WWE Raw ratings (May 18, 2015): Viewers up for Stephanie McMahon return, Kevin Owens debut

Considering the fact that WWE has been in a spring slump, the expectation was that the last night's episode of Monday Night Raw may not be at peak levels for a fallout show from a pay-per-view (PPV). To combat that, the company loaded it up by promoting three title matches and delivering big surprises.

It paid off.

This week's episode got all the way up to an average of 3.99 million viewers for all three hours, up big from the 3.69 million the show drew last week. It's the highest number for WWE's flagship program in the past month and finally back around normal levels for this time of year.

Here's the hourly breakdown:

Hour one: 4.00 million
Hour two: 4.00 million
Hour three: 3.99 million

It's also encouraging that Raw retained its viewership throughout the program. Stephanie McMahon making her return, Kevin Owens making his main roster WWE debut, and all the fallout from the Payback event -- plus the three promoted title matches and build to Elimination Chamber -- proved to be a winning formula.

For complete results and the live blog from Raw click here. For a recap with reactions to all the night's events click here. To watch highlights of the show click here.