By not making it clear that something significant would happen with The Rock in the main event of this week’s WWE RAW, and then by, in fact, not delivering anything significant in that overrun segment, WWE caused viewers not to show excitement for the final portion of this week’s episode.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the 9:15-9:30 portion of Monday’s episode, which featured The Rock’s opening promo and exchange with Michael Cole kicking into high gear, led to an increase of 903,000 viewers over the prior segment, which represents one of the strongest second quarter increases in recent memory. The segment averaged a healthy 4.10 cable coverage rating, the story notes.
But the buzz for The Rock had cooled off by the time his final segment came around. His presence in the nineteen minute overrun prompted a minor increase from the already-lukewarm second hour viewership. He only brought 127,000 new viewers to the table making for one of the weakest overruns in a while–it only averaged a 3.23 cable coverage rating.
The end conclusion here is that while WWE fans still see The Rock as a big draw, it takes more than his mere presence to spike a rating. People must believe he will do something especially exciting.
