By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

WWE Raw on Monday, May 6 dropped to a 2.9 flat rating, down nearly two-tenths of a rating from last week's show. It was the lowest rating of the year.

Raw has steadily dropped off the last three weeks - 3.14 rating, 3.07 rating, and 2.90 rating, officially putting WWE in post-WrestleMania Lull Season.

- Raw averaged 3.91 million viewers, marking the first show of the year to dip below four-million-viewers.

Hourly Break Down: 3.96 million first hour viewers, dismal 3.87 million second hour viewers, and 3.91 million third hour viewers. It was the first time this year than any hour of Raw dipped below four-million-viewers.

The only bright point is the end of Raw's streak of third-hour viewership declining from the second hour. However, the second hour was off 500,000 viewers from last week and nearly one million viewers from two weeks ago.

- On cable TV Monday night, Raw ranked #2 in overall viewers and key male demos behind the NBA Playoffs on TNT.

- One year ago this week, Raw scored a 3.03 rating and averaged 4.31 million viewers for a two-hour show. This year's key male demos are way off, ranging from a dip of three-tenths of a rating to five-tenths of a rating.

Caldwell's Analysis: There just isn't a whole lot going for Raw after WrestleMania right now. The extended gap from Mania to Extreme Rules is necessary if WWE wants to sell more PPVs, but it's hurting the TV product with WWE stretching to fill three hours of TV without a PPV to lead into or follow up on. Raw was definitely hurt by the head-to-head NBA Playoffs game staying very competitive until the end featuring the star-driven Miami Heat and the big-wrestling-market Chicago Bulls.

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