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There's a certain segment of the pro wrestling fanbase who couldn't care less about television ratings. And while I can understand why that might be the case, we know WWE often makes knee jerk decisions based solely on the numbers they get back from Nielson.
That alone makes them important.
So let's look at the numbers from this past week's episode of Monday Night Raw, featuring the Slammy Awards gimmick show:
- After the opening saw a gain of 130,000 viewers for Eve vs. Kaitlyn and the return of the New Age Outlaws, Kofi Kingston vs. Tensai and the presentation of the "Kiss of the Year" award lost 28,000 viewers. Even worse, Great Khali vs. David Otunga lost 328,000 more.
- Ric Flair's return and segment with John Cena and CM Punk gained 605,000 viewers, a strong number for the 9 p.m. ET time slot. Oddly, though, by the time Flair, Team Hell No, and Ryback had brawled with The Shield, the show had lost 588,000 viewers, though that also includes the Brodus Clay vs. JTG match.
- Santino Marella's comedy schtick on Tensai and Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes gained 147,000 viewers right after. Then, Sheamus beating up Big Show and Dolph Ziggler teasing the Money in the Bank cash-in before John Cena ruined it gained another 122,000 viewers.
- Then, disaster. Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, and Tommy Dreamer vs. 3MB managed to lose 502,000 viewers for the 10 p.m. ET slot that used to always gain. Granted, that's surely partially because of the three hour switch but even after they weren't losing viewers like this. Del Rio and Miz, wow.
- Ryback vs. Antonio Cesaro and Triple H's return to accept the "Match of the Year" award only gained 113,000 viewers, a disappointment after that big loss.
- Finally, John Cena and Vickie Guerrero vs. Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee gained 510,000 viewers for the show close, which is about as good as can be expected anymore.
The fact that Del Rio and Miz were in the 10 p.m. slot and lost that many viewers is astonishing to me, though it probably shouldn't be. This is what happens when uninteresting characters are booked poorly and Dreamer, while a good nostalgia act, isn't going to move the needle.
What's your take on all this?