Raw’s 25th anniversary episode draws huge ratings for WWE
As expected, the 25th anniversary of Raw drew monster ratings, averaging 4.50 million viewers.
While the number wasn’t close to the 6.02 million viewers of the similar 1,000th Raw special in 2012, nobody expected that kind of a figure. It was the biggest number in several years and will most likely be the largest number of 2018.
There was the usual ratings pattern with a decline throughout the show, although the 13.6 percent first-to-third hour decline was significantly less than the unusually high 21.2 percent first-to-third hour decline the prior week.
Raw was easily the most-watched show on cable, with second place going to Rachel Maddow on MSNBC at 2.92 million viewers. It was behind ABC, CBS, and NBC, but it beat FOX in the first hour for fourth place in that hour on television.
The three hours were:
- 8 p.m. 4.80 million viewers
- 9 p.m. 4.64 million viewers
- 10 p.m. 4.15 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.