WWE Monday Night Raw Suffers a Ratings Setback on Episode 1,001

This was expected. After achieving its highest ratings numbers in years on the 1,000th Monday Night Raw, WWE was bound to see some sort of a drop on its next edition.

The July 30th edition of Monday Night Raw saw a setback in the ratings, including a sluggish first hour. (TV By the Numbers)

The first hour of the show had just 4.06 million viewers. The last two hours of Raw helped bring up the slow start, as the second hour pulled in 4.72 million viewers. The third hour dropped slightly to 4.70 million viewers.

Overall on Monday night, Raw's second hour helped WWE rank number two in the Top 50 cable television ratings. 

My Quick Take:

This drop in the ratings department should come as no shock for the WWE. The 1,000th show not only was watched by casual wrestling fans, but also people who remember Raw when it all began. It was indeed a special night and deserved a high ratings for the show's amazing accomplishments.

Raw performed pretty well in hour two and three of the program. The first hour, however, had the lowest ratings. But WWE presented a good enough show to keep fans from leaving, and gained viewership as the show continued. 

With Monday Night Football on the horizon, WWE's programming may suffer greatly in the ratings department. The first hour gives Raw a slight chance to keep some viewers around if the show looks intriguing to watch.

It will be interesting to see next week's first hour results.