WWE Raw Ratings Tumble to Historic Low Ahead of Extreme Rules PPV
With The Horror Show at Extreme Rules on Sunday, the go-home edition of Raw averaged 1.561 million fans on Monday night, according to Showbuzz Daily.
That represents a decrease over the July 6 edition, which drew 1.687 million viewers for the second-lowest rating in program history. Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton noted Monday's number is the worst-ever for Raw.
Drew McIntyre is defending the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler at Extreme Rules. They had one final exchange before their match to open Raw.
The stipulation for McIntyre vs. Ziggler remains unclear, so whatever advantage The Scottish Psychopath has as the reigning champion could be nonexistent by the time the bell rings. Ziggler is the clear underdog, but his continued gamesmanship over the stipulation might be just what he needs to spring the upset.
In Raw's main event, Sasha Banks and Bayley successfully defended the Women's Tag Team Championship against The Kabuki Warriors. Banks countered an attempted sliding forearm by Kairi Sane into the Bank Statement for the victory.
The result bodes well for the pair when it comes to Sunday's event.
Bayley is putting the SmackDown women's title on the line against Nikki Cross, while Banks is challenging Asuka for the Raw women's title. By the time The Horror Show at Extreme Rules is over, they could reign supreme over the women's division.
Staying in the division, Shayna Baszler appeared on Raw for the first time since defeating Natalya on May 18. The Queen of Spades didn't wrestle, yet made it clear she's ready to lay waste to the competition.
Baszler's return couldn't come at a better time for Raw, which is struggling to compensate for the absence of Becky Lynch after she announced her pregnancy.
During her 416-day reign as the NXT women's champion, Baszler was the most dominant wrestler across WWE and NXT. Although she's not on Sunday's card, her presence will loom large over Banks' encounter with Asuka.
Whoever comes out as the winner in that match will likely be on a collision course with Baszler.
When the show resumes next week, the landscape on Raw could look very different. Perhaps the fallout from The Horror Show at Extreme Rules could provide a much-needed bump in ratings, too.
