The October 31 episode of the Raw SuperShow garnered a 3.1 cable rating, down two-tenths from 3.31 the week before. Overall viewership was also down, from 4.71 million viewers to 4.49.
For the second consecutive week, Raw's rating declined during the second hour, from 3.21 to 3.00. Overall viewership decreased by 236,000. The first hour of last week's show averaged 4.93 million viewers before declining to 4.50 in the second.
Now for my opinion and tell me if I'm wrong. RAW airs from 9pm EST to 11PM EST. We all know that. WWE claims to be chasing the much sought-after 18-34 year-old male demographic, but hidden into their PG rated programming and characters, WWE is pulling in more of the 12-17 year old male demographic.-
Considering WWE's time slot (9-11pm) and key demographic (12-17) it makes sense that many kids (some with parental guidance) within that specified time are turning their TV's off at roughly 10PM because of late schedule and of course school the next morning. The last time WWE was really geared towards mainstream PG programming and marketed to children, their flagship shows were Saturday and Sunday mornings. The real Monday night platform designed in 1993 was solely to capture a more adult audience.
Vince, if you want the ratings after 10PM you need to simply provide and market programming for the adults who are going to be awake during your time slot to view it.
Billed at the time as the biggest wrestling match of all time.
I've heard an even split as to whether this match could headline a Wrestlemania in today’s age? Is the match timeless, or was it for its time period?
I would like to take this time to enter my own opinion on the matter. It seems as though through the annals of time, fans of any brand or federation of wrestling were conditioned to a certain extent on what they could and could not expect. Hogan and Andre was indeed a timeless match that had so much momentum and was so well prepared that it drew 93,000 plus; an indoor attendance record that still stands today.
But to answer the second part of that question; could that match headline Wrestlemania in 2012? The answer would be no. As time has gone by, we have witnessed the likes of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Undertaker, The Rock, and most importantly, the INTERNET. This has eventually changed the way the fans look at how a pay-per-view is booked and not to mention have a backstage view of all the scoops and happenings. Fans today are much smarter and look at the overall product as an insider rather than a true fan. This leads to all the negativity and decline in the state of the business. Sometimes the fans won’t let themselves be entertained.
To see Hogan & Andre in a modern day setting would be similar to seeing Kane & The Big Show going head to head. Granted, Hogan & Andre were two of the most popular and well recognized wrestlers in their day, but they would have failed miserably to deliver by today’s standards, thus leaving Wrestlemania a disaster.
Sure, there are some purists who still look for that nostalgic feel in today’s world of “Sports Entertainment,” but would they even be entertained with a 13 minute sub par match when the entire outcome of the match and the next 5 months plans are leaked out online? The main thing is, seeing a Hogan vs. Andre match present day would look good on paper, however, would fall short in its overall delivery to an already finicky fan base.
