 10, 2000 release. WWE also reported the broadcast had the highest ratings among Adults 18–34, Adults 18–49, Men 18–34 and Men 25–54 for that date’s UPN Thursday programming context. These demographic claims are not an all-years SmackDown ranking, and the audience figure alone cannot establish a position among every episode.
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December 21, 2000: Edge and Christian win the tag titles
Edge and Christian defeated The Rock and The Undertaker for the tag team titles, with Kurt Angle serving as guest referee. WWE’s milestone chronology identifies this title change as another notable broadcast from the show’s early years.
Why the March 2000 audience figure needs careful reading
WWE’s March 17, 2000 release reported 7.6 million viewers for SmackDown. The same release’s listed demographic ratings refer to UPN Thursday network results. They should not be presented as episode-only ratings or directly compared with a different kind of audience measure. The figure is useful historical context, but it does not supply another ranked entry or fill the gaps in an all-time episode table.
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How to read “best” and where to watch
“Best” and “most memorable” are subjective labels; this selection instead points to documented milestones such as the premiere, championship changes, an unusual match stipulation and a published audience report. WWE’s historical account also notes that SmackDown moved from Thursdays to Fridays in September 2005, another reminder that the program’s broadcast context changed over time.
WWE’s current viewing page promotes online viewing services generally, but the available sources do not confirm whether any specific episode listed here is currently available in a particular country or service. Check the current local catalog rather than assuming that an old broadcast is streamable everywhere.
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