WWE TV Ratings Woes Continue As ‘Raw’ And ‘Smackdown Live’ Draw Historically Low Numbers

WWE television ratings in 2018 have seen steady declines, with both Raw and Smackdown Live hitting new viewership lows this year.

The downward trend of WWE’s viewership numbers continued this week, as we draw closer to the end of 2018 and the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV, which tends to re-ignite WWE from a story line standpoint as the company hits the road to WrestleMania.

According to ShowBuzz Daily, this week’s episode of WWE Raw averaged 2.286 million viewers, which is a new low for the red brand in the modern era. This week’s number is down from last week’s viewership average by nearly 4%.

As for WWE Smackdown Live, the Tuesday night show also hit a new viewership low, taking in only 1.948 million viewers. This week’s number is not only down from last week’s viewership average, but is also the least watched episode of the show in the history of the blue brand.

This week’s WWE Smackdown Live was heavily promoted ahead of time, as WWE advertised the contract signing for the Smackdown Women’s Title match at TLC and the MizTV segment featuring special guest Daniel Bryan ahead of time.

As for Raw this week, the show featured more screen-time dominance from acting GM Baron Corbin, who could become the permanent General Manager of the show if he is able to defeat Braun Strowman at WWE TLC.

With Roman Reigns’ departure from WWE TV due to his current battle against leukemia, Braun Strowman temporarily sidelined following elbow surgery, and top stars Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch relegated to non-physical roles on TV due to injuries, it appears as if WWE is in desperate need of top star power to help improve TV ratings heading into the new year. As The Floor Seat recently reported, Bliss, Lynch and Strowman are expected to return to the ring in the coming weeks, with WWE officials remaining hopeful that both Lynch and Strowman will be cleared in-time for their respective matches at TLC.