10 Highest Rated WWE SmackDown Episodes Ever

Let's take a trip back to the Attitude Era for WWE's peak TV ratings success thanks to the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind, D-Generation X, The Undertaker and Steve Blackman as we examine the 10 Highest Rated WWE SmackDown Episodes Ever.
JOIN US and hit SUBSCRIBE!
Support Cultaholic on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cultaholic
Unlock Cultaholic badges & emojis on KZbin:
kzbin.info/door/jcPJbFDwVZZELGG38q2cLQjoin
Website: cultaholic.com/
Merch: www.cultaholicshop.com
Twitch: twitch.tv/Cultaholic
Twitter: Cultaholic
Facebook: Cultaholic
Instagram: cultaholicwrestling
Discord: www.cultaholic.com/discord
Cultaholic provides video coverage of professional wrestling - including WWE (including WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, NXT and 205 Live), AEW, IMPACT Wrestling (formerly TNA), NJPW, ROH, and more with daily news updates, reviews, lists, highlights, predictions, reactions, podcasts and much, much more.

[@mrbrooklynny]

Its safe to say 2000 was the best year in Smackdown history as far as the numbers go.

[@GorditoCrunch343]

Yup. First full year of Smackdown and they had a stacked roster to match the hype.

[@KingKait077]

Ooooo I like the PS2 touch for the list.

[@RandoChrisYT]

More welcoming than when the screen was red

[@jakeallen7993]

For legal reasons its entirely different not even close *wink*

[@nevafanthegreat1288]

I knew that's what that was!🤔🤣👏👏

[@yooitsxtra]

Nobody gonna talk about how Arnold went on WWE to promote a movie where his character is named Jericho Kane?

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

It’s not the type of movie you drink coffee while watching it, and I hope someone gets a reference.

[@yenkocamaro6965]

End of Days is surprisingly alright

[@EssexAggiegrad2011]

@@outlawrip-offartist4161 I do

[@declancairns2083]

Weirdly was expecting the post 9/11 episode to appear on here, instead it was basically the first half of 2000

[@Batista7105]

10 LOWEST rated smackdown/raw episodes

[@dangerousd1312]

The most recent ones lol

[@AlanBec3]

2018-2020 Episodes lol

[@davidjenum]

@@realsambot they haven’t

[@wynbarrett2989]

@@AlanBec3 nah 1993-1996 are still a bit worse

[@JustChrisTM]

Everyone loves to bash the ratings. Raw & Smackdown's lowest ratings are still higher than ANY wrestling show on Wednesday today. Hell.... WCW Thunder's lowest ratings are higher than any wrestling show on Wednesday today.

[@Mike-fl3cd]

Kane is a secret Smackdown MVP.

[@mattm7771]

And here we are fighting over 700,000 every Wednesday

[@mubarakhashi5705]

Tbh tv viewers in general Is decreasing so it ain’t that deep

[@mattm7771]

@@mubarakhashi5705 Keep telling yourself that when arenas are struggling to sell out

[@mattm7771]

@@Kobe24brady12 bruh you know what I mean lol

[@SG5002.]

That's not a fair comparison. You're comparing a new promotion and WWE's third brand. All things considered, it's pretty good if you compare how far RAW and Smackdown have fallen

[@exquisitelemonade3039]

Lol, that Austin bit about 15 min in 😂😂😂 More of this please!!

[@niiniiniinii5936]

3:50 of course it has a high rating It was on 420

[@ems6706]

Owen was just soooo talented. Like the fact he never got to work with Kurt Angle really bums me out. They were both hilarious, and great in the ring I think they could have made magic together match wise.

[@NoddyMaccy]

2000 was a good year for SmackDown. Shame it hasn’t been the same since! 😂

[@tomroberts6996]

Earl and Rock are my favourite tag team of all time.

[@ndingo]

In my opinion RAW=the B show SMACKDOWN=the A show

[@burnthetrolls5971]

I mean Smackdown was a brand that WWE chose for their video game series for almost 5 years until the SvR titles so I think everyone except Vince McMahon loves Smackdown

[@informativecontent4778]

When single shows had more going on than in today's payperviews

[@TheThird1977]

Can't believe you did the go-home show for Royal Rumble 2000 and glossed over the "Mankind isn't ready to face you at the Garden" part of that awesome promo from Foley.

[@hipstereagle6050]

Fans sure loved that McMahon Helmsley storyline

[@aaronhurst4379]

The entry background art reminds me of the old PS2 menu background

[@dangerousd1312]

whole lotta HHH going over

[@thenightowl3042]

One of my favourite Smack down episodes of the modern era . Would be the first WWE draft in years ,which had the main event of Dean Vs Seth Vs Roman I believe .

[@calvinfolan1736]

That PS2 transition screen is (ahem) such good shit pal.

[@rvnge141]

Aug 2016 to Apr 2017 was the best time for Smackdown, change my mind

[@robdaniels5700]

Genuinely watching this on the toilet to have 5 minutes away from toddler cartoons..... blue immediately pops up. Cheers guys

[@musicdaily4814]

Same I watch on toilet 😂😂

[@robdaniels5700]

@@musicdaily4814 the ultimate relax technique lol 😁

[@musicdaily4814]

@@robdaniels5700 😂😂

[@dylanthomas9907]

Early 2000 was a great time where the storylines on Smackdown were set up by the events on Raw making it unmissable. Jericho was so over by now and he knocked his promos out of the park. Seeing Stone cold come back and destroy the Dx Express was amazing. For me this is the best time to watch the WWF as you had Kurt Angle Dudleys Hardyz Tazz. There is far too much to list on this comment. It really was that good

[@JM1993951]

Mae Young and Mark Henry’s baby angle single-handedly caused me to stop watching.

[@kitttheabsurd]

good one

[@tonmainepruden190]

Pi

[@EssexAggiegrad2011]

Then you missed great sutff in 2000

[@dmgx2.012]

2000 is the best year in WWE history and that's coming from a 24 year old who grew up in the Ruthless Aggression Era

[@SnowWhiteTheU2]

I thought BB was really in Star Wars after watching this lol

[@peggytheveteran4968]

I will be tuning in to ur stream but using your commentary for Full Gear

[@Fallout3AtWar]

We gotta get a Meltzer star rating on Rock & McGregor V. Bieber & God. I think Omega V. Okada just met its match.

[@Spaceman-mm6od]

Am I the only one liking Pacitti's version of Austin's theme music?

[@alphachad872]

Half of these entries include someone getting out through a table

[@robertbarrow8383]

2000 and wrestling was going insane

[@BrandonWillWin]

How about tier list of the The Rocks movies??🤔🤔

[@retrodude5891]

Oooooooooofffff number 10 is the first episode of wrastling I watched!!! Tbh if it hadn't been Arnold Schwarzenegger I wouldn't of ever watched it. Wow what a pleasant accident.

[@MikeBehrensWX]

Man all of these high rated episodes and none of them came in the smackdown 6 era. What a shame.

[@nevafanthegreat1288]

This should be a list of the Highest Rated Smackdowns of the early 2000's. I mean I was the best time. But smackdown from late 2015 thru early 2017 was up there to. Idk about ratings, but it was fire!!

[@xhonixhekfiku7211]

List only for the ratings if wwe got a 3.0 rating nowdays they would throw a party for a week straight

[@Boy123Jim]

Am I the only one that got PS2 Vibes off of the transitions?

[@ChristianH3742]

Rock and McGregor vs Bieber and God got me

[@lincolnwright7896]

I would be pumped for a Rock/McGregor vs Bieber/God match tbh

[@Phoenix88316]

I'm a bit surprised the episode after September 11th attacks wasn't on the list

[@shakuntjoshipura]

So Cultaholic contradicting Simon Miller's cliam of highest rated SmackDown

[@Wergoheb]

They both had a 5.8 rating, so which order you put them in is on whoever is putting the video together

[@shakuntjoshipura]

@@Wergoheb ok 👍 fair enough

[@MaximMicheal20]

2000 was WWE’s best year! No question!

[@jp3813]

Yet it was when Austin, Taker, & Foley were mostly absent from in-ring action.

[@Kristian179]

What about the Smackdown after the whole Crown Jewel debacle?

[@theworldofwonder9783]

That was a GREAT episode but alas

[@Hshbrwnhero]

AHHH FROSTED TIP COLE

[@JaimeD.]

Between 1999-2000, the ratings SD were very hot even by been only a few months in broadcast. Some of the episodes of SD since 2009 were pretty great. Hope Cultaholic does one of them too.

[@lordtrigon1733]

Too Cool = ratings

[@coreynance3874]

top 10 highest rated smackdown episodes ever me: how about thursday june 30 2005 the world heavyweight champion batista drafted to smackdown as number #1 that episode was awesome.

[@garyhen1707]

Wrestling bios did one for raw, but all were may99- like sept99 lol

[@llydrsn]

Mideon Gillberg 😂🤣

[@austintucker1586]

SmackDown was the first WWE weekly show I watch I always like Smackdown better and my favorite show

[@johnwall4mvp463]

Man I clicked on this hoping to see a couple eps from when I watched in early 2010s... should have known better shame on me

[@garyhen1707]

Here we go, last half of 99 will get all these huh?

[@vapeymcvape5000]

No decent ratings since 2000? Why, it's almost like this show and company are completely irrelevant.

[@adamngangan7416]

Hi everyone, I just have one question I'd like to ask. Is there a wrestling match with only one pinfall attempt? I'm not really a fan of false finishes, multiple pinfalls attempts and multiple kick out of finishers. So please, if any of you knowledgeable wrestling fans out here could provide me with a couple of matches with only one pinfall attempt, I would really appreciate it. Thanks

[@ajk]

One attempt or one pin period? There are several short matches with one pin, but idk about attempts w/kickouts.

[@jordanpiekarski5224]

The SmackDown premiere on FOX got 6.2 million. So this list is wrong

[@pokemonlemons]

Y'all should do a lowest Raw and Smackdown

[@ben1ben2ben1]

Would just be all the episodes when Cena was the top guy

[@dmgx2.012]

Do 10 lowest Rated Raw Episodes and 10 Lowest Smackdown Episodes

[@JustChrisTM]

Obviously the strategy here was, "We gotta injure Stone Cold and keep him off TV so we can pop these ratings."

[@jerransperarman9411]

good video

[@mokabeer9930]

I actually want to see that match now, I think Justin is gonna get pinned by McGregor after god turns on him. 😅😅😅

[@tannerioannoni543]

Ive never been this early!

[@ChurchillGeoff]

so king kong bundy v SD Jones at WM I and UltimateWARRIOR V HONKY Tonk man at summer slam 88 didn't even make the cut...

[@coreyaddisonbaker9770]

Are you fucking kidding me? This is a list of Smackdown episodes, what episode of Smackdown did these matches occur on? Ignoring your obvious ignorance the matches you just listed where good yeah but not anywhere bear the best the WWF had to offer!

[@TheAxlDM]

Now do Highest rating episode for WWE ECW for funsies! haha lol

[@dizzy1369]

Like #100

[@corrupted2443]

nice

[@correllwilliams5025]

Im here

[@correllwilliams5025]

@@realsambot Fair

[@J5D7D0]

5d

[@frozyre7854]

I'm surprised that - No Mid-2000s or other Smackdown! shows made it. Not even the episodes where Smackdown Six carried the show. I'm not surprised that - most of these were Attitude Era.

[@mitchcolburn1216]

Further proof that sports entertainment consistently outdraws wrestling shtick.

[@M1CHA3L22]

SmackDown will and is my favorite brand

[@bradfahley4469]

You edited that and it still doesn't make sense

[@M1CHA3L22]

@@bradfahley4469 and? It’s just a comment dude not school

[@bradfahley4469]

@@M1CHA3L22 no its all good mate. Just making a joke.

[@M1CHA3L22]

@@bradfahley4469 oh ok, gotchu

[@cbfall]

Definitely Agree

[@marlonhernandez3519]

I personally think raw is better

[@ashrafm.5718]

Do least rated episodes

[@newageoutlaw]

... it didn't