Raw 1/7 is Enormous Success

[Todd]

The figures are in for the 1/7 Raw and it's very good news for WWE. Despite directly opposing the BCS Championship game, they managed an average viewership 4.42m, the highest average viewership since the 8/27 show. Hour one drew 4.29m, the highest hour one since the post-Hell in a Cell show. Hour two drew 4.32m - this is fantastic for WWE because the game was well under way and still competitive at this point, they would not have expected a rise on hour one. Hour three (helped by the fact that the game was a blow-out) drew a 4.65, the first hour three to have the highest average viewership of the show since it went to three hours. It was also the highest hour three since the second three-hour show on 7/30.

For ratings figures to be higher than they have been in months, across the board, while opposing a college football game that by all accounts draws the same audience as wrestling and drew a 14.0 rating, this show is an unbelievable success for WWE. They now have a platform to build from with the 20th Anniversary next week. These are exciting times.

[The Champ]

Not exactly surprising that The Rock drew, but still impressive considering their competition.

[JoMo]

Great, besides the jobbing matches with 3MB it was a fantastic show!

[C-enation]

is there an average rating number? not in millions...
great numbers, Rock's return acomplished exactly what vince wanted to acomplish

[Djm]

If I may inject of a bit cynicism.

It's just about Wrestlemania Season, which is known as the one part of the year where WWE really, really tries really hard to put on the best shows possible. It's nice to see that it is coming in returns.

I just worry what will they do when Rock isn't around, if that even matters anymore. I don't think it does.

[milopo]

I'm giving the credit to Cesaro and Khali.

[SM]

Hopefully, the ratings can stay at this level or go up from here till atleat Wrestlemania.

[Steeda90GT]

Great news, but it's not a shocker considering The Rock was there.

[Jack Nichols]

The numbers probably could have been better if they didn't hold off on Rock until 10:58.

[JoMo]

I'll give The Rock props for most of this weeks ratings. However, a TLC match between Ryback and CM Punk has been advertised and hyped for quite a while. I'd like to think that match helped bring in some viewers who usually flip channels or skip parts of the show.

[Crippler]

Shite. This means that they'll think three hours works.

[The Champ]

Shite. This means that they'll think three hours works.

They weren't going to change it back anyway.

[Falcone]

Good show. It also goes to show the merit of hyping shit up well in advance instead of announcing everything the night the show airs.

[Djm]

Good show. It also goes to show the merit of hyping shit up well in advance instead of announcing everything the night the show airs.

Do you think that includes Smackdown Spoilers?

[Falcone]

I didn't say hyping up results.

They hyped up the 1 Hour Ironman Match against HHH & Benoit 2 weeks in advance, they gave fans time to get pumped, and IIRC, it paid off. It's a practice that they did all the way back in the golden days, and only abandoned around 2006/2007 where they decided that hyping stuff up in advance was overrated.

Hell, they hyped up the TLC Match on RAW in advance, so it shows a return to form.

[bootrick]

This is great news this is the second raw I watched since they went to three hours and I really liked the show it started off great with cena and dolf then had a great flow from there. Maybe this combined with the wrestlmania ratings from last year will finally shut the rock haters up. I cant wait to see how high the wwe can rise once the rock is the champ.

[Blindy]

WWE were lucky the National Title game was so lobsided and unwatchable(It was at times unwatchable for me as a huge Irish fan). If the game was anything close or epic, the ratings would take a hit.

[Mercury]

And that, my friends, is the power of the Great One.

[Blindy]

And that, my friends, is the power of the Great One.

More so he was fortunate to be in hour 3 and not hour 1. If he was put head to head with the ND/ALA game when it was in the 1st quarter, the ratings would not have shown Rock to have mattered. It was smart and kinda lucky on the WWE's part to save Rock for the very end rather than start the show with him or the 2nd hour with him.

Hence why the ratings built hour to hour with the 3rd hour being the best of the best since the game was clearly out of reach.

[Benson]

Crippler they aren't going to change it back anywyas because the first hour of Raw does much better than the shows they were airing at the 8PM hour and that's what matters most to USA.

[Krimzon]

MASSIVE success here. It wasn't just Rock, as the entire show had this huge feel to it. Starting off with Cena/Ziggler set the tone. They followed it with solid filler until the TLC Match, which was also a big drawing point. Then, the moment everybody was waiting for: the first Punk/Rock promo. Easily the most enjoyable RAW in a long while and I'm glad it showed in the ratings. This is one of the few times where the 3rd hour didn't drag the show down and actually being the most watched hour.

[Todd]

Regardless of how fortunate Rock was to be put on the last segment, the overall show viewership is the most impressive thing. The BCS game did an average 26.38m viewers and plays to the same demographic as wrestling, yet this show managed to beat out the vast majority of three-hour Raws.

[Mercury]

MASSIVE success here. It wasn't just Rock, as the entire show had this huge feel to it. Starting off with Cena/Ziggler set the tone. They followed it with solid filler until the TLC Match, which was also a big drawing point. Then, the moment everybody was waiting for: the first Punk/Rock promo. Easily the most enjoyable RAW in a long while and I'm glad it showed in the ratings. This is one of the few times where the 3rd hour didn't drag the show down and actually being the most watched hour.

It was The Rock, the anticipation/buzz of The Rock's return, and in some part Punk/Ryback TLC. Raw ratings have been consistently bad for a pretty long time. It would take an extraordinary event for the ratings to suddenly jump so significantly, especially against the college football championship. All I'm saying is that Rock is a major numbers mover, and with such a major jump in ratings, especially considering that the championship game was competing, that really can't be stressed enough.

[Vince Mcmahon]

Good stuff for what some call a free per view telecast on Monday

[The Main Event]

They weren't going to change it back anyway.

This. 3 hours of Raw still out-draw NCIS reruns in consecutive hour number 6.