Triple H Key to SmackDown Ratings Success

WWE.com has posted another article touting their ratings success since moving to MyNetworkTV. What it didn't mention is that the ratings go up the more Triple H is on the show.

The January 9th edition of SmackDown was the most watched show in MyNetwork TV history with 3.9 million viewers. It was also the night Triple H was a major part of the show - wrestling three times. He beat John Morrison and The Miz and then lost to the Big Show. The rating was a 2.2.

The January 16th edition had Hunter on early in the show to antagonize Vickie Guerrero with her "nude" photos. He then did a run-in to assist MVP with his match against The Big Show. The ratings went down slightly to a 2.1.

The January 23rd edition had Hunter losing to Vladimir Kozlov after Vickie Guerrero added The Big Show to the match. There was a lot of build-up for this match. The ratings went up to a 2.2. In addition, the wwe.com article has these numbers:

1. The January 23rd SmackDown delivered four million viewers to MyNetwork TV and proved to be the most watched telecast in the network’s history among households and total viewers (based on live viewing or DVR viewing until 3 a.m. Friday night).
2. SmackDown has broken the record for the most watched telecast in MyNetwork TV history 11 times in its first 17 weeks on air.
3. The 2.6 million male viewers watching SmackDown on Friday night more than doubled the male audience watching the Winter X Games on ESPN.

All of this has happened since Triple H was drafted to SmackDown and the two highest rated shows (Jan. 9th & 23rd) featured him greatly. This can't be just a coincidence.

Interestingly, the Raw ratings are up since the return of Stephanie and Vince McMahon.