WWE Raw rating: A big increase in the rating, yet sharp hourly viewership decline

Monday's WWE Raw drew a 2.94 rating, up from a 2.48 rating the week before. Raw averaged 4.1 million viewers for the three-hour show, up from the 3.5 m5 million the show averaged last week.

Powell's POV: Raw rebounded in the ratings against a Monday Night Football game that didn't look very attractive on paper. However, the hourly viewership numbers tell a frightening story. As previously noted, the first hour drew 4.306 million viewers, hour two drew 4.217 million viewers, and the final hour crashed with 3.783 million viewers. In other words, WWE can celebrate the ratings increase, but the viewership decline against a blowout football game is further proof to this viewer that three hours is simply too much for Raw.