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thepotatoman
Unconfirmed Member
2.64 million, up from 2.62 million last week.
Lowest since brand split was October 25, 2016 at 2.13 million, so they've not been in the same trend as raw the last few months.
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WWE Raw drops to lowest TV rating in 18 years
- Thread starter RBH
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2.64 million, up from 2.62 million last week.
Lowest since brand split was October 25, 2016 at 2.13 million, so they've not been in the same trend as raw the last few months.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
Two hour show with authority figures who don't grind down the babyfaces and no one being shoved down the fans throats who are obviously not catching on
Who could have conceived of such a byzantine path to success for a wrestling show!
Dark Ninja
Member
Undertaker should just go away at this point. Anyone over 40 should go away.
Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!
Member
I predict that people will complain about the Wrestlemania card going into the show, be pleasantly surprised by the show, and then realize several months later that it wasn't really that good of a show and it was really a combination of low expectations + the spectacle of wrestlemania
sf2fanatic
Member
Even AJ Styles?
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
This. I don't get a chance to watch often, but literally every time I turn it on it is a video recap. Every time. There's even recaps after a commercial break of what happened right before that same commercial break! Huge waste of time. Nothing interesting at all.
Also, Stephanie is a ratings-killer. She is dreadful.
Strangelove77
Member
How anyone could have the patience to watch a whole 3 hour Raw is beyond me.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
I hope this is a joke.
Dark Ninja
Member
He ain't 40 yet but yes this should be his peak years. He should be the focus.
Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!
Member
40 in pro wrestling is the nfl equivalent of a 25 year old running back
Strangelove77
Member
Dudes too out of shape to wrestle should go away.
that's the wrestlemania 31 syndrome
I'm expecting more like wrestlemania 32... everyone expecting it to be shit, and indeed it was. way too long.
I didn't get there for any stuff before hand since I was coming to Barclay's from work, got there right when RAW started. So don't know what I missed.
After RAW ended, Brock and Heyman came out. Then Big Show came out and was immediately F5'd. Big Show just laid there like he was dead. They did the spot where the refs come out and try to pull him off the mat, then one of them tries to pin him, and he springs to his feet as they run for their lives.
PHOENIXZERO
Member
Why watch Raw or Raw PPVs aka Sunday Raw when absolutely none of it matters?
When's the last time the last hour was the highest rated hour? Back when Raw was two hours the second hour was routinely the highest now you see everyone in either the first or second hour and there's really not much incentive to stick around for the third, worse when WWE is in hard sell mode like they were last Monday.
Unfortunately unless there's something dramatic none of it is going to change until USA becomes unhappy with the return on their investment but at this point I think it's more likely WWE gets a better deal in 2019 as USA gets a third hour with Smackdown despite how disliked the three hours of Raw is, there's too much money there to turn down and stockholders don't care.
When's the last time the last hour was the highest rated hour? Back when Raw was two hours the second hour was routinely the highest now you see everyone in either the first or second hour and there's really not much incentive to stick around for the third, worse when WWE is in hard sell mode like they were last Monday.
Unfortunately unless there's something dramatic none of it is going to change until USA becomes unhappy with the return on their investment but at this point I think it's more likely WWE gets a better deal in 2019 as USA gets a third hour with Smackdown despite how disliked the three hours of Raw is, there's too much money there to turn down and stockholders don't care.
Ninja Scooter
Member
It's a good thing they are using one of the last remaining peak years of one of their best talents to put over a McMahon...again. The show would be a lot better off if the McMahon on-screen characters just went away and they didn't have that shitty "Authority" angle to lean on and rehash over and over like they have for the last 20 years.
I legit wonder what they blame the rating on for this week.
It's always football, basketball, the election, someone's injured, no triple H... the fuck is their excuse today? 2 weeks before mania?
Sir_Crocodile
Member
Ironically triple h hiding until football season was over has been rendered moot lol
someone tell him b+ players can't pop ratings
UberTag
Member
Wrestlemania used to be the culmination of many months worth of build featuring matches people were legitimately excited to see where we were invested in the outcomes.
Now it has no matches anyone wants to see and we're invested in NO outcomes. And it will stretch out across some 7 hours.
I'd say the one thing fans are most anticipating from that weekend is Kurt Angle's return to WWE programming.
Ninja Scooter
Member
This is the issue too. Goldberg/Brock and even Roman/Taker might be fun WM matches, but they are glorified gimmick matches. They require no build up or investment from the viewer, and thus, don't give anybody any reason to sit through 3 hours of raw.
ThreePiMatt
Member
I gotta say, my expectations for Mania are pretty muted. I watch RAW every week, but it definitely is the "thing I have on in the background while playing games." Outside of the KO-Jericho stuff it's been pretty lackluster. I actually like Braun quite a bit, but him losing to Roman at Fastlane pretty much shows WWE's opinion on the matter.
But I'm not interested in Goldberg-Lesnar like I was their last match. I really didnt want to see Taker the last two Manias, and definitely don't want to see him again. Bayley might be the worst woman's wrestler on that roster and that clusterfuck of a match goes to show how bad they've booked that women's division.
But I'm not interested in Goldberg-Lesnar like I was their last match. I really didnt want to see Taker the last two Manias, and definitely don't want to see him again. Bayley might be the worst woman's wrestler on that roster and that clusterfuck of a match goes to show how bad they've booked that women's division.
Pop-O-Matic
Banned
I hope they try the Cena/Rock thing where they announce it on Raw After Mania, we get a full year of people fucking voicing their disgust over the idea and they still go through with it because Vince gets what he wants, dammit!
Sir_Crocodile
Member
My dream is that when Cena proposes to Nikki, Miz runs in and hits him with the running knee.
that would be one of the greatest mania moments ever
Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!
Member
What was the last wrestlemania that had an actual huge main event between two full time wrestlers that casual fans would even get excited about? 17?
JesseEwiak
Member
Since AJ/Shane will likely be the last match for the SD side, I'm sure AJ will be so sad he didn't get to have a 12 minute midcard match.
But regardless, as much as I hate the guy, Shane McMahon sold tickets last year. And since selling tickets is what wrestling is about, he's going to get a prominent spot.
As far as the rest goes, the ratings have fallen big time ever since the the show went three hours. But as long as that 3rd hour is bigger than the USA Networks average without RAW they'll continue to pay the WWE big time to keep on airing it.
UberTag
Member
Undertaker enters the hall of fame and the main event is the man who beat the streak vs. the man who retired the Undertaker.
Roman will look very strong after he finally conquers the conqueror and we'll have no choice but to finally cheer him.
Oh yeah, Cena/Nikki vs Miz/Maryse. The build has actually been super fucking good. I'm into that one too.
Pop-O-Matic
Banned
It's been consistently bad over such a long period of time now, that it's a surprise whenever RAW manages to be genuinely good.
RAW being bad is just it's normal state.
The Hamburglar
Banned
I'm currently watching raw from 1997 on the network and during the ads the show claims during this time that they got half a billion viewers worldwide each week. Is this complete bs?
JesseEwiak
Member
Yes. At best they had access to half a billion viewers on TV.
23: Cena vs. Michaels for the title.
Having access to and people actually watching are different. Very
not
Dark Ninja
Member
It has become Part-Timer Mania and Participation-Mania. Too many old guys or people who don't work full time. Then the people who work all year get thrown in multi-man matches because they feel "bad" for leaving them out. Get rid of the multi-man matches if you weren't "good" enough to get a spot at Mania you are left out. Creative can then see why this person was left out and give them a push or storyline. This will also expose that they are focusing too much on part timers.
The Hamburglar
Banned
Have wwe numbers started to decline since the pg era then? I thought wrestling was a piece of shit since 2006 tbh.
TheMagician
Member
She's absolutely dreadful
-Pyromaniac-
Member
without gaf I definitely wouldn't but the communal part of it makes it more watchable
Chie Satonaka
Member
Monday's show was pigshit fucking terrible, so this is what they deserve.
Smackdown is a better show every week, but the Orton/Wyatt storyline is stupid, and forcing AJ fucking Styles, the best goddamn wrestler in the world, to fight Shane McMahon at the biggest show of the year is a fucking travesty and I'm legit mad about it. It's bad enough they had him job to fucking Ellsworth three times.
Smackdown is a better show every week, but the Orton/Wyatt storyline is stupid, and forcing AJ fucking Styles, the best goddamn wrestler in the world, to fight Shane McMahon at the biggest show of the year is a fucking travesty and I'm legit mad about it. It's bad enough they had him job to fucking Ellsworth three times.
Ratings have been declining ever since The Attitude Era ended. They rose back up again for a short period of time, then dove again. Ratings have been on a steeper downward trend currently. But it also lines up with people getting rid of cable. Bad show + less people watching cable = ratings dive.
WWE makes a ton of money through advertising now. It's why they insist on keeping RAW 3 hours because they make a lot of money by showing so many commercials over those hours.
JesseEwiak
Member
Jobbing to Ellsworth was dumb.
But WrestleMania has never been about five star matches. The 1st WM was full of celebs and even one in the main event. Part timers have been in main events of big shoes since before Vince McMahon knew he wasn't just another Carolina redneck .
Violence Jack
Member
I was watching SD last night and wondering why the fuck they are pairing up Cena/Miz in another WM again? It irks me too much that AJ is just going to roll out and beat up Shane instead of putting him in a meaningful feud leading up to WM. Orton vs Styles would've been a hell of a main event.
Almost none of the WM matchups make any fucking sense.
Almost none of the WM matchups make any fucking sense.
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