The final ratings for this week’s episode of WWE Raw are in, and they’re being called “a disaster.” The post-Survivor Series show earned a 2.16 rating, down from last week’s 2.28, the lowest since before the start of the Attitude Era. If you’re wondering, it’s also down .05 ratings points from the previous disastrous low.
Raw also brought in only 2.95 million viewers, the first time they’ve dipped below 3 million viewers for a non-holiday Raw in decades, and 200,000 lower than the previous low. That happened in 1997, when WCW Monday Nitro was peaking and destroying them in the ratings. This is coming off of a pay-per-view event, which often causes a small boost in ratings.
Here’s the breakdown:
Hour one – 3.19 million viewers
Hour two – 2.99 million viewers
Hour three – 2.71 million viewers
If you’re looking for reasons why, Monday’s NFL game was a big reason. The New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills game brought in more than 14 million viewers, up about 2 million from recent weeks. That’s not a record number or anything, but it’s a big audience. Raw featured new WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus at odds with five-minute champion Roman Reigns, a DQ main-event and Mark Henry fantasizing about a Carl’s Jr. Tex-Mex cheeseburger.
As noted by writer Justin Henry, Raw’s numbers are now only a .66 drop from TNA Impact Wrestling’s best.
