As WWE heads into WrestleMania XL this upcoming weekend, the pro wrestling world has seen a lot over the past three months.
As far as the TV product is concerned, WWE is seeing viewership growth in the first quarter of 2024 on all three weekly shows in the 18-49 demo.
On Friday Night SmackDown, WWE reported a 15% increase compared to last year’s Q1, with a total of 892k viewers in the 18-49 demo. WWE finished first in 18-49 on Friday broadcasts in 11 of the first 12 weeks in the quarter.
One high mark for the show was the February 16 episode, which ended with The Rock teaming up with Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns and joining The Bloodline. That episode had 985k viewers in 18-49 and was the highest-viewed primetime broadcast show that week.
Over on Monday Night Raw, WWE saw a 6% increase in 18-49 compared to last year, consisting of 733k viewers in the demo. Two notable Raw episodes that helped raise viewership were The Rock appearing on the January 1 episode and Pat McAfee making a return to the commentary desk on January 29. McAfee’s return prompted 811k viewers, a 13% increase over the week before, and put Raw top of the cable ratings table.
It’s not just Raw and SmackDown seeing growth. NXT has a 31% increase in the 18-49 demographic compared to last year’s Q1. The main event WWE Superstars on the other shows might not be wrestling on NXT but the rising tide of WWE is lifting all boats with less than a week until WrestleMania.
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
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