The Ratings Thread - a lot of people watched wrestling on Super Tuesday, sort of

[Fro]

First match did not get my attention. Ospray is obviously a great athtlete who has springs for legs, but the match itself meh.

The Bucks match was a Bucks match... and then I went to bed.

Not a very engaging show even if the athleticism was high quality.

The show went by fast for me...they're missing some entertaining people for sure...it was good stuff...

Swerve/taka was a hell of a match and I feel told a good story of swerve digging deep to beat a really talented foe

The tag matches were both good, but obvious which is difficult to watch from that stance

The 4 way women's match I really liked, I wish they'd pull the trigger on stat, but feel like they're just playing out willow til ppl buy her vs Mercedes, or a 3 way dance

Osprey is just unbelievable and I feel like he is adapting to a more American style well, including promos.

Maybe I'm crazy but going back for highlights and listening to recaps...I know I'm not alone in those thoughts. Some of aew's detractors loved the show

 

[Scandale du Jour]

The show went by fast for me...they're missing some entertaining people for sure...it was good stuff...

Swerve/taka was a hell of a match and I feel told a good story of swerve digging deep to beat a really talented foe

The tag matches were both good, but obvious which is difficult to watch from that stance

The 4 way women's match I really liked, I wish they'd pull the trigger on stat, but feel like they're just playing out willow til ppl buy her vs Mercedes, or a 3 way dance

Osprey is just unbelievable and I feel like he is adapting to a more American style well, including promos.

Maybe I'm crazy but going back for highlights and listening to recaps...I know I'm not alone in those thoughts. Some of aew's detractors loved the show

Oh, I am not saying the show sucked. It just did not grab my attention. I need the drama to get me in.

It is an issme, not an issue

 

[boredmale]

If the wrestling didn't keep ppl invested last night...just wow...

I wasn't sports entertained but damn...the actual wrestling was so good overall

I think for the casual fan, they want to see "stars" and not 4-5 star matches. You can put the biggest name in wrestling against some no name jobber in a 1 and a half star match, then give him a 2 minute promo after the match and that will score higher ratings then 2 undercard guys who are great workers putting on a 4-5 star match

 

[Fro]

I think for the casual fan, they want to see "stars" and not 4-5 star matches. You can put the biggest name in wrestling against some no name jobber in a 1 and a half star match, then give him a 2 minute promo after the match and that will score higher ratings then 2 undercard guys who are great workers putting on a 4-5 star match

100% fair

 

[boredmale]

100% fair

You can take the best wrestler from Mexico and have him fight the best Wrestler from Japan and that will get the "internet" audience really hyped up to watch, but guess what for your average viewer at home who doesn't follow wrestling closely they could care less because they have 0 reason to care about either wrestler.

 

[Emperoreddy]

There is obviously a loyal audience for a more pure wrestling focused show that they have locked down.

Probably a give an take on trying to expand beyond that without losing those folks

 

[Fro]

I feel like they're trying, but I do believe Tony needs to bring in 1 or 2 ex creative ppl to bring some diff ideas...maybe hiring new execs work on that

 

[GKJ]

I think for the casual fan, they want to see "stars" and not 4-5 star matches. You can put the biggest name in wrestling against some no name jobber in a 1 and a half star match, then give him a 2 minute promo after the match and that will score higher ratings then 2 undercard guys who are great workers putting on a 4-5 star match

One of the things about the 5-star matches, I think, when you had a match like that as recent as 6 or 7 years ago, and it was must-see, it was a big deal, but often you had to go back and see it unless you’re a New Japan or even black-and-gold NXT fan where you knew otherwise and had to watch. There was no AEW, and it was so rare in WWE to have such a high-level match, and even if they did, it rarely got the reaction, which I think is most of the game in how a match becomes great.

Now, most things are so good, so much we see now would be must-see back then. The 10th best match of 2016 might not be the 50th best match of 2024. Everything might be great, but everything can’t be must-see. If everything is must-see, then nothing is. If I miss a 5+ star match today, I don’t need to go find it, or make sure I’m there for the next one, I’ll probably get another one soon enough, as opposed to before where it went from a few times per decade, to once or twice a year, and steadily became more frequent. So it makes it even more imperative to tell great stories because the big moments now are because you can have a great match now and it’s still forgettable. That wasn’t the case before, now you need not only a great match but also a huge moment to go with it.

 

[boredmale]

Now, most things are so good, so much we see now would be must-see back then. The 10th best match of 2016 might not be the 50th best match of 2024. Everything might be great, but everything can’t be must-see. If everything is must-see, then nothing is. If I miss a 5+ star match today, I don’t need to go find it, or make sure I’m there for the next one, I’ll probably get another one soon enough, as opposed to before where it went from a few times per decade, to once or twice a year, and steadily became more frequent. So it makes it even more imperative to tell great stories because the big moments now are because you can have a great match now and it’s still forgettable. That wasn’t the case before, now you need not only a great match but also a huge moment to go with it.

In other words the law of diminishing returns. Yep you can only see the same thing so many times till you get immune to it, no matter how great it was the first time, or good it still is now

Sort of like that move where the guys are outside the ring and somebody gets thrown on them or jumps out on the ring to them. Great move in small doses but in AEW it seems like most matches include it as if it was a common punch, hell i seen matches that do it multiple time.

This move has never been the same since "Exposed - Pro Wrestlings Greatest Secrets" exposed how it was done



All that being Said AEW might look to that show for another secret to get the fans worked up

 

[Khelandros]

 

[Khelandros]

 

[Emperoreddy]

Both women's segments dipped under 700k, which is depressing

 

[Khelandros]

 

[MVP of West Hollywd]

My biggest criticism of AEW has always been that they use too many guys instead of working the same midcard wrestlers in their prime like horses. Samoa Joe doesn't have to wrestle every week, but guys like Andrade, Pac, Garcia, B Murphy, Rush, etc.? Work the f*** outta them, you have 3 shows, they can have one match a week. It doesn't matter if they lose 60% of the time. If people don't see the same guys every week, they're not going to get into them, especially the casuals. You know what happened after Mark Briscoe went 0-5 in the continental classic? He got MORE over. Working and losing will get the more over than not being around for 2 months. Based on CM Punk's comments if part of the issue is that guys like Page want to work a Brock schedule so he put family first or something, or Andrade wants a bunch of time off to go bang Charlotte or something, then they get pushed down the card and have to job to a bunch of guys. If they don't want that then they can work full time.

What I would want is after Page loses the triple threat and is out of the title picture, he is immediately on the next Dynamite or at worst is gone for a week, and then starts a new feud. He goes out to the ring now as a heel and shit talks Swerve, and then gets interrupted by Daniel Garcia or something. Garcia gets the rub of feuding with Page, and Page gets to be in a feud he can win. That's part of the cyclical appeal of wrestling, you want to see who the stars are going to feud with next and what the next storyline is. You can't do that if guys are always gone 3 months at a time.

And ftr, that's really underselling how much they fumbled the Page thing recently. This is the biggest heel turn they could've possibly had on their roster. He has had a pure babyface arc unlike the Young Bucks or Guevera types that have turned constantly like the Big Show, and BCC tweener status. He was essentially their equivalent of Beliiiii that Reigns, if there was ever a time for a HOLY SHIT I NEVER THOUGHT HE'D BE A BAD GUY moment it'd be that. So after turning him heel, he loses one triple threat and then doesn't appear since? Just a waste.

 

[sabremike]

My biggest criticism of AEW has always been that they use too many guys instead of working the same midcard wrestlers in their prime like horses. Samoa Joe doesn't have to wrestle every week, but guys like Andrade, Pac, Garcia, B Murphy, Rush, etc.? Work the f*** outta them, you have 3 shows, they can have one match a week. It doesn't matter if they lose 60% of the time. If people don't see the same guys every week, they're not going to get into them, especially the casuals. You know what happened after Mark Briscoe went 0-5 in the continental classic? He got MORE over. Working and losing will get the more over than not being around for 2 months. Based on CM Punk's comments if part of the issue is that guys like Page want to work a Brock schedule so he put family first or something, or Andrade wants a bunch of time off to go bang Charlotte or something, then they get pushed down the card and have to job to a bunch of guys. If they don't want that then they can work full time.

What I would want is after Page loses the triple threat and is out of the title picture, he is immediately on the next Dynamite or at worst is gone for a week, and then starts a new feud. He goes out to the ring now as a heel and shit talks Swerve, and then gets interrupted by Daniel Garcia or something. Garcia gets the rub of feuding with Page, and Page gets to be in a feud he can win. That's part of the cyclical appeal of wrestling, you want to see who the stars are going to feud with next and what the next storyline is. You can't do that if guys are always gone 3 months at a time.

And ftr, that's really underselling how much they fumbled the Page thing recently. This is the biggest heel turn they could've possibly had on their roster. He has had a pure babyface arc unlike the Young Bucks or Guevera types that have turned constantly like the Big Show, and BCC tweener status. He was essentially their equivalent of Beliiiii that Reigns, if there was ever a time for a HOLY SHIT I NEVER THOUGHT HE'D BE A BAD GUY moment it'd be that. So after turning him heel, he loses one triple threat and then doesn't appear since? Just a waste.

I'm pretty sure Page is injured which is why he's been off TV since then.

 

[Khelandros]

Collision getting the bump thanks to the over run.

 

[Jussi]

WWE Raw Ratings Report (4/8): Cody celebration and Rock-Cody exchange draws largest first hour viewership in years

www.pwtorch.com

Hourly Numbers:

• 2.860 million
• 2.304 million
• 1.921 million

 

[Emperoreddy]

The 2.9 million is Raw's highest first hour since the reunion show in 2019

3rd quarter which was the middle of the Rock/Cody segment did an insane 3.19 million viewers for RAW and 1.10 in the demo.

I haven't found when the last time a RAW segment pulled a quarter that high.

Hours 2 and 3 were up against the national championship game.

 

[Khelandros]

 

[Khelandros]

 

[Emperoreddy]

 

[Jussi]

8:00: 0.33 demo rating (987,000 viewers) – Attack on Samoa Joe, Adam Copeland vs. Penta
8:15: 0.31 demo rating (857,000 viewers) – Adam Copeland vs. Penta
8:30: 0.34 demo rating (880,000 viewers) – Backstage promos, All In Footage Segment
8:45: 0.32 demo rating (822,000 viewers) – FTR promo, Danielson promo, Ospreay interview
9:00: 0.29 demo rating (767,000 viewers) – HOOK & Shibata vs. STP
9:15: 0.28 demo rating (765,000 viewers) – Okada match, promos
9:30: 0.28 demo rating (759,000 viewers) – Anna Jay vs. Mariah May, Mercedes Mone interview
9:45: 0.27 demo rating (723,000 viewers) – Samoa Joe vs. Dustin Rhodes

 

[Khelandros]

 

[boredmale]

Both women's segments dipped under 700k, which is depressing

AEW needs to take the women, put them on Friday Night and find somebody other then Tony to run that show. The woman's slot generally seem to hurt ratings for the shows so maybe if you find a way to give a more focused vision on the woman's division you can help improve the quality of that while helping that Friday Night rating as well

 

[Khelandros]

Smackdown: April 12th

Smackdown: April 5th

Rampage: April 12th

Rampage: April 5th