Raw Rating: Superstar Shake-up viewership compared to Raw, key metrics compared to past years

Last night’s “Superstar Shake-up” episode of WWE Raw drew a 1.88 rating, down from last week’s post-WrestleMania 2.02, and above the two ratings leading into WrestleMania of 1.80 and 1.80. It’s below the March average of 1.92 and in line with the February average of 1.88.

The first hour drew 2.760 million viewers, 2.690 million in the second hour, and 2.546 in the third hour. That’s a first-to-third hour drop-off of just 214,000, about half or the average so far this year of 408,000. The hook regarding the mystery partner for Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in the main event likely held viewers longer along with the revealing of more roster moves.

The more alarming stat is that 1.88 is well below last year’s 2.47 rating this week and 2.26 from two years ago.

As is usual this time of year, WWE faced competition from NBA and NHL playoff games. The Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets game on TNT  that went head-to-head with Raw drew 2.846 million and drew a 1.1 rating in the key 18-49 demo to take the no. 1 spot in the cable rankings. The Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors that overlapped the last 20 minutes of Raw drew 2.771 million viewers and drew a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demo. Raw’s three hours landed in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th spot in the 18-49 demo rankings, although three cables news shows on Fox News and MSNBC had more viewers overall than Raw and the NBA games.

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