Opinion
Cook’s Top 5: Ways To Boost WWE Raw Ratings
Want to improve the WWE RAW ratings? Who doesn’t??? Steve Cook has your solution. Actually, he has 5 of them!
Want to improve the WWE RAW ratings? Who doesn’t??? Steve Cook has your solution. Actually, he has 5 of them!
We all know that there’s one thing that’s grabbed the attention of wrestling fans throughout 2020:
Ratings!
Whether it’s the Wednesday Night War between AEW Dynamite & WWE NXT, or the various ups & downs of Raw & SmackDown, everybody wants to talk about those television ratings. It’s what we learned was important back in the 1990s, and it’s still what we talk about now.
Raw is seeing some low numbers. How will WWE turn things around? Believe it or not, I have five ideas…
5. Change the leadership

Hey, I’m not out here bashing Bruce Prichard. Dude has been doing a good job with SmackDown & does serve as the best Vince McMahon filter out there. That being said, you can only stretch Bruce and some of the other writers so far before they snap. 5 hours of live TV every week with a eclectic cast of characters and a demanding boss is a big ask.
It shows on Raw when people are sent out there to wrestle for 30 minutes…the matches are typically fine, but I know I often find myself distracted by my various screens, look up at Raw 15 minutes later and am stunned a particular match is still going with no end in sight. Its filling time. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s no urgency in most of these matches other than to help fill the 3 hour timeslot. Since the 3 hour timeslot isn’t going anywhere because Neilsen counts it as 3 different shows, we have to address the problem of most of the show serving as filler. Get some new ideas in there.
4. Adult Content?
A report came out stating that USA was “furious” over this past week’s rating. I pause on the idea of whether the report is true or if USA has the right to be “furious” considering that Raw still easily outpaces the rest of their lineup. However, another part of the report struck me as interesting…apparently USA would like to see more “dark, violent adult content” on Raw.
I’ve always been reticent to criticize WWE for going PG, because I remember the type of adult content WWE was producing before the switch. Hot Lesbian Action. Kane being a necrophiliac. I’ve never wanted to go back to those glory days of WWE television. I think I see where USA is coming from here. If you take a look at what’s viewed most on Netflix, a lot of it would be classified as “dark, violent adult content”. My own viewing habits drift in that direction. If I see a new documentary up about some serial killer or another violent event, I’m watching that sumbitch. Currently watching “The Ripper”, as a matter of fact. It’s what the people want to see!
Can WWE replicate that? Well, they’ve got more than enough bodies on their roster. You could wipe some out and nobody would notice.
3. Stick with a new idea longer.

Remember back in August when Raw was debuting all of these new ideas to get some attention? You had Raw Underground, which was Shane McMahon’s new fight club concept. Retribution popped up right around the same time as a new heel group looking to make waves and bring WWE down. People were skeptical about both ideas. One of the largest reasons I wasn’t 100% sure about either one was I knew that WWE would give up on both the minute that they had an excuse. It’s what they’ve done for years…trot out something new, give up on it if it doesn’t get over the right way right away.
Sure enough, Raw Underground hasn’t been seen in months. The covid outbreak at WWE’s Performance Center was enough of a reason to junk it. As for Retribution, they went from being a threat to WWE to a lower-card heel group targeting the likes of Ricochet & Dana Brooke.
It’s hard for us to care & tune in to see new concepts when we have the feeling WWE will give up on them immediately.
2. Relax. Football season is almost over.

This happens every year. Raw ratings take a tumble from September to December, which happens to be when ESPN airs Monday Night Football. We all know that nobody beats the NFL. Doesn’t happen. The numbers get a little lower every year due to competition from streaming services and other ways to consume entertainment.
Then, the calendar turns over and football’s regular season is over. Which happens to coincide with the Royal Rumble and the beginning of the WrestleMania push. Ratings go up because the stakes are higher, and the NFL games are all on Saturday & Sunday. ESPN’s airing college basketball, which isn’t as big of an obstacle for Raw.
Give it a month, and people will be talking about Raw’s ratings rebound. It’ll happen whether WWE does anything out of the ordinary or not.
1. Bring some people back!
We all know that WWE sees its best ratings when the old stars are around. I can think of two that would be especially helpful to WWE right now. One, obviously, is Brock Lesnar. Everybody reading this knows that Brock is the greatest of all time, and should always be holding one of WWE’s main championships. OK, I was being a little sarcastic there, but bringing Brock back to Raw would certainly help. We could also get Paul Heyman on both shows, building up the eventual collision between his champions.
The other star WWE could bring back? Well, it’s somebody that’ll have more free time on their hands in about a month. A person that’s a proven ratings draw wherever he goes, including WWE. I’m not a big fan myself, but I know there are a ton of people that would tune in just to hear him and what he has to say. And let’s face it, Linda McMahon raised enough money for the man that he surely owes her family a favor.
Yep, it’s time to bring Donald Trump back to Raw. Tell me that wouldn’t provide a ratings boost!
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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