RAW Viewership for 04/27

[Steveweiser]

www.showbuzzdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Final-Cable-2020-Apr-27-MON.png

H1: 1,945,000 (0.56, 2nd)
H2: 1,888,000 (0.53, 3rd)
H3: 1,619,000 (0.43, 7th)
Average: 1,817,333

Hour 1 and 2 were up on last week, but that third hour was the killer this week.

[cabbageboy]

This doesn't shock me. That 3rd hour was just a death march trying to get through it and all that was advertised was a contract signing for a match few want to see. It felt like a skeleton crew out there. Why else would you have Andrade and Crews work twice in some seriously long matches?

[realist]

I just don't get it. Don't people know that this is essential viewing? How can they not watch?

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

DIAL IT UP COLE! 1.619!

[Deleted]

Well, Brock Lesnar's no longer the lowest-rated segment in Raw history, so I'm guessing Vince is going to be strapping him back up immediately.

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

Yes Governor, this was essential media. If they didn't perform every single week, what would that 1.8 million people do for three hours on a Monday night. Watch reruns? The horror.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

I’m just not sure what the hell WWE could even do at this point. It’s not even a matter of Vince retiring or writing a better show, but this empty arena stuff has been taking a toll and will continue to until they go back to crowds in arenas. They could bring Steve Austin out of retirement and it won’t break two million as long as they’re just alone in the PC.

[kingoftheindies]

Apr 28, 2020 15:30:35 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

I’m just not sure what the hell WWE could even do at this point. It’s not even a matter of Vince retiring or writing a better show, but this empty arena stuff has been taking a toll and will continue to until they go back to crowds in arenas. They could bring Steve Austin out of retirement and it won’t break two million as long as they’re just alone in the PC.

I dont think it's just the empty arena shows (though that isnt helping) they were going to lose a chunk of viewers yes no matter what, but you've got to give fans a reason to watch and I think that's where WWe has failed. I also dont think the actions of WWE a few weeks ago helped matters

[Steveweiser]

Wrestlers who weren't on RAW last night:

AJ Styles (selling the Taker loss)
Akam (off due to his partner's injury)
Brock Lesnar (go figure)
Humberto Carrillo (god knows where he's gone to)
Kevin Owens
Randy Orton
Rezar (torn bicep)
Riddick Moss (remember him)
R-Truth (yes he's a RAW guy apparently)
Shelton Benjamin (him too)
Titus O'Neil
Becky Lynch (champ taking time off)
IIconics (AWOL)
Kairi Sane (wouldn't be surprised if she left soon)
Natalya (probably found a cat somewhere)

Very limited crew last night, and even some of them didn't do matches or appear in in-ring segments.

[Bang Bang Bart]

Apr 28, 2020 15:34:01 GMT -5 kingoftheindies said:

Apr 28, 2020 15:30:35 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

I’m just not sure what the hell WWE could even do at this point. It’s not even a matter of Vince retiring or writing a better show, but this empty arena stuff has been taking a toll and will continue to until they go back to crowds in arenas. They could bring Steve Austin out of retirement and it won’t break two million as long as they’re just alone in the PC.

I dont think it's just the empty arena shows (though that isnt helping) they were going to lose a chunk of viewers yes no matter what, but you've got to give fans a reason to watch and I think that's where WWe has failed. I also dont think the actions of WWE a few weeks ago helped matters

Even Smackdown’s ratings are declining, so it’s certainly a possibility that WWE’s shady actions are just biting them in the ass now, and the empty arena shows are just a perfect storm.

[domrep]

Apr 28, 2020 15:25:16 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Well, Brock Lesnar's no longer the lowest-rated segment in Raw history, so I'm guessing Vince is going to be strapping him back up immediately.

He's getting the belt the moment fans can come back. Being champ is the best/worse thing to happen to Drew. Great b/c he's champion, bad because of the pandemic and there's no basis to judge his reign other than TV ratings.

[Deleted]

That drop explains it.

I don't remember anything, if I was asleep or not, during the third hour - everyone went into coma? 

I was so into Apollo and Andrade going at it just before. Weird.

[Perd]

 If they just have to run shows, they should take the opportunity to change things up. Ratings are dropping. There’s no fans. There’s pretty much zero consequences to trying something new. They’ve been running, roughly, the same format for over twenty years. The product isn’t stale, it’s rotten. It’s why things like Broken Matt and the Boneyard match get so much love. They’re a break from the monotony of modern, mainstream wrestling. How’s the time to try anything, not just do the same old shit.

[XIII]

There’s about a billion reasons for this probably, but part of it for me is that Drew’s first feud is with Rollins. Dude was always the least interesting Shield guy for me and he just stays and stays at the top of the card for no real reason other than that’s his spot. He’s good, but he is pretty much an instant channel change for me. Shrug

[cabbageboy]

The problem for anyone that beats Lesnar is that there's never anywhere to go with the belt after that. If Lesnar is the final boss then Drew finished the game. Now he has to face the boss from like level 3 on Bad Dudes or something. The only solution is to quit bringing back Lesnar and quit putting titles on him. It has to be done. It's the only way to give fans some confidence that the title won't just go back to a guy that rarely shows up and rarely wrestles.

[ihateeverythingnu]

Apr 28, 2020 17:02:03 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

The problem for anyone that beats Lesnar is that there's never anywhere to go with the belt after that. If Lesnar is the final boss then Drew finished the game. Now he has to face the boss from like level 3 on Bad Dudes or something. The only solution is to quit bringing back Lesnar and quit putting titles on him. It has to be done. It's the only way to give fans some confidence that the title won't just go back to a guy that rarely shows up and rarely wrestles.

What helps Drew is that he did an old school climb up the ladder.  He won mid-card belts, he won tag belts and even did a jobber run with 3MB.

He is now established as being a guy who can reach the absolute top when on his game but is also established as beatable in his entire run.  They even established Andrade beat him for a belt once.  That means that he shouldn't be like Roman, who got the commentators making orgasmic tones by his mere presence without earning it and has never really had a run of being seen as "one of the guys".  Even the times people on here claimed he felt "like a guy", it was still stronger booking than about 99% of other people in wrestling in any company.

Drew will always have a sense of vulnerability from having a history.  The issue is guys who appear and magically are main event title challenges.  There is nothing to work with literally in a historical sense so they either seem like Superman and when they eventually lose, they have no character to fall back into and rebuild.

Of course, I am sure I'll be sick of Drew in 5 months probably because WWE have a gift of ruining things but he should have more staying power.

[chrom]

Said it before, but ratings will be low up until the fans are allowed to come back. Same with AEW. Empty arena shows aren't appealing to viewers.

[Deleted]

The long term damage that comes from this is going to be really troublesome but yet interesting because they are putting on the same damn show that were already driving people away pre the world going to hell and now even more people are leaving in droves because of the same show and ontop of it pushing people that no one wants to see and those that garner interest are jobbed out to the oafs of the land.

I feel sorry for Drew because he will likely be blamed and Vince is gonna snatch that title to put it back on Bork because he believes Bork is somehow Austin Theory.

[XaviersSS2015hair]

Apr 28, 2020 15:25:16 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Well, Brock Lesnar's no longer the lowest-rated segment in Raw history, so I'm guessing Vince is going to be strapping him back up immediately.

Brock was in the lowest rated segment in Raw history? That makes me so happy. When did that happen and what was the segment?

[Kevin Hamilton]

If they put together Best Of shows for various years starting with say 93&promoted it right they'd be doing better than this.