Roman Reigns' draw exposes flaws in Cody Rhodes' booking, not his star power
The return of Roman Reigns to the regular time slot of Raw has had a significant impact on viewership, with the Oct. 6 episode of WWE's flagship program on Netflix seeing a noticeable boost in viewers. This comes after historically low numbers for the Oct. 3 SmackDown, which was headlined by Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The drop in viewership may have also been influenced by Nielsen's new system for measuring TV audiences.
Attendance for the Crown Jewel go-home show on Monday was also near capacity, with 11,732 tickets distributed for the event at Dallas' American Airlines Center, which was set to host 11,739. This is a stark contrast to the Oct. 3 SmackDown in Cincinnati, where Wrestlenomics estimated 7,600 tickets were distributed, a 38% decline from the 12,286 reported at the same venue just eight months earlier.
These figures suggest that Reigns remains WWE's biggest draw over Rhodes. However, as the saying goes, things aren't always as they appear.
Reigns' unannounced return on the Sept. 29 Raw reignited fan interest, though Netflix viewership stayed low that week. However, a YouTube clip of Reigns interfering in the main event gained over 2 million views on WWE's main channel and nearly 1.8 million views on the WWE on Netflix page.
Leading into Oct. 6, Raw returned to its usual 8 p.m. ET slot after a stretch of airing an hour earlier. WWE strongly promoted Reigns' return that week, advertising him to kick off the show. But he wasn't the only major name featured — CM Punk also appeared, adding to the star power.
While Dallas outdrew Cincinnati, the comparison isn't exactly apples to apples. Dallas is a larger market with a deeper wrestling history, having hosted WrestleMania, Survivor Series, and a January episode of Raw that drew roughly 14,000 fans. Still, both cities saw steep attendance drops outside of WrestleMania season, likely due to lukewarm show reactions, rising ticket prices, and the approaching holidays.
The disappointing turnout for Rhodes raised questions about his drawing power, especially after a curiously timed message from WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque. After reports of SmackDown's poor performance surfaced, Levesque took to social media to praise Rhodes for his hard work, which felt like a preemptive attempt to shield WWE's handpicked top star from criticism.
Despite Rhodes' consistent in-ring performance and active schedule, the issue seems to be less about his effort and more about how WWE has presented him. Promising storylines, like one with The Rock, either fell flat or ended in disappointment, such as Rhodes' WrestleMania match with a heel John Cena.
Despite marquee battles against Cena, Rhodes has yet to land a breakout feud since defeating Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble. His current title reign, still in its early stages, has featured short, disjointed programs. After starting a program with Drew McIntyre after SummerSlam, Rhodes stepped away to film the upcoming Street Fighter movie and welcome his second child. Their rivalry resumed at Wrestlepalooza, but the controversial match lacked a follow-up. A short yet compelling three-week program with Seth Rollins led into Crown Jewel but offered no hint of long-term implications.
Meanwhile, Reigns is involved in layered, emotionally resonant stories, whether it's teasing future clashes with Rollins or his cousin Jey Uso. He also appears on Raw, where WWE seems to have focused its creative energy on stories featuring LA Knight, CM Punk, Uso, and Rollins and his faction, The Vision.
Notably, on the same day as Levesque's post praising Rhodes, BodySlam.net reported that WWE was undergoing creative changes to improve the product, with SmackDown listed as a top priority. If accurate, the report makes Levesque's public support of Rhodes read less like a vote of confidence and more like a quiet acknowledgment: Rhodes is doing his part. Now it’s time for WWE to do theirs.
