Raw rating down

[Guest bob_barron]

From 411-

WWE RAW scored a very low 3.7 rating this week with a 5.7 share. The show did hours of 3.5 and 3.9. Last week the show did a 3.9. The 3.7 rating is very bad news and even worse when considering that post-PPV RAWs usually jump in ratings.

[Guest]

Good. I hope this forces Mcmahon to spice things up, but I know it won't. He will just end the split and put more Mcmahons on tv thinking that will solve the problem. Watch and see.

[Guest Big McLargeHuge]

Vince sees this and immediately goes back to Hogan. I know it.

[Guest]

Raw rating down, Karoke doesnt = ratings

 

Duh!

 

btw Bob, don't you write for 411?

[Guest dreamer420]

does anyone even care about ratings anymore?  the wwe is the sole wrestling company with a real tv deal in place so without any competition around the ratings don't mean what they used to.  tnn isn't going to cancel raw so there is little to worry about I think.

[Guest]

I agree. I think the WWE should stop living and dying by the ratings. What if they make RVD champ and the ratings don't improve? What if the storylines get better and everything starts to make sense again, and ratings don't improve? What if Hogan actually retires and never shows his face again, and ratings don't improve? What then? I think the truth is... the ratings aren't going to get much better than they are now. Because wrestling just isn't the "in" thing anymore and probably won't be for a long time

[Guest bob_barron]

Yea- I write for 411.

[Guest cabbageboy]

I'm glad wrestling isn't cool anymore.  Fuck these wannabe poser casual fans.  Hell, it's better for me.  In 1999 I could barely get a ticket for a show due to wrestling's insane popularity.  Now I can waltz right up to the box office, check out the seating chart, and get some damn good seats.  

 

Look guys, this is 2002 and it is like 1992 all over again.  The WWF still had some popularity in 1992 but for all intents and purposes the boom was over.  At that point they started pushing some newer guys like Bret, Shawn, UT, etc.  Yeah, the ratings and attendance didn't imporve that much for a while, but they KEPT THE FANS THEY HAD.  That's what the WWF has to realize.  Hell, when I heard Bret Hart won the title in late 1992 I was shocked and delighted.  Sure, Bret didn't translate into millions of viewers suddenly watching again, but he was well liked by the ticket buying fanbase.  

 

They were SO close last night to a Bret situation with RVD.  All they had to do was have him win the title, then see what he can do.  I can't see the ratings going down further with RVD as champ, but it will if they keep the title on UT for long.

 

Let's face it fellas.  It is up to guys like RVD, Edge, etc. in the next few years.

[Guest]

Ratings are stupid. Wouldn't you think that people base whether or not they watch the show on how they liked it the week before? Or if they heard good stuff about it? I highly doubt anyone was bragging about last week's Raw to anyone. So why would people be inclined to watch? If you are looking for how the program is doing by attracting viewers who are just flipping and decide that Raw interests them.. look at the ratings from the first to second hour.

[Guest Ash Ketchum]

cabbage, that's what I've been thinking all along.

 

When guys like UT, Hogan, and the old crowd begin to retire, more, fresher talent shall appear in it's place, like Angle, a HEEL TRIPLE H WHO'S NOT ON THE BOOKING COMMITTEE, Edge, RVD, etc.

[Guest Dangerous A]

Ratings are for the analyst types like Keller and Meltzer and the WWE brass. All the smarks want is good tv and good matches to go with it.(along with their biased favs to go over, but that is another argument) Casuals just want the good tv. Some may get into the wrestling, but for the most part the wrestling just supplements the storylines and characters. The ratings do however effect the brass enough to where it starts to tinker with the product so that it can start to garner people to watch. So watch the ratings if you can, it can indicate where management may or may not push or de-push your favorite superstar.

[Guest]

Ratings are never actuate, anyway. Fuck those Nelson Voting Families who stopped watching "Wrestling!"

 

I don't see why everyone is acting so surprised anyway? Everyone been saying since 99' all these new fans who only like the Russo' crash TV part of it wouldn't last.

 

Good Riddance, and "Get The F' Out!"

[Guest RicFlairGlory]

Well they better stop worrying about ratings or they wont have any. They should know that things like this come in waves. Sometimes you're the "in" thing, and sometimes you're not.

 

Add in that now that WWE is on MTV, a lot of the shock WWE fans decide to watch what they can off MTV, and stop worrying about RAW.

 

Or some people just dont like Flair, and watch Smackdown instead.. ::laughs:: wait, did I just say that?

 

Vince has to realize this is a time not to expand, but to contract. Take what you have and keep it together, and wait until you're strong enough to divide. Its like cells in the body. Once your stock splits, after a while you need to sit back, just rejuice what you have, and eventually You'll have a winner again. Yeah, Hogan, Taker, Flair, they're all the big names.... of the 80's. And as soon as they realize that you cant shock of pop ratings forever, they'll have to let some guys go, stock up on the young guys again, and it'll all be re-done.  Seriously, in 1989 did we think much of the Rocker Shawn Michaels?  Talent comes from different places, ya gotta spend now putting on shows that the fans who ARE staying like, which means pushing the wierdest combinations possible.  Dare I say at the announce booth too.

 

Vince should know by now, that the casual fans are falling to the wayside, and that the loyal WWF, soon to be WWE-ites, are the ones who are still hanging around. Vince. Impress us true fans. Put on good WRESTLING. Cause WRESTLING fans are the ones who are left right now, and we're the only ones who'll pull you through this until the next big boom.  

 

Remember, aside the day before and after the Baseball All Star Game, theres one of the big 4 pro sports on EVERY DAY. We could just as easily go watch baseball or football or whatever to see athletes competing. You gotta keep us who are still here from leaving, go back to athletics, and get rid of all the excessive pyro and flair that we dont need stuffed down our thraots.

[Guest Ash Ketchum]

Personally, I'd love to see Mean Gene or JR and DDP (when he retires) in the booth.

 

DDP would be a great announcer or manager after his career is over. He's a multi-talented guy. The WWE should keep him.

[Guest RicFlairGlory]

Personally, I'd love to see Mean Gene or JR and DDP (when he retires) in the booth.

 

DDP would be a great announcer or manager after his career is over. He's a multi-talented guy. The WWE should keep him.

Lemme pull a SportsCenter here

 

Did you Know?

 

Mene Gene Okerlund is hosting the new WWE show, VELOCITY

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Well....so much for that RVD push.

[Guest cabbageboy]

Nah, you can't blame this shit on RVD.  I mean, I hardly think that the ratings went down from last week mysteriously just because he happened to be in the main event this week.  It's not like people know ahead of time or anything.  

 

I think what the WWF needs to do is simply toss out the format sheets they have now.  Everything on the shows is so easily predictable...we know that 1.  there will be a 20 minute interview (except this week but it sorta was).  2.  Someone will talk at roughly 10:00 or shortly after.  3.  The match before the main event will be lame and suck.  4.  There will be too many inept skits done in the back.  5.  There will be little in the way of actual wrestling.  

 

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that in a live arena all action must take place in front of the crowd.  If I wanted to stare at a huge screen all night I'd go to the fucking movies.  

 

Right now the WWF audience is about 3.5 to 4.0.  Those are the die hards, people like us who will watch whatever shit they throw at us and maybe even bitch, but next week we'll be back for more like an abused spouse.  We are the people the WWF cannot afford to ever lose, but if they REALLY piss us off after a certain point it is inevitable.  

 

As much as Russo is loathed for his WCW work, I really liked his first few Powers that Be months a lot.  It was so bizarre, I've never seen anything ever like that stuff....it was chaos.  It was too radical of a change though since WCW's fanbase was a conservative one, thus it ended up annoying people.  

 

This sort of thing would work better in the WWF.  The fans are more welcome for a change.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

I didn't say I blamed him.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Jericho will get blamed.

[Guest Flyboy]

You two are both silly...

 

BOTH will get blamed.  Why?

 

Because they're part of "Conspriacy Victims" club.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

part of?

 

They ARE the conspiracy victims club.

[Guest J*ingus]

They're not the only ones.  Hellooooo, Kurt and Tajiri.

[Guest goodhelmet]

"Right now the WWF audience is about 3.5 to 4.0.  Those are the die hards, people like us who will watch whatever shit they throw at us and maybe even bitch, but next week we'll be back for more like an abused spouse."

 

Actually, last year when the piss-poor invasion angle was taking place, people were proclaiming 4.5 as the die-hards. If that's the case, then the WWFE is losing the die-hards as well. Last month, I missed my first WWF PPV in over a year and a half. And I didn't care. There are several alternatives for me to get my wrestling fix. I can shell out $40 a month on a crappy PPV or send my money to a tape dealer and get 12 hours worth of puro or retro action. Everyone's raving about ROH. If the wrestling is half as good as people have been claiming, I have no problem shelling out the cash to a trader who hates Feinstein and getting it through the Indys. while I think the NWA will fail quickly, maybe they'll surprise one of us and put on a good show or two. Either way, I'm a die-hard wrestling fan, not a die-hard WWF fan. If they don't bring the goods, I'll find my fix elsewhere.

 

Hell, might as well Eddie to that Conspiracy Club victim BS. After the karaoke scene, he'll be blamed. it wasn't Vince's horrible production of segment or Austin's incoherent rambling. It will be blamed on Eddie

[Guest]

Bah....... it was one good raw after weeks of SHIT, of course ratings will fall, and now after this GOOD show, people will start to see it more. A Raw after a horrid series of shows will not get a huge rating UNLESS they keep the fucking good work up.

 

duhhhhh........I just hope to god that the wwE knows that.

[Guest]

RAW was improving. I mean, the bar segments were a little long and drawn out. But the basic jist of everything was there. I hope, as I said before, that they do not botch this pushing of the "younger & more talented guard" like they did with the Hardyz in early 2001, circa the "Two Man Power Trip" era. That pissed me off so much. The Hardyz were having a great back & forth feud with HHH & Austin that was VERY watchable, and who ends up making the save and taking the glory? Kane & The Undertaker. Well, la-di-da. Fucking McMahon's...

[Guest J*ingus]

You know, your sig and avatar gave me an idea, though WW(F)E would never go for it.  Forget all the noise about the Rock-Mutoh alliance, what about bringing in Chono as a new badass main eventer?  He's basically a puro version of Austin, with awesome charisma and the ability to still put on good matches despite all odds.  Let him be his typical asshole self, put him in a feud with a top babyface, and it would draw.  Of course, they'd never do it, it would require a non-WW(F)E guy to look good against their "established stars" without "paying his dues" first.  God, I hate politics.  How sad is it that I knew, not suspected or predicted or feared, but knew that RVD wasn't going to walk out of there with the title, even when he pinned Taker?  And all due to the dumbass Sports Entertainment formula of "how we do things WW(F)E style" which is currently driving away fans by the millions.

[Guest cabbageboy]

I'm not sure what to add.  I think the WWF needs to try something different.  I had an idea of a more realistic sports based product, something like Bill Watts tried in WCW (but no lame top rope rules and crap).  I still say the best WCW show I ever saw was a 1992 show where Ron Simmons beat Vader for the title.  Sting was hurt when Jake the Snake attacked him, so he couldn't make the match with Vader.  They held a drawing and Simmons won and got a title shot, then beat Vader CLEAN.  I was like "WHOA!!!"  

 

See?  That was a compelling angle and it was entirely based on wrestling.  No soap opera bullshit, just who is the better man in the ring.  I also recall an FMW match (of all things) where Hayabusa was devastated after a loss and was saying he let down Master Onita, his fans, and the entire promotion.  I mean, he really CARED about winning and losing.  See, the WWF has made a logical flaw by assuming that since people know matches aren't legit contests then no one cares who wins or loses.  

 

The silly thing is that it is the WWF's job to make us forget our knowledge that it's not real, not to nurture it.  Sports entertainment is dead....3.7 proves it.  Now it's time to get back to wrestling.

[Guest WWF4Life]

The rating they achieved this Monday was based more on everything prior to the show ie. Hogan-Taker, Judgment Day build up. Seeing as that was very unimpressive, it's no surprise that the rating dropped. If it drops again next week after WWE shifting storylines, they'll be more worried.

[Guest]

You know, your sig and avatar gave me an idea, though WW(F)E would never go for it.  Forget all the noise about the Rock-Mutoh alliance, what about bringing in Chono as a new badass main eventer?  He's basically a puro version of Austin, with awesome charisma and the ability to still put on good matches despite all odds.  Let him be his typical asshole self, put him in a feud with a top babyface, and it would draw.  Of course, they'd never do it, it would require a non-WW(F)E guy to look good against their "established stars" without "paying his dues" first.  God, I hate politics.  How sad is it that I knew, not suspected or predicted or feared, but knew that RVD wasn't going to walk out of there with the title, even when he pinned Taker?  And all due to the dumbass Sports Entertainment formula of "how we do things WW(F)E style" which is currently driving away fans by the millions.

I'd love to see a Chono vs Austin match - correction, a Chono vs a MOTIVATED Austin match. But, you're right. Politics and "dues paying" will always get in the way. Isn't it funny, though, how back in the day, Vince had no problem taking big name guys from other companies and putting them in the main events just a few months after their arrivals (Vader, Sid, etc) ? This "paying your dues" bullshit seems to have surfaced around the Attitude era and I think it needs to go out the door with the Attitude era. It's ridiculous that someone completely untalented like a Mark Henry would get pushed harder than someone who SWEATS talent like Lance Storm. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Fuck you Vince!

[Guest The Man in Blak]

Look guys, this is 2002 and it is like 1992 all over again.  The WWF still had some popularity in 1992 but for all intents and purposes the boom was over.  At that point they started pushing some newer guys like Bret, Shawn, UT, etc.  Yeah, the ratings and attendance didn't imporve that much for a while, but they KEPT THE FANS THEY HAD.  That's what the WWF has to realize.  Hell, when I heard Bret Hart won the title in late 1992 I was shocked and delighted.  Sure, Bret didn't translate into millions of viewers suddenly watching again, but he was well liked by the ticket buying fanbase.  

 

They were SO close last night to a Bret situation with RVD.  All they had to do was have him win the title, then see what he can do.  I can't see the ratings going down further with RVD as champ, but it will if they keep the title on UT for long.

 

Let's face it fellas.  It is up to guys like RVD, Edge, etc. in the next few years.

Well, except for the insane quality of matches going on in both federations in '92, yeah, I agree with you there.  

 

The RVD situation is starting to become the "fed that cried wolf", though, because they've given RVD two "non-win" wins over the World Champion (one in a non-title match against Austin and one in a total Dusty finish with UT) and, eventually, the excitement of seeing RVD win is going to wane, just 'cause nobody will expect it to go longer than a week.

 

And I hate to rain on the Chono parade, but when he was brought into the nWo-era WCW, he essentially just walked around, stiffed some people, and looked out of place.  You've got to be out of your mind (or a very optimistic puro fan) if you think that Masahiro Chono would be pushed to the ME in a North American federation.