Backstage reaction in WWE to latest SmackDown and AEW Rampage ratings - Reports

The ratings for the October 15th episode of SmackDown and AEW Rampage are out, and they have created a massive buzz in the wrestling community and WWE.

While Supersized SmackDown defeated Rampage in the overall viewership, the two shows were tied by 0.24 in the most coveted 18-49 demographic. The blue brand averaged 866,000 viewers, while AEW's secondary show brought in 578,000 watchers. Plus, Rampage defeated SmackDown in the 30 minute head-to-head with 328,000 to 285,000 in the demos.

According to WrestleVotes, these numbers were a hot topic behind the scenes in WWE. It's safe to assume that the higher-ups weren't very happy with the results at all.

"All I’ll say is that the numbers news is a HOT topic right now backstage," tweeted WrestleVotes.

Tony Khan reacts to AEW Rampage beating WWE SmackDown in the head-to-head timeframe

AEW President Tony Khan was overwhelmed with joy and excitement upon learning that his show defeated the go-home episode of SmackDown in direct competition. It's worth noting that AEW had the advantage since SmackDown aired on a smaller channel, FS1, instead of its usual spot on the FOX network.

Less than two weeks ago, Tony Khan took to Twitter to announce that he couldn't wait to beat WWE's main show head-to-head on Friday night, followed by him adding a pre-show to Rampage and making the last 30 minutes of the show commercial-free.

Supersized SmackDown, the final show on the blue brand before Crown Jewel, featured major stars such as Edge, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Roman Reigns, and Brock Lesnar. All the aforementioned superstars are set to compete at the pay-per-view this Thursday.

SmackDown will return to its usual slot on FOX the day after the event, the fallout episode. On October 29th, however, the blue brand will move to FS1 once again. It's unlikely that the show will go on for another half an hour during that episode.