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WWE RAW saw an increase in viewers for the final live episode of the year.
According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, the red brand saw an increase in both overall viewership and in the key demographic this week. Monday's episode averaged 1.705 million viewers and garnered a 0.43 rating in the key 18-49-year-old demographic.
Last night's episode of RAW was the biggest audience for the show since October 17th. Ratings have taken a hit against Monday Night Football as of late, but the red brand held up strong this week. The football game between the Rams and the Packers last night brought in close to 16 million viewers combined on ESPN, ESPN 2, and ABC.
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Former WWE writer was critical of Bobby Lashley's storyline
Former WWE head writer Vince Russo was critical of Bobby Lashley not being a part of last night's show after being fired the week prior.
Bobby Lashley squared off against Seth Rollins in the main event of last week's edition of RAW. The winner of the match would earn a shot at the United States Championship and Austin Theory was shown watching backstage several times throughout the match.
It appeared that Lashley had won the match with the Hurt Lock, but the referee was knocked out of the ring. Seth Rollins was able to capitalize and win the match to earn a title shot against Austin Theory in the future.
Lashley lost it, shoved an official, and was subsequently fired by WWE official Adam Pearce. Adam took to Twitter a couple of days later to announce that Bobby was not going to be fired.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW, Russo was critical of the storyline and said that Lashley being reinstated so quickly has caused the angle to be a flop.
"Why is he rehired now? So the fact that he got fired at the end of the show, that was supposed to be the cliffhanger, they flopped the very next week." [12:10 - 12:50]
The ratings for the red brand certainly won't suffer when The All Mighty returns. Time will tell when Bobby Lashley returns to WWE RAW and what his intentions are moving forward. Lashley has unfinished business with Brock Lesnar and may still want a shot at the United States Championship down the line.
Who would you like to see Bobby Lashley square off against at WWE WrestleMania 39? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
