WWE’s Cody Rhodes Countdown Was A Major Ratings Success

WWE has been trying to figure out a way to get the third hour of Monday Night Raw to compete better against the NBA Playoffs. Two weeks ago, they announced that Cody Rhodes would be appearing during the ten o’clock hour. Ratings went up, so the company doubled down on this week’s episode.

Fans were treated to a “Countdown to Cody” that appeared periodically throughout the show. The clock was there to let viewers know when Cody Rhodes would be appearing on Raw. Some thought the idea was silly, but it once again proved to be a major ratings success.

WWE Raw finished the night as the number one show on cable. The Cody Countdown appears to have worked. Dave Meltzer discussed the strategy on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio.

“That thing where they tell ya, I mean, it worked in week one and it worked in week two where they go in there and they go, ‘Cody Rhodes is going to be at 10 PM,’ and whether it’ll always be Cody Rhodes or whether they’ll tell you it’s Becky Lynch, it’s not like they have Bill Goldberg on the show or something like that.

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So, it may be Cody Rhodes every week at 10. So, I’m going to guess that they’re going to push something at 10 because it seems to have paid off two weeks in a row. So, yeah, the number, a little bit lower than expectations, but it was first on cable across the board.”

WWE may have found a winning strategy for keeping viewers engaged during their lengthy Monday night show. By simply announcing when major stars are going to appear, fans will know when to tune back in if they change the channel to watch the NBA or the NHL. Time will tell if any other superstars besides Cody Rhodes get the same treatment.

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Transcription by Ringside News