The Monday Night Raw ratings are a pretty hot topic among wrestling fans this week. Last week’s Monday Night Raw saw the lowest non-holiday audience since the show transitioned to three hours in 2012, and this week the ratings dropped even further.
Dave Meltzer noted on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that the final rating for Raw this week was a 2.3. This week’s episode of Raw was the lowest rated show since 1997, although it should be noted that back in 1997 WWE was up against WCW Monday Nitro which scored a 4.6 rating on that night.
Paul Heyman recently commented on the ratings decline while talking to Channel Guide Magazine and he put things in perspective saying that the wrestling business is cyclical.
“I think if there is erosion in the ratings then we are in a cycle within the industry where fans are going and looking for or finding other interests. This is not dissimilar to any other forms of entertainment. The key has always been to replace those who leave, to bring in more fans at any time you are losing fans. At this particular point in time there is a search to find the new fan. I am not one who looks at the ratings every Tuesday and says, ‘Well, we haven’t replaced everybody that is left. The ratings didn’t double.’ I’m not expecting that type of increase tomorrow or the next week or the week after that.”
He went on to elaborate that WWE is at a point where they need to draw in new fans. But the real question is, what does WWE need to be doing to draw those new fans in?
