- In February, the Raw house shows averaged 3,450 in attendance whereas the Smackdown house shows averaged 4,498. This has reversed a trend up until Christmas when Raw was destroying Smackdown in attendance – likely due to the reputation of it being the “A” show for so many years. The reason for the reverse in the new year: John Cena’s return, which clearly illustrates his drawing power.
- Meanwhile, Raw on Mondays averaged 8,600 in attendance and Smackdown on Tuesday was virtually the same at 8,625. Last year in February, Raw averaged 9,800 so that is a decrease of 12.2% whereas Smackdown was 7,300 which means it has increased 18.2%. Again, in 2016, John Cena rarely worked Smackdown whereas this year, he’s been advertised on every single show.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Subscription information & prices available at f4wonline.com