WWE Raw rating: A big drop for Raw 1001

Monday's WWE Raw show drew a 3.08 rating, down from the 3.84 rating that Raw 1000 drew. The first hour of the show drew a 2.8 rating. Hour two scored a 3.2 rating. The final hour rose to a 3.3 rating.

Powell's POV: The drop was expected because Raw 1000 was so heavily promoted as a special event. Plus, the Olympics airing on NBC and other Universal networks provided WWE with stiff competition. That said, the lousy first hour rating shows that WWE has to do a better job of emphasizing to viewers that Raw runs three hours every week.

For comparison purposes, the first hour of Raw 1000 drew a 3.48 rating, hour two rose to a 3.95 rating, and the final hour of the show scored a 4.09 rating.