Total Divas' Ratings Take a Hit

WWE reality show Total Divas took a major hit in the ratings on Sunday night.

As ratings website TV by the Numbers reports, the most recent episode garnered a mediocre 1.09 million viewers and a 0.5 in the all-important 18-49 demographic. That's down considerably from last week's 1.52 million viewers and 0.8 18-49 number.

That makes the episode, which was called a "A Leg Up" and revolved around Nikki Bella's shin injury, the lowest-rated edition of the show this season. 

Why was this? Well, the obvious answer is tough competition from ratings juggernaut, the NFL. Alas, this is something Raw may also be learning a thing or two about in the near-future.

The fact that Total Divas' highly rated lead-in, Keeping up with the Kardashians, took the week off has to be an issue as well—maybe the main issue, when you consider that a female-targeted program like Total Divas can't have that much of a crossover with NFL games.

Certainly, Keeping up with the Kardashians is the best lead-in Total Divas could have hoped for.

The two shows are similar. When viewers finish watching one hour of beautiful women shopping, backstabbing each other and worrying about their weight, they usually feel like seeing another hour of beautiful women shopping, backstabbing each other and worrying about their weight.

Look for Natalya to file for divorce from Tyson Kidd after just 72 days of marriage, too.

Of course, this recent rating also raises the daunting question of whether Total Divas can only be a success if it has a great lead-in.

Wrestling fans may be watching it but not in huge numbers. It also doesn't help that the cast, with the exception of Ariane and her crazy boyfriend Vincent, aren't the over-the-top characters that reality shows usually need to thrive.

It's possible, too, that the novelty may have worn off. Sure, Nikki freaking out about something or other and John Cena having to calm her down may have been moderately amusing the first time we saw it, but after that?

And does anyone really care how Eva Marie's modeling career is going? The girl has about as much personality as a goldfish.

Just how much of a shelf-life does this show have?