PWTorch.com - WWE NEWS: Raw TV ratings are in - Monday's show falls nearly 25 percent, plus historical look at second Raw post-Mania vs. NCAA Title game

WWE News
WWE NEWS: Raw TV ratings are in - Monday's show falls nearly 25 percent, plus historical look at second Raw post-Mania vs. NCAA Title game

Apr 8, 2015 - 3:16:04 PM

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By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

WWE Raw TV Ratings

-- April 6: Monday's Raw fell to a 2.81 rating the week after drawing a one-year-high 3.68 rating for the post-WrestleMania Raw. {TV Viewership Reported HERE.)

The 24 percent decline is the biggest one-week drop-off since December 2012 when a Christmas Eve Raw also fell 24 percent following the Slammys.

The only other similar instances in the last seven years have been on holidays - Fourth of July 2011 fell 23 percent from the previous Raw and Christmas Eve Raw 2007 fell 28 percent.

There is precedent for a big drop-off two shows removed from WrestleMania. This is usually when WrestleMania falls in March and the second Raw after Mania is up against the NCAA Tournament Finals, which was the case this year. However, this year's drop-off was more pronounced than the previous two instances.

WrestleManias in March - last 7 years

- WM31: March 29, 2015
Post-Raw: 3.68 rating (03/30/15)
2Post-Raw: 2.81 rating (04/06/15 vs. National Title game)
Decline: 24 percent

- WM26: March 28, 2010
Post-Raw: 3.66 rating (03/29/10)
2Post-Raw: 3.15 rating (04/05/10 vs. National Title game)
Decline: 14 percent

- WM24: March 30, 2008
Post-Raw: 3.92 rating (03/31/08 for Ric Flair's retirement)
2Post-Raw: 3.32 rating (04/07/08 vs. National Title game)
Decline: 15 percent

Caldwell's Analysis: Brock Lesnar giveth and Brock Lesnar taketh away. Lesnar gave WWE a major boost during WrestleMania Week when he announced his decision to re-sign with WWE on SportsCenter two weeks ago. A sense of optimism carried over to WrestleMania, which was viewed very favorably, and the follow-up Raw, which included a very strong first-half of of the show centered on Lesnar, but tapered off at the end once Lesnar exited. Then, this week's show seemed to lack energy and a spark, which Lesnar provided in one TV interview. If WWE is going to avoid a weekly occurrence of 2.8-2.9 ratings (or lower) in the post-WrestleMania Season, they have to find a way to re-create energy for Raw to draw people in. Lesnar's presence cannot be duplicated, so it will require a collective effort.