Many fans have been buzzing about the differences that have been apparent in WWE RAW in recent weeks, and they’re not the only ones who are happy, according to a new report.
After Vince McMahon retired on July 22, Triple H took over as the new head of creative on July 25. His vision for the show is already standing out, and both fans and critics have credited him for improving Raw to some degree.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reports that USA Network, the home of Raw, is happy with these changes, according to his sources. RAW viewership has increased substantially, with the first episode of the Triple H era bringing in the show’s highest number since March 2020.
Per Sapp, sources at USA Network and Universal expressed that these viewership numbers are in line with what the company had been expecting, though the pandemic changed “everything”. This source noted that they had never foreseen Raw drawing less than two million viewers outside of holiday episodes, let alone on a consistent basis. This new era excited the source, who didn’t expect viewership numbers to regularly stay above two million viewers , which happened in August.
Sapp cited another source who indicated that while they didn’t expect the drastic changes, they couldn’t argue with the buzz around the show. As for the direction of RAW itself, one USA Network stated that they have “personally seen” the show as more appointment viewing, and that it felt more natural now. Additionally, the source noted that there has been more discussion within USA Network about Raw than there has been since the new deal began.
Another source said that many within the company have been happy to see the creative changes to WWE RAW since Triple H took over, and that they would be surprised of the company didn’t try to renew WWE programming when negotiations are likely to begin in 2023. Given these positive differences, the source shared their belief that WWE put themselves in an even better position for these negotiations.
