This week’s Raw was even with last week’s TV rating. Considering it was a pre-PPV reinforcement episode, and Raw was against Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals and an overtime NHL Playoffs game, it counts as a small victory in this era of historically low TV ratings. However, the concern is the third hour drew the smallest audience of the year.

WWE Raw TV Ratings Tracking

May 16: Raw leading into Extreme Rules scored a 2.27 TV rating, virtually even with a 2.26 rating last week.

In the demographic ratings, Raw actually increased one-tenth in males 18-34 and slightly increased in males 18-49.

However, adults 18-49 fell to the lowest rating of the year, even lower than the pre-Payback episode three weeks ago.

– Raw’s three hours averaged 3.190 million viewers, down 1.5 percent from last week’s show.

The first two hours were virtually even with last week’s show. However, the third hour fell by 12.4 percent after Raw came to its natural conclusion at the top of the third hour.

First Hour: 3.376 million viewers
Second Hour: 3.302 million viewers
Third Hour: 2.894 million viewers

The third hour audience was the smallest of the year and smallest since December 2015. WWE put their main event angle at the end of the second hour/start of the third hour, trying to combat the inevitable third hour decline leading into Extreme Rules.

There was also the factor of the Warriors-Thunder NBA Playoffs game drawing 8.7 million viewers on TNT, more than doubling Raw’s audience.