WWE Raw Tops Cable Ratings As Triple H Era Stays Hot

WWE Raw garnered 1.978 million viewers for last night’s broadcast, up 1% from last week’s viewership as Raw continues to hover in the two-million-viewer range in the McMahon-Helmsley regime. Raw was No. 1 on cable, and No. 2 in broadcast primetime ratings behind The Bachelorette.

Viewers remain intrigued by WWE’s ongoing changes in the “Triple H era” following the July 22 retirement/resignation of Vince McMahon. In a surprise ending to McMahon’s decades-long stronghold on the WWE product, Paul “Triple H” Levesque was subsequently named WWE’s new head of creative. The final Raw broadcast under McMahon garnered 1.765 million viewers. Since then, Raw has drawn no less than 1.9 million viewers in four consecutive weeks.

The August 1, 2022 broadcast of Raw exploded with 2.230 million viewers, Raw’s highest number in two years. With SummerSlam complete, that broadcast served as the first official Raw under the new regime with a clean slate. WWE Raw has continued to maintain the majority of its influx of new viewers under a new direction.

“RAW produces again. Drew/KO. Lashley/A.J and Theory/Ziggler P.P.V worthy matches. Little things where guys are holding onto the ropes on the apron keep the action going and intensity high. This HHH guy seems to have a incredible grasp on this WRESTLING GAME. Keep bringing it!” wrote Kevin Nash about Monday’s broadcast.

Last night’s Raw was highlighted by a fiery promo exchange and match between Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens. Owens joined the growing list of contenders for Roman Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, something that has been missing throughout a dominant run that has seen Reigns essentially clean out the division. In recent weeks, however, McIntyre, Owens, Seth Rollins, Karrion Kross and Money in the Bank winner Theory have emerged as potential threats to Reigns.

Raw’s cable-topping numbers come on the heels of WWE touting record-setting revenues of $328.2 million in Q2 2022, up 24%.

“Our strong financial performance was primarily driven by our return to a full live event schedule and our consumer products business,” said WWE Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Frank Riddick. “These items more than offset an increase in production, content-related, and other expenses.”

WWE also touted viewership for its Premium Live Events (PLEs) during the quarter.

“WrestleMania, as well as our other [PLEs] including WrestleMania Backlash, Hell in a Cell, Money in the Bank, and SummerSlam all delivered record viewership for their respective events,” the report continued. WrestleMania, WrestleMania Backlash and Hell in a Cell were up 60%, 49% and 45%, respectively.

Of course, the news wasn’t all rosy coming out of an otherwise successful Q2 2022 earnings report. SEC filings cited material weaknesses in WWE’s commitment to integrity and ethical values stemming from Vince McMahon’s internal investigation.

“Our management is committed to remediating identified control deficiencies (including both those that rise to the level of a material weakness and those that do not), fostering continuous improvement in our internal controls and enhancing our overall internal controls environment,” read a statement from WWE in response to these findings.

The curiosity factor of a new WWE will not last forever, however the new regime can build on this curiosity by consistently delivering quality programming. By relaxing edicts on banned terms, bringing back popular talent from the NXT Black and Gold era and emphasizing fresh matchups, Triple H and co. are well on their way to delivering on his promise to give fans the best product possible.