Raw ratings hit a shocking low
Raw numbers hit a shocking low last night, even coming the day after the Payback PPV.
The three hour show averaged 2.86 million viewers, setting a new 20-year low for the show on a non-holiday and non-football time frame. The number barely beat what a lot of the SmackDown shows had been doing prior to WrestleMania. It was a five percent decline from last week’s 3.00 million viewers. Traditionally the Raw after a Raw-brand PPV should show an increase.
Worse, not coming off a PPV and with next week’s show being taped, another number in this vicinity is possible. There will only be one NBA game next Monday, Warriors vs. Jazz, so the first hour of Raw will go unopposed and that may help a little.
The culprit was the NBA playoffs, as the first half of Raw went against a Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors game that did 3.58 million viewers, and the second half of Raw went against a San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets game that did 4.43 million viewers.
Raw numbers are likely to be low as long as there is playoff competition. However, with the decline of Fox News ratings in the wake of Bill O’Reilly being gone, Raw beat everything else on cable last night.
The three hours were:
- 8 p.m. 2.92 million viewers
- 9 p.m. 3.04 million viewers
- 10 p.m. 2.65 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.