(Observer) Ratings draws

[Guest bcu1979]

Meltzer has one of his infamous ratings charts in the latest Observer keeping track of how all the wrestlers have drawn since the split occured. This is not a science, which Meltzer even admits, but it's interesting nonetheless. He mentions that a +250,000 is a good number for a main eventer and +500,000 is a great number.

 

For the RAW side, he says that Austin and Flair are the two biggest ratings draws and clearly carrying the show. Austin's segments average an increase of 330,000 viewers from the previous segment. Flair's segments average an increase of 320,000 viewers from the previous segment.

 

Undertaker is third with 280,000. The NWO has been helped by being involved with lots of segments with Austin as they have high numbers as well. RVD is averaging an increase of 75,000 viewers.

 

For the month he was on RAW, Hulk Hogan segments increased a whopping 7,000 viewers!

 

The biggest channel clickers were the Hardys, Steven Richards, Jazz and Trish.

 

Meltzer did the ratings differently for Smackdown since I guess he doesn't get quarter hour numbers. He ranked them by how many times their segment were ranked highest or lowest in the major markets.

 

He says Hogan was the draw for the first couple weeks since the split but his numbers have been dropping ever since and that Chris Jericho and Triple H have been carrying the show. The Angle/Edge feud has been a disappointment because Angle's numbers are down somewhat since the split. Meltzer takes it to mean that the Edge push has not worked yet.

 

Vince is also a ratings disappointment as his segments with Stacy do no better than Tajiri/cruiserweight segments.

 

But the bottom line of his analysis seems to be that with the exception of a few top guys, none of the wrestlers mean anything to the ratings and that unlike in the past there's no evidence that any new stars are rising.

[Guest]

and it all comes back to the writing team needing to have better Story Lines so people will be interested in the "new" guys so they can draw.

[Guest J*ingus]

Interesting that the "incredibly popular" Rob Van Dam draws ONE QUARTER of the changeovers that the Undertaker does.  And they should take the title off Taker and put it on RVD because...?

[Guest]

Don't forget, these "Ratings" are being based on for the last 2 months or so.

 

RVD has been having 4 minute (if that) opening matches and Taker was getting a good 20+ on RAW between promos/segments and matches.

 

Same goes for Bradshaw and X-pac (even Hall) looking like "Draws." They were Main Eventing for over a month there. Of Course they have higher ratings then someone like Goldust and RVD.

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

Not to be an ass, but that just sounds like an excuse for Rob.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Last time I saw one of these RVD was losing viewers...now hes gaining them.

 

The difference?  

 

Last time RVD was stuck in the match after the 20 minute promo or somewhere else in the middle of the card.  While Stephanie had huge increases in fans because she was always in the opening 20 minute promo...or involved in the final quarter hour.

 

These things are more based on where you are on the card than anything else.

 

The overrun always draws bigger than the rest of the show (except for that time that Hogan lost viewers with his "match" with Regal and the Taker attack).

[Guest bcu1979]

For the record, these numbers did not include last weeks RAW with the ladder match. I don't know if that would have helped RVD's numbers or not.

 

But Meltzer admits one of the flaws is that a segment with lots of hype will most likely do much better than a segment just thrown out there. Of course, Hogan seems to be the exception to that rule.