WWE Raw Ratings Report, 1/8/2024

"WWE Raw" went up against the NCAA Men's College Football Playoff Championship game, which saw over 25 million viewers tune in for Michigan University's Wolverines defeat the University of Washington's Huskies 34-13. With that immense rating, the Wolverines and the Huskies took a hefty bite out of "Raw"'s ratings.

Wrestlenomics is reporting that "Raw" was watched by 1.464 million viewers, a 16% drop from last week. The highly-coveted 18-49 demographic turned up to the tune of a 0.44 rating in the demographic, a 27% drop from last week's episode. The highest-rated segment in both the overall and the 18-49 demographic was the opening segment, which saw CM Punk and Drew McIntyre go barb for barb in a live promo. 

The 18-49 demographic was at its lowest at the end of the match between Otis and Ivar and the beginning of the main event, while the middle section of the main event between Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura was the lowest-rated segment among the overall viewership.

The show wasn't only hamstrung by the high-profile college football game between Washington and Michigan, but also by the knowledge that this week's edition didn't have the hook of last week's highly-anticipated return of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who teased a huge match with Roman Reigns to kick off 2024. The news comes after both shows, especially "WWE SmackDown" rebounded with massive growth after two "Best Of" episodes at the end of 2023, with "SmackDown" boasting an 82% rise in viewership this past Friday night.