Huge News for the Raw vs. SmackDown Ratings War

SmackDown has been consistently outdoing Raw week in and week out since the brand split, and the gulf in quality between the two shows is almost absurd.

Yet–even breaking down the numbers into hourly averages–SmackDown hadn’t beaten Raw in the ratings since the Draft special in July. This week saw the dullest Raw in recent memory hit the air while SmackDown promoted a pay-per-view quality show featuring the return of John Cena and three huge title matches.

The result? The blue brand finally edged out its competition. SmackDown averaged 2.88 million viewers versus Raw’s 2.85.

Whether that indicates a trend is still a major question. Next week’s Raw, featuring the return of Goldberg, will certainly have a huge boost, and SmackDown can’t put on a mini-PPV every single week. The last episode of Raw also faced stiff competition from the final Monday Night Football of the season.

SmackDown had come very close to beating Raw on three previous occasions: John Cena’s last return in September, the night Raw went up against the presidential debate, and the 900th episode special featuring the Undertaker.

With Raw no longer up against football, the red brand will certainly see improved ratings, especially as we hit the road to WrestleMania. It’s still good to see the improved quality of SmackDown paying off.

Do you think SmackDown deserves the success, and do you think it will continue? Let us know down in the comments, or on Facebook!