WWE Raw Viewership Continues To Be Affected By Monday Night Football

When it comes to the choice between spending a Monday evening watching football or wrestling, it seems American cable television viewers prefer the gridiron to the squared circle.

New data from ShowBuzzDaily.com showed ESPN's NFL programming occupied all of the top five slots for cable viewership during the evening of November 28, with "WWE Raw" on USA Network taking sixth place in its first hour, seventh place in its second hour, and eighth place in its third hour. Fox's broadcast of Ghana's triumph over Korea in the World Cup was the ninth-most watched cable show that evening, with the tenth-place slot snagged by TLC's "90 Day: The Single Life."

The November 28 "Raw" episode originated from Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, and hooked 1.66 million overnight viewers, up from 1.64 million one week earlier. Among the coveted 18-49 demo, the show scored a 0.40, a slight drop from the previous week's 0.41. The episode included non-wrestling appearances by some of WWE's biggest stars, including The Bloodline, Becky Lynch, and Seth Rollins. However, the show was absent of championship matches, and the only contest announced ahead of time was between Dexter Lumis and The Miz.

Over at ESPN, the match-up between the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers was predicated on whether the Colts could finally break their 14-year losing streak against the Steelers. They couldn't, as the Steelers emerged out triumphant from a 24-17 game. Both teams now hold 4-7 records on the season.

WWE's battle for viewers with "Monday Night Football" enters its 30th year in January, with the NFL showing no signs of losing ground to professional wrestling.