Raw Rating: Day after Rumble rating with the Rousey buzz draws third biggest rating of the last 52 week, key metrics (w/Keller’s Analysis)

The Jan. 29 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw on USA Network drew a 2.37 rating, way down from the 3.01 rating that the Raw 25th Anniversary episode drew the week before. This week’s rating is the highest, other than Raw 25, since the Apr. 3 episode last year.

The dropoff from the first to the third hour was 601,000, which is right in range with the 656,000 dropoff last week and the 759,000 and 491,000 the previous two weeks. The average dropoff in 2017 was 284,000.

The ten-week rolling average headed into this week was 2.069, but before the Raw 25 ratings boost, it was 1.98, so this post-Rumble rating is well above average.

One year ago, the post-Rumble edition drew a 2.49 rating, better than this year’s 2.37, despite this year having the media buzz of Ronda Rousey’s signing and appearance the night before.

Keller’s Analysis: WWE can get another ratings boost from advertising the first Raw appearance of Ronda Rousey, if they choose to plan ahead and built it up for a week or two. Otherwise, my expectation is the ratings will drop back down the 2.00, give or take, range. Despite this being the third-highest rating in the last 52 weeks, I’d consider this rating slightly disappointing, all things considered, coming the day after the Rumble, the week after Raw 25’s massive ratings jump, and the Rousey news.