WWE RAW ratings impacted by tragic Damar Hamlin injury on Monday Night Football

WWE RAW did not start the new year on a high note as the ratings for the red brand were down from two weeks ago.

Monday's edition of the red brand featured two title matches on the card. Bianca Belair defended the RAW Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss in the opening match of the night and retained the title via disqualification. Austin Theory defeated Seth Rollins in the main event to continue his reign as United States Champion.

Last week's Best of 2022 edition of RAW only brought in 1.075 million viewers, but that was to be expected. The company was likely hoping for a bounce-back week, but it was not meant to be.

According to Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics, RAW garnered 1.605 million viewers and scored a 0.41 rating in the key 18-49-year-old demographic. This is down from the final live edition of the red brand of 2022 two weeks ago. The December 19, 2022 edition of RAW brought in 1.705 million viewers and 0.43 rating in the key demographic.

WWE Raw, Monday on USA Network (8-11pm):
1,605,000 viewers
P18-49 rating: 0.41
#11 cable original in P18-49
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WWE RAW ratings were impacted by a scary injury on Monday Night Football

WWE RAW is already up against tough competition in Monday Night Football every week. But a horrifying injury may have swayed the ratings a bit this week.

Monday Night Football typically dominates the ratings, but this week even more people tuned in due to unforeseen circumstances. 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin made a routine tackle on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins but collapsed on the field after contact.

Medical professionals gave Hamlin CPR for nine minutes on the football field before he was transported to a local hospital. It has since been revealed that Damar tragically went into cardiac arrest after the tackle and remains in critical condition. Several WWE Superstars have rallied together over the past couple of days to pray for his recovery and send kind words to the Buffalo Bills safety.

Raw rating Monday was 1.60M/0.41. The Hamlin tragedy affected it as there was a big dropoff of viewers as the show went on even though hour three was no longer against the NFL coverage.

The Royal Rumble premium live event is just around the corner on January 28th. It will be interesting to see if RAW's ratings rise as the Royal Rumble approaches or if the numbers are an accurate reflection of the current audience.

Did you tune in to this past Monday's episode of WWE RAW? Sound off in the comments section below.