WWE RAW Ratings: Big Decrease 6 Days Before the Elimination Chamber

Last night, WWE RAW was a very interesting show. The company did not put a lot of thought into the Elimination Chamber PPV event this Sunday. However, WWE did have two good hours of television.

For my full thoughts on the show last night, click here!

Now, it is time to discuss the numbers. For a reference point, last week's RAW drew a 3.3 rating. It was a good number with nothing announced, but WWE had a lot advertised for last night.

How did they do?

The first hour drew 3,932,000 million viewers.

The second hour drew 4,305,000 million viewers.

Go figure! Viewership increases from Hour 1 to Hour 2 the week after I state it is a lost cause to even worry about anymore. Think about that little news bite how you will.

The official rating for WWE RAW was a 3.0.

My Thoughts on the News

Ouch!

First, let me just state that last year's RAW rating on February 14th, 2011 earned a 3.1 rating. That was the night The Rock returned. WWE saw the rewards the following week with a 3.9 rating.

That was last year.

This year, WWE is in a very familiar situation. The interest for the company is not always there year round. However, the WrestleMania season has always been well known.

Fans know when 'Mania is coming. Whether you are a die-hard fan or a casual fan, WrestleMania will peak your interest. Ratings have shown that year after year.

Shawn Michaels was promoted to appear, so you have to think he helped the second hour this week. WWE had a few Elimination Chamber preview matches, so that likely played a part. Fans knew there would be at least three good matches, and they were right.

Outside of that, the Kane and John Cena story continued. Zack Ryder played his role nicely, and Eve Torres furthered her (my guess) heel turn to align herself with the Big Red Machine. It is just my opinion, but that is where I see this headed.

All in all, WWE would still like to see bigger numbers getting closer and closer to 'Mania. That goes without saying, but this should be the absolute bottom for the "Red Brand." Anything lower than this until April has to be considered a disappointment.

SmackDown, on the other hand, continues to do great! Last week drew a 2.2 rating for the "Blue Brand," and viewership was up almost 100,000 viewers from the week prior. 

Still performing strong for a taped show, with spoilers everywhere all week, airing on a smaller than normal network Friday nights and far less star power, huh? Think about that...

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