A report in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter says that WWE SmackDown! house show business is not looking good on top, with Randy Orton not yet clicking as the show’s key drawing card.
While the Edge-inspired roster draft did not necessarily strengthen the SmackDown! roster, it did give the brand a legitimate main-eventer in Orton and also has support from solid names in Christian and Sheamus. Yet early returns are not indicative of the new-look SmackDown! scoring as a smash success.
— Alex Riley seemed to get over well with the live RAW crowd on Monday and remains a focus of WWE’s upper-card plans this summer, but his segment with Michael Cole on Monday’s RAW was not a ratings winner.
Hyped earlier in the show, the 10PM interview between Riley and Cole only posted gains 315,000 viewers, which is not remarkable for that position on the card. Given that the angle not only had the standard “10PM boost” in its favor but was also leading out of a Divas match, a much larger increase could have been expected.
Obviously, however, it is far too early to question whether Riley can truly get over on RAW. Michael Cole’s ratings strengthen had weakened due to fatigue over his angle with Jerry Lawler, and The Miz, Riley’s feuding partner, has not been a consistent ratings force on RAW. With that in mind, it was inevitably going to take time for fans to embrace Riley as a television draw.
It will just take a little bit of time for Randy Orton to click in as the new face of Smackdown. According to various sources, he is embracing his role on Smackdown and he is quickly adjusting to the show.