WWE: Has Monday Night Raw Hit Rock Bottom After Viewership Dip?

Despite extremely harsh competition on cable television Monday night, WWE Raw could have been much worse.

Nevertheless, WWE suffered a terrible night, as Raw plummeted in viewership on Monday (via TV By the Numbers).

WWE Monday Night Raw began on a weak note, as the show opened with 3.57 million viewers. Its second hour increased slightly to 3.65 million viewers. However, in what has been a trend on Monday nights, Raw dipped in its third hour with 3.43 million viewers.

Overall, in Adults 18-49, Monday Night Raw's first hour notched in a 1.3 rating share. It's second and third hour did slightly better with a 1.4 rating result. On cable television's Top 50 list, Raw dropped lower.

Meanwhile, NFL Monday Night Football earned the No. 1 spot on cable television with 10.66 million viewers and earning a 4.5 rating share in Adults 18-49. However, the biggest event on Monday night was the Presidential debate, which notched in 59.2 million viewers.

Another tough week for the WWE:

The picture could not be any more clear. WWE is in its worst stages in years with Monday Night Raw. Why? Not only has Raw become so dragged out with being live for three hours and its overall product is failing, but also the fact that television competition has been tough this fall season.

It is also clear that viewers are just not interested in Raw's product and tune out after the second hour. After this week's viewership numbers, it should raise plenty of attention in the WWE that its third hour has been struggling. The third hour plummeting in viewers shows that there is not enough interest in the current product and what will happen during the final moments of Raw. Instead, viewers are switching channels or simply watching two hours of Raw.

Has Raw hit rock bottom after this week's viewership totals? One thing is for certain: it could have been a bigger disaster for the WWE. Instead, Raw was somehow able to survive, but do not expect any better results throughout the fall season with the tough competition on cable television.