How Many People Stop Watching WWE? Trends and Viewership Decline Explained

Well now, it seems like folks ain’t watchin’ WWE as much as they used to. Back in the day, you couldn’t find a soul who didn’t know what “Monday Night Raw” or “Friday Night SmackDown” was. But now, the numbers ain’t lookin’ so good. Both them shows—Raw and Smackdown—are down under 2 million viewers, and that’s a far cry from what it used to be. You see, in 2022, the average views for RAW were somewhere between 1.7 to 2 million, and while that’s still a lot of folks, it’s a long way from the glory days. Ain’t no way around it, people just ain’t tuning in like they did before.

Now, don’t get me wrong, WWE is still big. It’s still the top dog when it comes to wrestling promotions. They’ve got their two main shows—Raw and Smackdown—airin’ on cable. But it’s clear the numbers are takin’ a dive. Why’s that? Well, there’s a lot of reasons folks ain’t watchin’ anymore, and some of ’em go beyond just WWE itself.

First thing’s first, there’s a big ol’ drop in the number of people watchin’ professional wrestling in general. A survey of about 1200 adults found that 43% of ’em said they’ve never watched a pro wrestling show, and another 43% said they used to but don’t anymore. That’s half the people who ain’t watchin’. Now, that’s a mighty big chunk of the audience gone, ain’t it?

Let’s take a look at how things used to be. Back in the year 2000, the average age of a wrestling fan was just 28 years old. By 2006, that number had jumped to 33. And in 2016, the fans were even older. Now, that ain’t necessarily a bad thing—wrestling’s got a loyal following, sure—but the younger folks just ain’t as interested as they used to be. There’s a whole new generation out there, and they ain’t glued to their TV sets watchin’ the smackdown like we used to.

There’s also the shift in how folks watch things. In the past, you had to be sittin’ in front of the TV to catch Raw or Smackdown. But now, folks stream everything. WWE tried to get ahead of this by movin’ its streaming service from its own platform to NBCUniversal’s Peacock. But even with that change, the numbers just ain’t bouncing back. It’s almost like folks have so many other options now, they just ain’t got the time or the interest to watch wrestling anymore.

Then there’s the problem with the content. A lotta people say WWE just ain’t as exciting as it used to be. There’s a lot of folks out there who used to love the good ol’ days of wrestling, but now they say it feels scripted and predictable. When you know what’s comin’, it ain’t as much fun, ya know? And don’t even get me started on the fact that it feels like the same faces are on TV week after week. Folks get bored, and they find something else to watch.

Now, WWE’s not alone in this. Wrestling promotions all over are seein’ a drop in ratings. Even Eric Bischoff, the old WCW President, talked about how ratings across all wrestling shows are takin’ a hit. It’s not just WWE that’s losin’ viewers, it’s the whole wrestling industry.

It ain’t just the adults either. Younger folks—teenagers, twenty-somethings—they’re more interested in other things. With social media and online videos, folks don’t need to sit in front of the TV for hours watchin’ a show. They can catch snippets on YouTube or TikTok. That’s the way things are now, and wrestling’s gotta catch up.

So, what does all this mean for the future of WWE? Well, it’s hard to say. Maybe they’ll find a way to get them numbers back up. Maybe they’ll change up their shows to make ‘em more exciting again. But it ain’t lookin’ too bright right now. If things keep goin’ the way they are, WWE might have to start thinkin’ about how to get them fans back, or else they might find themselves out in the cold.

In conclusion, a lot of people ain’t watchin’ WWE like they used to. The numbers are fallin’, and it’s not just WWE that’s dealin’ with it—wrestling as a whole seems to be losin’ fans. The younger generation just ain’t as interested, and the old fans are gettin’ older. If WWE wants to keep goin’, they’ll have to figure out a way to bring in a new audience, or they might just fade away into the history books like so many other shows.

Tags：[WWE, professional wrestling, viewership decline, Raw, SmackDown, Eric Bischoff, TV ratings, wrestling industry]