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Christmas Eve Raw Rating Comes In As Lowest In 15 Years

Richard Gray December 28, 2012 WWE News 24 Comments

We noted earlier the Christmas Eve episode of WWE Raw only did an average viewership of 3,143,0000 viewers, the show ended up doing a 2.2 cable rating on the USA Network. The number was abysmal, the lowest in 15 years, however, not much was expected given the show aired from tape on a major holiday.

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About The Author

Richard Gray

Richard Gray is the owner and editor of WrestlingNewsWorld.com. Covering the professional wrestling business since 1999, Richard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from West Virginia University. He is also the owner of Gray Internet Technologies, LLC. and should be contacted with all business matters. You can friend him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. Email him directly at [email protected].

john rega

As an older fan its getting really hard to watch especially with the story angles and how terrible the superstar holiday song was. Im an adult not a child and the audience they are doing it for is in bed way before the show is over. I went a month without watching and that was hard being that I have never missed an episode in 20 years.

R.I.P. WWE
- Ken
  
  I feel your pain, my friend. I feel your pain.
  I'm 33, English, and I've been watching wrestling in one form or another for, well, about 33 years. My dad's a huge fan and my grandma was one of those women who'd watch it live, sit in the front row, and rush to the ring to hit the heel talent with her handbag during matches (back in the days before safety rails).
  Admittedly I can't remember stuff from before I was seven or so but it's still a long time.
  I wish I had your determination and willpower to go for a month without watching. Alas I have an OCD approach to television, whether it's wrestling or any other show I watch.
  I don't miss episodes.
  Ever.
  Never.
  …
- saytoomuch
  
  if u want a wrestlin show on tv meant 4 adults, y not watch tna?? wwe is aimin 4 kids age 3-11. i don’t see y adults still watch the show n complain when the content is clearly geared towards kids. u really think santino wit a cobra puppet on his hand is meant 4 grown men 2 laugh @?
Ricky

Raw needs to go back to 2 hours or WWE will go the WCW route all the way to the grave.
- David
  
  I think people misunderstand why WCW went out of business. It wasn't bad ratings or anything like that. They went out of business because when AOL purchased Time Warner, Ted Turner eventually lost his power. Without Ted Turner, WCW had owner who didn't want them, so they cut them. I don't think Vince McMahon or Triple H & Stephanie McMahon are going to stop wanting the WWE. Also, I don't think the WWE wrestlers have the contracts like Hulk Hogan had or Lanny Poffo (who was payed 6 figures but never used).
Spike westphal

What do you expect who would watch raw on Christmas eve
- khalkaroth
  
  These 3 143 000 peoples? XD
Wwe4L76

Wwe sucks
Patrick_OToole

Is this the lowest Raw rating or the lowest Christmas Eve rating in 15 years?
Yanman

I agree 100% with Rega. Wrestling as a whole is no longer ‘must see’. Monday’s used to be a big deal for me and my friends but now it’s like “eh, I’ll catch it on YouTube at some point.” It’s the lack of competition that’s hurting wrestling as a whole. Now I appreciate WCW so much more now that it’s gone. It made WWF/E bring it most every show. The old ECW was a great ‘underground’ type show. Sports Entertainment is different from real Sports (NFL,NBA,MLB) in that it isn’t real so it needs competition to thrive where real sports compete with themselves in a sense. Reality creates it’s own storylines. Wrestling needs competition.
Locus

Well to be honest you gotta compare it with raw ratings from last year in the xmas season. As far as the low ratings go well vince was expecting that for going 3 hours. And as fas as the PG storylines go well god help wwe because they will run their self into the ground!
Michael

I watched it, wish I didn't, it came across really corny
skidmark

Just like the Tribute to the troops. If all you're gonna do is face wins, stupid storylines AND pre-tape it so we can all see what's coming, don't expect anyone to watch. Although, with the road to WM coming I wouldn't expect the low-ratings trend to continue. Especially if they manage to put together matches with Rock, Brock, and Austin.
Andy

the whole “FOR SANTA!!” john cena speech probs made most people turn off, i almost did
Bad Boy

This is sad each week it’s getting harder to watch like honestly I don’t care about PG anymore I don’t even care about blood ban I just want the show to have better story like it did. The story angles are really boring these days. If they showed this when I was 12 I wouldn’t be watching wwe by now.. Wwe if your reading my comment please be more creative before the fans and ratings decrease.
Robert

Its too aimed at children instead of adults and ill say it again why would you oay for the channel to watch raw when you can download it on the net for free?
Nicki

If y’all don’t like wwe then dOnt watch period. People are sick and tired of fucking sites like this putting down wwe. If sites like y’all don’t like it then stfu and don’t say anything about them or there workers on here. Wwe could care less what y’all say or think about them. Fucking idiots
- bejealous
  
  Chill out mark
- Snap
  
  People are more than allowed to voice their opinions, positive or negative, of the current WWE product so long as those opinions are intelligently presented. Look back over the comments, there was only one comment which specifically badmouthed WWE and it received negative feedback.
  
  One does not need to blindly lap up what WWE dishes out, enjoy it and beg for more. We, as an audience, have the right to tell WWE that we don't like what we are seeing. Insulting people because they voice their opinion in the way that you have is NOT presenting your argument in an intelligent manner.
  
  Do you know why people keep voicing their criticism of WWE? It's because they're passionate about WWE and don't want to see it limp along in mediocrity, only waking up for WrestleMania season. They want to tune in the WWE programming and actually enjoy it again. So, while you say WWE could care less what we say, they SHOULD listen to the criticism as much as the praise, because they have shareholders to answer to and ratings plummeting because of a lackluster product ISN'T profitable.
  - http://www.phenomforever.com Mayank S
    
    Well said. I for one, have stopped watching a couple of years ago. Just wait each year for Wrestlemania to see Taker's match and presence.
christopher525

Nobody cares about the "holiday" episode of either show each year. It's completely out of character, so instead of doing that show, they could either go ahead and just do a clip show. People aren't paying attention, they're busy with family, so why put the effort into a contrived show, that nobody cares about, or wants to watch. On the flip side, I would find a way to finagle the New Years Eve slot for Raw and would have done a live show, but move it back an hour and a half, so they could run up TO and through midnight, highlighting some of your best workers,
Felisha

The angle of A.J. and The Show Stopper is ridicules. My 8 year old will turn the station or mute it out when they come out.
PFElton

Holidays used to not be an excuse for ratings. Now everything is an excuse. Monday Night Football. Phony "Reality" show X on MTV. Silly competition show on ABC/NBC/CBS. Holiday. Raining. X Wrestler wasn't there.
H.M.

I missed the episode after reading the Raw taping results. Who would sit for 3 hours through that rubbish? My resolve was only re-affirmed after watching the opening Christmas video + opening segment. I don't celebrate Xmas by the way, as it's contrary to my beliefs, but the fact is that this was the first Raw I willingly decided NOT to even DVR…ever.

2.2 is abysmal for sure. Holidays are no excuse; WWE's been in that situation before. Perhaps if you could show a ratings archive of all the Raw's in the past around this time of year Richard?