USA Network Officials Have Reportedly Changed Tune About WWE Raw Viewership

USA Network officials are reportedly ecstatic with the viewership "WWE Raw" has been receiving lately at a time when the show's television ratings have usually seen an annual drop. 

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the television network had become frustrated with the Monday night ratings in recent years during the post-summer period. However, after "Raw" drew an average of 1.824 million viewers this past Monday following Extreme Rules – up from the 1.599 million viewers recorded the week prior — USA Network is said to have had a change of tune when it comes to how they feel about the current numbers. The show had also previously recorded 2.054 million viewers for the September 5 episode post-Clash at the Castle. 

This past Monday marked the season premiere for "Raw" and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque loaded the show accordingly: the 25th-anniversary celebration of D-Generation X, the return of Brock Lesnar, and an appearance by the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. There was also a great deal of intrigue after Extreme Rules, which ended with the jaw-dropping return of Bray Wyatt as the show was going off the air. 

The Observer also noted that nostalgia shows typically do well for WWE, while pointing out that the "Wyatt thing" is currently hot right now, providing a plausible reason as to why the company saw a big jump in viewership for "Raw" this week. The newsletter additionally highlighted that Wyatt is currently penciled in as a "SmackDown" star, but there is hope from officials at USA Network that Wyatt could help maintain an upward trajectory of viewership numbers, especially if it leads directly to a feud with Reigns.