WWE Raw ratings down, third hour beats first in viewership
Raw had a unique night last night where, as is rarely the occasion, the third hour was actually slightly higher than the first hour.
Overall the show averaged 1.76 million viewers and drew a 0.53 rating in 18-49, both a little below what has been the usual levels. The 18-49 number was Raw’s lowest since the holiday episode on July 3 and the total viewership was the lowest since June 12.
The second hour (which was the high point) had the usual 9 p.m. peak and then was strong again for the Cody Rhodes angle with Brock Lesnar.
The third hour was headlined by Seth Rollins & Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio.
The show was down three percent in viewers from last week, down seven percent in 18-49, and down 13 percent in 18-34.
From one year ago, the comparison is somewhat unfair because SummerSlam came a week earlier. So the Raw after SummerSlam was a monster rating, like next week is likely to be.
It was down 21 percent in viewers from last year, down 13 percent in 18-49, and down five percent in 18-34. If you factor in homes lost by USA, the actual numbers would be 16 percent down with viewers, five percent down in 18-49, and four percent up in 18-34.
The three hours were:
- 8 p.m. 1.71 million viewers
- 9 p.m. 1.86 million viewers
- 10 p.m. 1.72 million viewers
Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.