What we had:
In the segment-by-segment, Booker T vs. Cody Rhodes lost 149,000 viewers. Backstage stuff with John Cena and Zack Ryder, Big Show and Kelly Kelly, Laurinaitis, Show and David Otunga and Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Vickie Guerrero and Mark Henry gained 78,000 viewers. Ryder & Eve Torres vs. Tyson Kidd & Natalya and a Cena interview lost 67,000 viewers. Cena vs. The Miz and post-match R-Truth attack gained 325,000 viewers, which is below usual but better than in some recent weeks. Big Show vs. David Otunga with one hand tied behind his back and an Alberto Del Rio interview with the Bellas gained 34,000 viewers. Punk vs. Swagger lost 367,000 viewers. Punk vs. Ziggler gained 172,000 viewers to a 2.91 main event average. The Cena/Kane overrun gained 543,000 viewers to a do a 3.26. As far as the demo changes with Cena and Kane out last, Male teens went from 2.8 to 3.1, Men 18-49 went from 2.8 to 3.2, Women teens went from 1.0 to 1.3 and Women 18-49 stayed at 1.0.
In the segment-by-segment, it was the bad pattern where the highest rated segment was first quarter with the John Cena in-ring and Kane on the tron which did a 3.36 rating. Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan lost 332,000 viewers. Yep, World champ vs. IC champ and people tuned out. Wade Barrett vs. Santino Marella and the Sheamus/Miz brawl gained 240,000 viewers. A bunch of backstage stuff (Dolph Ziggler interview; Zack Ryder, Eve Torres, Jack Swagger, John Laurinaitis and C.M. Punk) lost 431,000 viewers. Punk vs. Ziggler for the WWE title in the 10 p.m. segment gained 180,000 viewers which is bad for that segment. The return of Chris Jericho lost 82,000 viewers. The Cena & Zack Ryder & Big Show vs. Mark Henry & Swagger 3-on-2 elimination match and show ending angle with Cena, Kane and Ryder gained 383,000 viewers, weak for the overrun, doing a 3.33 rating. Main event saw Male teens go from 2.5 to 2.8, Male 18-49 from 2.9 to 3.3, Women teens from 0.9 to 1.0 and Women 18-49 stayed at 1.1.
In the segment-by-segment, Sheamus & Santino Marella vs. Wade Barrett & Jinder Mahal lost 238,000 viewers. Edge Hall of Fame package, Zack Ryder and Eve Torres backstage and Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston gained 100,000 viewers. The debut of Brodus Clay vs. Curt Hawkins plus Miz trying to recruit Primo & Epico lost 82,000 viewers. C.M. Punk vs. Jack Swagger gained 128,000 viewers and did a 3.00 rating in the 10 p.m. slot, which is terrible for the slot. Backstage stuff with Bellas and Miz and Ricardo Rodriguez, Cena and Ryder and the Four Horsemen vignette lost 193,000 viewers, which is actually much better than that segment usually does. The segment with R-Truth beating on Rodriguez and the Miz/R-Truth brawl, plus the second appearance of the mute Chris Jericho lost 130,000 viewers. Okay, this is something that is noteworthy. Eve Torres in the ring, Kane’s music hitting, Ryder trying to save her, getting her in the car and trying to change the tire lost 544,000 viewers and did a 2.39 quarter. To lose that many viewers that late in the show before the main event is something significant. And John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler and the conclusion of that segment gained 640,000 viewers, which is normal level, but it still was only a 2.84 overrun, which is the second lowest overrun figure (even the show that did a 2.71 in September hit 3.03 for the overrun), behind only the week they did Punk & Bryan & Ziggler in the trios match, dating back to 1997.
Not many people talk about this but Miz was a terrible drawing champion, always gained below average numbers in the main time slots and even lost there, but I don't think I saw something like Punk, listen to what Meltzer said, on this time last year, they had 800k more viewers! Dave tried to do the math on the spot and it's something like 16% of the audience, just scary that in one year they lost almost million viewers/20%, something needs to be done and the current direction is not the solution. it's all about the presentation in the wrestling business, and while I admit, Bryan is fine in his current role, he and Punk are not main event draws or game-changers, never were, never will be, even their most hardcore fan will admit it.
Meltzer said that the demo for 12-17 was one of the lowest he has ever saw, he even talked to a teacher in school and she said that there was never less interest in wrestling among the kids/teens, what he said and was spot on, that this demo is always there to "look up" to the wrestlers, in a "I want to be like him" type of thing, but now that all the babyface are basically lame/uncool/geeks etc and nobody is larger than life, you got this number, including Cena, the top face that needs to bring this audience but he's considered lame and uncool even in this demo, and rightfully so.
as a long time wrestling fan, the future looks horrendous and scary for them, I seriously don't know what they can do with the current talent roster, a miserable imitation of Austin/Vince for the million time is not going to change a damn thing, especially with this talents, another scary thing for them is the house show business, January is the time when business picks up, ratings, gates etc, this year according to Meltzer? absolutely nothing.
I personally don't like what they are doing with Jericho, I'm a huge fan but he kills all his "superstar aura" with this character. I know that he wants to change and be different every time and I like that about him, but he can't have both, what he's doing right now is not a superstar material.
Let's see what Foley does in the overrun on RAW and Cena in a random segment. last time he lost 400k in the second quarter.
This is the lowest rated January since 97 BTW, and if you don't count the split audience in the MNW, the only year that was lower than January 2012 is January 1995, the only year in RAW's 19 year history.
First hour - 6.4
Second hour - 6.9
Overall - 6.7(6.65)
They did the big segment in the second quarter, time slot that at that time was big in terms of gain.
Breakdown:
Q1 - Vince promo - 5.0
Q2 - Greater power segment, Austin as CEO etc - 7.0
Q3 - Acolytes vs the Brood - 6.8
Q4 - Union segment/Test promo with Stephanie - 6.8
Q5 - Kane and X Pac vs Shane - 6.8
Q6 - Rock vs HHH in a cast match - 7.1
Q7 - Debra, Jarrett, Bass and Venis segment and Godfather vs Gunn - 6.8
Q8 - Snow vs Droz and Vince vs Shamrock in a Lion's Den match - 6.9
OR - Taker vs Show for the WWF title - 7.3
BTW about this Austin/Taker match, it got 9.5 and it's the biggest overrun number in RAW history but it's not a segment, it's count as a overrun number, the highest rated segment in RAW history is Rock This is your life - 8.4, with the start of Rock vs Shane in cage second with 8.3