SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
The Dec. 10 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw drew a 1.58 rating, lowest of all-time, on USA Network among live and same-night-DVR viewers. The third hour drew a new record low viewership of 2.048. It drew a then-record-low rating of 1.61 last week. Raw is down from a 1.95 rating just over three months ago on Sept. 3 and a 1.87 on Sept. 10.
One year ago, Raw drew a 1.97 on Sept. 13 and a 1.96 on Dec. 4. Two years ago, the Sept. 12 show drew a 1.88 rating and the DEc. 12 episode drew a 1.94 rating, In other words, this is not a typical seasonal trend.
A rating is a percentage of homes with access to Raw on cable/satellite, so comparisons to past years in that respect is relevant and has nothing to do with cord-cutting trends.
Raw opened with 2.347 million hours in the first hour, 2.186 million in the second hour, and 2.048 in the third hour. The first-hour viewership was actually a bit higher than last week, but still the second-lowest ever, but the TLC main event didn’t hold enough viewers to prevent the record low rating.
Raw’s three hours finished in the top ten of cable ratings among the 18-49 demographic with spots 5, 6, and 7 behind only ESPN’s NFL coverage and VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop.” In total viewers, it was behind only ESPN’s NFL coverage and MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow Show” which drew 3.117 million total viewers.
Ex-WWE Creative Team member Jimmy Jacobs wrote: “Writing a 3 hour wrestling TV show every single week is f—in’ hard.”
Writing a 3 hour wrestling tv show every single week is fuckin hard. https://t.co/ohGZXBAJkx
— The Zombie Princess (@JimmyJacobsX) December 12, 2018
Seth Rollins, who wrestled in the main event against Baron Corbin in a TLC showcase match that lasted 25 minutes, reacted on Twitter to what Jacobs wrote. “That’s the one thing I don’t think people understand,” he wrote.” Five hours of live TV every week. EVERY WEEK. Add in all the extraneous variables that affect the final outcome… and it’s a modern miracle that the shows come together as well as they do.”
That’s the one thing I don’t think people understand. 5 hours of live TV every week. EVERY WEEK. Add in all the extraneous variables that affect the final outcome….and it’s a modern miracle that the shows come together as well as they do.
— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) December 12, 2018
Ex-WWE Creative Team member Tom Casiello wrote on Twitter that fans don’t have to like what they see, but defended the writers for working hard even if the product isn’t in the end what everyone hopes for.
Oh, I agree. I’m not saying fans have to like what they’re see, or that they cant be critical. Be as critical as you want. But you can say you don’t like a story decision without dismissing a person’s hard work. Especially when you have zero clue what their job actually entails.
— Tom Casiello (@tommiecas) December 12, 2018
Casiello also noted that writing every week without a break is part of the challenge of keeping the quality of the show as high as it could be otherwise. “WWE was the MOST CHALLENGING job of my career and I learned more about writing there than anywhere else.
When I left soaps, other writers said “wrestling should be a breeze after this”. I wrote an hour of scripted TV in 3 days, 50 wks/yr for 12 years. How tough could this be?
WWE was the MOST CHALLENGING job of my career and I learned more about writing there, than anywhere else. https://t.co/OVN83xnCYy
— Tom Casiello (@tommiecas) December 12, 2018
Kudos to this person for coming up with 16 segs of Raw one time from the comfort of their living room with no one to answer to. Sounds like a fun couple hours. The rest of us? We had a job to do. (Pun fully intended. 😁)
— Tom Casiello (@tommiecas) December 12, 2018