WWE Raw Ratings Drop from 2.4M to 2.168M Viewers over a Week After Royal Rumble

A little over a week removed from the Royal Rumble, WWE Raw averaged 2.168 million viewers Monday night, according to Cultaholic's Justin Henry.

The Jan. 27 edition of Raw drew 2.402 million viewers as fans were eager to see the fallout from one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year. A dip was to be expected as things go back to normal a bit on the road to WrestleMania 36.

There were early doubts as to whether Raw would happen at all. The show emanated from Salt Lake City, which was experiencing a major snowstorm. Local officials told people to stay off the roads.

WWE opted to broadcast Raw as planned.

Raw closed last week with Randy Orton's brutal attack on Edge, who had returned to the ring at the Royal Rumble following an almost nine-year absence.

The Viper was supposed to address his actions Monday but offered no explanation. After contemplating what to say for a few minutes, he simply exited and walked to the back.

Elsewhere, a few developments arose in the women's division.

Becky Lynch accepted Asuka's challenge for the Raw Women's Championship.

NXT champion Rhea Ripley arrived to confront Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair, who's guaranteed a title shot at WrestleMania. Ripley won a Triple Threat match against Flair and Sasha Banks on the Nov. 22 edition of SmackDown and was a member of Team NXT when it defeated Team Raw and Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.

Ruby Riott also came back and attacked former Riott Squad stablemate Liv Morgan.

WWE is traveling to Saudi Arabia for its second installment of Super ShowDown on Feb. 27.

Monday's main event was a battle to determine the No. 1 contender for WWE champion Brock Lesnar. Ricochet was victorious over Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley but quickly realized what a battle with The Beast Incarnate entails.

Lesnar vs. Ricochet sets up an interesting clash of styles, a formula that has worked when Lesnar wrestled Finn Balor and Daniel Bryan. Even if he ultimately comes out on the losing end, Ricochet can come out looking strong if he pushes the champ to the limit.