WWE ratings boost across RAW, SmackDown, and NXT: How much growth has the company seen in WrestleMania 40 season?
WrestleMania 40 is almost upon us and the excitement is palpable. WWE is gearing up for the biggest event of the calendar year, as The Road to WrestleMania comes to a close. Along the way, the company saw a major boost, particularly in the ratings department. All three of WWE's shows, RAW, SmackDown, and NXT pulled in viewers, but just how successful were they?
Kicking things off, RAW saw a six-percent improvement in terms of viewership in quarter 1, ranking first among viewers aged 18-49 on Monday cable for nine of the 13 weeks with an average of 733,000 total viewers. Given their loaded roster, with the bonus of a returning Pat McAfee to the commentator table, this isn't too surprising. The red brand aside, the black and gold brand, NXT, also saw some major improvement, up 31% in comparison to last year.
However, the star of the company in the first fiscal quarter was undoubtedly SmackDown. With The Brahma Bull on the roster, SmackDown averaged 892,000 viewers, up 15% from last year. Moreover, it ranked first among all total day Friday broadcasts for 11 of the first 12 weeks of the quarter.
With the numbers looking good and WrestleMania 40 just days away, WWE's Chief Content Officer, Triple H, showered his creative team, production team, and the WWE Superstars with praise.
“These ratings are a testament to our creative team, production crew, and all of the WWE Superstars that work together week in and week out to produce these impressive results,” said Triple H.
WrestleMania 40 will be nothing short of incredible. It is a monumental occasion for WWE, as it celebrates the 40th edition of The Showcase of the Immortals.
There are some incredible matches on the card for WrestleMania 40
Ratings aside, WrestleMania 40 is just about five days away and fans cannot wait for The Show of Shows to unfold. Given how important this year is in terms of WrestleMania history, the WWE Universe will be hoping the event lives up to its billing. And looking at the match card, this has the potential to be the greatest WrestleMania in history. As usual, all of the company's major titles will be on the line, but it's the superstars involved that make these clashes so mouthwatering.
For starters, Sami Zayn will face Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship, while United States Champion Logan Paul will defend his title against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in a Triple Threat Match.
The Undisputed Tag Team Title will also be on the line in a Six-Pack Ladder Match. There are also a couple of grudge matches to be settled. LA Knight would look to seek revenge from AJ Styles, while the trio of Naomi, Jade Cargill, and Bianca Belair would look to settle scores with Damage CTRL in a six-woman tag team match, and who can forget the clash of brothers between Jimmy and Jey Uso?
But most importantly, the likes of Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley, Bayley, IYO SKY, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns will all vie for the company's top titles. And of course, The Final Boss will team up with The Tribal Chief for a tag team match against The Visionary and The American Nightmare in the main event of Night 1.