This week's episode of Monday Night Raw reached a historic low, suffering the lowest viewership in its 28-year history.
According to a report from Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics (h/t Marc Middleton of WrestlingInc.com) this week's episode averaged 1.472 million viewers. That is significantly lower than the Dec. 14, 2020 episode that previously set an all-time low in viewership (averaging only 1.527 million viewers). This week's show and the Dec. 14 episode each scored 0.41 ratings in the 18-49 demographic.
Viewership for Monday Night Raw has decreased considerably in recent weeks. Per WrestlingInc.com's viewership tracker, five of the last seven episodes have now fallen below 1.7 million viewers. From Jan. 4 to May 17, Raw never once fell below 1.7 million viewers. During that frame, the the shows with the lowest viewership were the Mar. 29 and Apr. 5 episodes (both 1.701 million viewers). Still, those numbers were much higher than what WWE has garnered since late May.
And this is only part of the ratings problem. Friday Night SmackDown on FOX was consistently reaching over two million viewers, but seven of the last eight episodes have fallen below that mark (per WrestlingInc.com).
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With the company set to resume touring/performing in front of fans again, one can only assume that drastic and much-needed changes will occur in the coming weeks. This would theoretically include the returns of major superstars like Brock Lesnar, Becky Lynch, Goldberg and John Cena. WWE is also reportedly planning a draft for after SummerSlam.
Things Have To Get Better Soon
Now, television ratings don't tell the whole story. WWE has giant followings on social media and on YouTube, but the historic lows in viewership cannot be ignored. It's clear that a large number of fans are tired of the current product, and it's going to take considerable changes to win them back. Again, the return of live crowds can only help WWE fix its television ratings problem. It'll be interesting to see what changes are made in the coming weeks.
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