Mid-2015 Ratings Review

I was going to wait a few more weeks before talking about ratings. Since there is talk again about TNA being cancelled, I decided to look at the numbers now. I am going by the numbers at Gerweck and Wrestlingdata.

Let me start with TNA. Viewership numbers are so low, you typically do not even see actual ratings numbers. Since moving to Destination America, the magic number seems to be 400,000 viewers. I would go by the numbers from Wrestlingdata for TNA. Some of the numbers on the chart at Gerweck are just way off for TNA. Impact Wrestling has seen a few numbers above 500,000. A few more below 400,000. The majority seems to be in the 400,000s. The average for the year up to this point is 416,000. That is far below what they had on their previous network, but it is to be expected. I get Destination America, but most viewers do not. You have the show moving to Wednesdays now. Have to wait to see how that plays out.

Then you have the talk about TNA getting cancelled again. If it has anything to do with ratings, it is kind of unfair. They have not even been on Destination 6 months yet. Whatever the rumors are based on, you cannot jump to the conclusion that TNA is dead or out of business. I see a lot of fans acting like that. Stupid. They still have television deals in other countries. They can still find another network in the United States. They are still announcing dates for events. People jump to conclusions. They acted the same way last year. TNA found another home. Is this all a sign of TNA succeeding? No. But they are not selling out to Vince McMahon, yet.

Onto Smackdown. The 2015 ratings average so far is 1.85. Ratings and viewership are steady with what you have had the last few years. Consistency might seem boring, but it is better than a steady decline. Of course, Smackdown will be up against NFL action on Thursdays in a few months. That will hurt their numbers. Aside from that, the WWE continues to produce a product on Smackdown that draws a consistent number of fans. And that is okay.

Raw continues to be the issue. I have seen some fans and wrestling journalists act like it is a big deal that Raw has gotten bad numbers recently. Well, 2015 started out poorly for the WWE's main show. Wrestlemania season brought mediocre numbers. What did people think would happen when Raw went against the NBA and NHL playoffs? This was just easy to see coming. When that competition is not there, numbers will improve a little. When football season returns, Raw will likely be destroyed.

Looking at the actual numbers, the 2015 average is 2.88. The average for all of 2014 was around 2.95. Raw is already below that average without even entering football season. Yeah, that does not look good. They are struggling to get Raw to the magic number of 3.0 this year. There is really nothing they can do to stop the bleeding. There are too many things wrong with the product. Instead of improving the main product, the WWE continues to bolster NXT, which has become a brand in itself, in addition to being their developmental territory. When these guys come to the main roster, they are part of a sloppy product and are not all utilized efficiently. That provides no boost. Celebrities can't do it anymore. Part-timers? That doesn't work as well anymore. Again, there is nothing they can do to save this year. You might see a very interesting final average when the year ends.