Raw Rating: Jump in viewership, but big dropoff as the show progressed, key metrics and perspective (w/Keller’s Analysis)

Last night’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw on USA Network drew a 2.14 rating among live and same-night-DVR viewers, the highest rating since Aug. 28 before Monday Night Football season began. It was above the 2017 average of 2.09 and well above the ten-week rolling average of 1.978.

The first hour drew 3.26 million viewers, then second hour drew 3.06 million, and the third hour drew 2.769 million viewers. The dropoff from the first to the third hour was 493,000, well above the yearly average of 245,000 and above last week’s dropoff of 305,000.  The first hour viewership beat the last two weeks, but fell short of three weeks ago. It is the second highest first hour viewership of the fall, and among the best since WrestleMania season (only five shows since the Apr. 17 show have drawn a better first hour viewership number).

Keller’s Analysis: That’s a pretty steady dropoff hour by hour, which has to be disappointing to WWE amidst the celebration of an otherwise really strong rating this season. With The Shield wrestling at the top of the third hour against Miz & Co., and with a Braun Strowman vs. Kane main event, it seems as if the third hour would have held viewership better than average. Maybe the Jason Jordan segment was so dreadful it turned off, or the intrigue of Samoa Joe and Finn Balor teaming without any buildup for their opponents, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, worked against viewer interest.