3.2? Really?

This week's Raw drew a 3.2 rating. Everyone is talking about how mediocre this number is, and it is true. Even though there probably is no need for me to talk about it either, I still find it too good to pass up.

The WWE utilized this whole CM Punk issue to create this huge publicity stunt meant to draw in viewers from the controversy, as well as provide another situation to put over John Cena's character as a good guy. Cena's character is still stale and his haters will not quit from what the WWE just did, so the whole stunt didn't really accomplish anything too important for Cena. In any case, controversy was created. Would CM Punk leave with the WWE title? Would John Cena be fired? What was this stuff CM Punk was saying that was getting his mic cut off? What is going on?

How well did the controversy do? 3.2. That is actually the highest Raw's ratings have been since this thing really heated up. Last week, it was a 2.9, but you could blame that low number on baseball. Week before that, 2.4, but that was on July 4th. This week, what excuse do you really have? This is the show right after a PPV, which typically gets higher ratings than the week before. This is the show after the WWE really did have Punk win the title. What would happen next? Is he really gone? That should have drawn. This is the show where you would find out if Cena would really be fired by Vince or not. That should have drawn. In reality, Vince's segments probably did draw, just like CM Punk's segments did do well in the 2.9 Raw last week. The problem may be that the rest of the card was just weak this week on Raw. I would say that is not the case. They hyped a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion all through the show. Every match, except for the diva joke match, was for that tournament. Who would advance in the tournament? Who would win? That should have been a draw. The way I see it, this was a very strong Raw, with the exception of the diva match. In terms of what the WWE planned, they were definitely going for a show that would do great. What happens? 3.2? In comparison, July ratings for Raw last year ranged from 3.33 to 3.51. There is still one more Raw left for July 2011. How will that one do?

That one, based on how this week's Raw ended, should do well. Then again, what do I even mean by that? A 3.2 is good when you compare it to the low ratings that preceded it, but a publicity stunt like this should actually be helping to raise the average rating for Raw in 2011 (currently 3.32). Let me get back to the point. I want to talk about how Raw ended this week. As the sun sets on one publicity stunt, another rises with no wasted motion. I liked that. I will give them that. John Cena is not fired. Vince is the one who is gone. Triple H is taking over. Shocker. WWE's stock did not drop the day after they announced it, even though it is a mistake to believe that Donald Trump "buying" Raw in 2009 resulted in the sharp drop the WWE stock took midday the day after the angle started. Back to controversy and ratings. Not only do you have this thing to get people talking and draw them in, you have the finals in the tournament to crown a new WWE Champion to address. That should be a draw as well. Does Triple H have other plans for the title? If the match does happen, who will win? These are the questions the WWE hopes will intrigue the fans and have them tune in. After the CM Punk drama failed to draw dynamite ratings, for whatever reason, I am starting to have my doubts that next week will do too much better. I will be shocked if it scores a 4.0 or better. Just for the sake of mentioning it, the last time Raw did better than a 4.0 was when Trump was "owner" of Raw. Can Triple H taking over do better than Trump. I wouldn't hold my breath.