WWE Raw ratings get post-Survivor Series boost
With a lower football audience due to the Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns NFL game not airing on ABC or ESPN2, and strong angles with CM Punk, Seth Rollins & Sami Zayn and The New Day & Big E, Raw did its best numbers of the NFL season Monday night.
The episode, featuring Raw’s fallout from Survivor Series, averaged 1.71 million viewers and drew a 0.54 rating in 18-49.
The NFL game had 11.87 million viewers and a 3.15 in 18-49 on ESPN, down from last week’s 17.32 million viewers and 4.17 in 18-49 on the three stations.
Raw beat everything on television aside from the NFL-related programming on ESPN, putting it in fifth place on cable and on all of television. Instead of football, ABC aired Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (3.07 million viewers/0.33) and Press Your Luck (1.84 million/0.23).
The other top station was Fox News which did 3.51 million viewers/0.18 for Jesse Watters and 2.64 million/0.15 for Hannity. 90 Day The Last Resort on TLC was the No. 2 entertainment show at 874,000/0.14.
Raw was up 12 percent in viewers and up 16 percent in 18-49 from last week.
From the same week last year, it was up 11 percent in viewers and 10 percent in 18-49. But when you factor in homes no longer getting USA Network, the real percentage increases would be 19 percent in viewers and 25 percent in 18-49.
The peak of the show was the second quarter with the end of the Punk, Rollins & Zayn segment and the Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan vs. Kairi Sane & Iyo Sky match, which did 2.02 million viewers.
The two hours were:
- 8 p.m. 1.82 million viewers
- 9 p.m. 1.60 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.