The numbers for the latest edition of Monday Night Raw are in, and the viewership is only down slightly from last week.

According to Showbuzz Daily (h/t Marc Middleton of WrestlingInc.com), this week's show averaged 1.884 million viewers on USA Network.

This is the third straight week in which Raw viewership surpassed the 1.8 million mark. Last week's show recorded 1.890 million viewers, which marked Raw's best numbers since the Jan. 4 Legends Night edition that drew 2.128 million viewers.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported that WWE hoped to boost the ratings by delaying Bobby Lashley's inevitable victory over The Miz for the WWE Championship.

The strategy somewhat paid off.

Raw usually peaks in the first hour, but not this week. The opening hour recorded 1.916 million viewers, per Middleton, and that number increased to 1.918 million viewers in the next. Viewership fell down to 1.817 million in the third third hour.

Even though the ratings dropped slightly this week, WWE should feel encouraged by the strong numbers to open 2021. Per WrestlingInc.com's viewership tracker, the Feb. 8 episode is the only one to have fallen below the 1.8 million viewership mark.

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Raw consistently struggled to reach those numbers in the final in the final months of 2020, so WWE and USA Network officials have to be pleased with the strong start in the new year.

Over at SmackDown, the viewership has consistently surpassed the two million mark. It may only be a matter of time until Raw gets back to that number. They're certainly on the right track.

Strong Booking Has Been The Key

The booking on Raw has been much better in the new year, so it's not surprising to see steady ratings. Lashley was overdue for a WWE Championship reign, and they finally gave it to him. A feud with Drew McIntyre for WrestleMania season should only help the ratings, considering the strong popularity of both superstars among the WWE Universe.

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