For those who follow Nielsen Ratings you might have trouble finding WWE RAW for the week of October 11th-17th. Why, you ask? Because Nielsen cable ratings only list their top 10 on their website. WWE RAW was 18th and 20th last week! The only way I was able to even find these numbers is via zap2it.com.
WWE RAW‘s 10pm hour had 4.34 million viewers, while the first hour at 9pm pulled in 4.23 million. As normal Monday Night Football on ESPN was miles ahead. The Vikings/Jets NFL game raked in 17.31 million viewers. Now in fairness WWE RAW is a closer comparison to the 8th show for the week Jersey Shore on MTV which pulled in 5.68 million. RAW is capable at least at its peak hour of pulling in that many viewers.
Why?
The Brand Split: RAW can pull in 5 million viewers but not with half the roster having the day off. Since dividing from Smackdown the quality of the show has gone down purely form a talent stand point. Granted production, and the growth of new talent has improved. Think about it though if you took the cast of Jersey Shore and split them into two shows the ratings would drop. You can’t expect someone to watch two shows if they only care about one central character or one group. Believe it or not WWE was very smart to put in their PG policy after the split as it helped grow a younger fan base.
Monday’s: Aside from Monday Night Football, WWE RAW is also up against iCarly which granted is a children’s program an hour before RAW. What these two take away audience members that are more on the sports and PG side if you will of the audience.
Solution
Merge the rosters: Maybe not entirely but at least the World Heavyweight and WWE Championship. Then you could have the Undisputed Champion and whomever he’s up against on both shows. So now instead of replay packages and cross brand promotion you could get a Undertaker and Kane segment on RAW. Then you may find yourself in a Nexus vs Undertaker storyline with the Miz hanging in the wings. With the current system there is too much of a disconnect between the two shows.
What do you think? Comment below.
Until next week: Your either Wrestling Edge or against us!
