Chris Harrington did a study on TV ratings by performers for the year. A few notes on this. The first is that the data used was from the Observer, which essentially means from January through August we had just about every show and the numbers were actuals. Over the next few months, we had sporadic and they were from a different source and were estimates, but it’s a different methodology and wasn’t exact. But as far as, on average, how many people are gained or lost based on this character’s segments, this is the top 20:
1. The Rock: 335,698
2. Brock Lesnar: 330,068
3. John Cena: 328,401
4. Paul Heyman: 317,531
5. HHH: 259,420
6. C.M. Punk: 246,534
7. Stephanie McMahon: 242,841
8. Vickie Guerrero: 234,359
9. Vince McMahon: 203,475
10. Brad Maddox: 168,819
11. Seth Rollins: 167,388
12. Roman Reigns: 166,202
13. Big Show: 161,143
14. Daniel Bryan: 155,341
15. Dean Ambrose: 135,652
16. Ryback: 91,294
17. Curtis Axel: 59,699
18. Kane: 48,198
19. Sheamus: 40,064:
20. Randy Orton: 36,305
A few notes on these numbers. There is an advantage in the sense those perceived as top draws are going to get the better segments, so it’s not perfect. Also, wrestlers are not isolated in the sense only one person is in a segment. Does Heyman, for example, benefit greatly here by the fact he worked with Lesnar and Punk all year? Of course. Rollins & Reigns were a tag team, and the only thing it showed is that Ambrose fares worse as U.S. champion than as part of the unit, hurting his average compared to the other two. I doubt anyone should be surprised by that. All the authority figures fare well because they are in the segments where they make big announcements, or are involved with top angles. Brad Maddox is not a bigger ratings draw than Daniel Bryan. Also, as part-time performers, it probably helps Rock and definitely helps Lesnar. The idea that Cena and Punk were the two most successful full-timers coincides with the idea that they were the two most pushed during that period.
For the bottom 20:
1. Cameron: -496,714
2. Layla: -486,500
3. Aksana: -397,000
4. Naomi: -389,417
5. R-Truth: -322,143
6. Brie Bella: -322,133
7. Nikki Bella: -311,175
8. Natalya: -299,300
9. Alicia Fox: -234,875
10. Christian: -208,000
11. Usos: -205,417
12. Kofi Kingston: -202,158
13. Great Khali: -201,200
14. Damien Sandow: -184,140
15. Fandango: -175,640
16. Santino Marella: -179,438
17. Bray Wyatt: -171,225
18. Zack Ryder: -152,643
19. A.J. Lee: -152,838
20. Erick Rowan: -142,250
The key here is the bottom spots being dominated by the women. I don’t think the order is significant, since in may ways they are booked to be interchangeable. It’s more the overall message over the course of the year. More people tune out during women’s matches, which are often multiple person matches that feel like filler programming.
Television viewership is supposed to be about attractive people, yet to a predominately male audience, the physically most attractive people are at the bottom of the list, which tells you that things are not nearly as simple as they are made out to be.
It shows that television truisms are like the “turn heads at airports” line wrestling people talk about to explain why certain people should and shouldn’t get pushed when the reality is this. The best predictor of whether someone can get over is if he or she has done so previously in a meaningful way. The other is that nothing is a be-all or end-all. Everyone will make judgments on looks, promos, size, psychology of character and working ability. All are factors. But the overwhelming factor is, does it work? Some with everything on paper going for them don’t work out. Some with none do.
And again, these numbers aren’t stagnant. Work with better people, or get pushed as a more important act, and your numbers will improve. But the idea that a meaningless woman’s match will bring in teenage boys, or adult males, sounds great in a meeting. But in real life, in 2013, the opposite was true. Or a giant like Khali on television will keep people from turning the channel may have been true when he first came in, but after years, it’s no longer the case.