Ray's UK Rating's Report: Week Ending September 4th 2011

Courtesy of the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board (BARB) here are the UK TV ratings for wrestling programming that ranked in the top 10's for their respective channels on the week ending September 4th 2011:

1	TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (Sun, Challenge , 2102)	180,000
2	WWE LATE NIGHT RAW – LIVE (Mon, Sky Sports 3, 2600)	153,000
3	WWE LATE NIGHT SMACKDOWN (Fri, Sky Sports 4, 2200)	72,000
4	TNA XPLOSION (Wed, Challenge, 2200)	Under 119,000
5	WWE LATE NIGHT SUPERSTARS (Sat, Sky Sports 4, 2301)	38,000
6	WWE LATE NIGHT BOTTOM LINE (Mon, Sky Sports 3, 2202)	35,000

Despite a drop from last week, it's another impressive showing from IMPACT Wrestling on Challenge as it remains the most watched wrestling show in the UK and Ireland. The show garnered 180,000 viewers (down 14,000 viewers from last week) for the Sunday September 4th episode (Originally aired Thursday Sep 1st on Spike in the USA) which saw IMPACT Wrestling on the road in Huntsville, AL and a show headlined by a huge Sting vs. Kurt Angle World Heavyweight Title match.

WWE RAW rebounded from last weeks big viewership drop, drawing 153,000 viewers (up 52,000 viewers from last week) for it's Monday August 29th "RAW Supershow" episode which featured John Cena & Sheamus vs. Christian and Mark Henry as well as the revelation that Triple H would face CM Punk at the Night of Champions PPV.

WWE's other flagship show, Smackdown, garnered 72,000 viewers (down 25,000 viewers from last week) for the Friday September 2nd edition which was headlined by a Randy Orton vs. Christian Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight Title.

Here's how the total's look for the year to date since IMPACT's return to UK Television on Challenge:

Weekly Ratings Wins so far (2011)*:
IMPACT Wrestling – 26
WWE RAW – 2
WWE Smackdown – 2

*Based on first showing viewing figures, not inclusive of +1 or replay figures.

Ray's UK Rating's Report: Week Ending August 28th 2011

Courtesy of the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board (BARB) here are the UK TV ratings for wrestling programming that ranked in the top 10's for their respective channels on the week ending August 28th 2011:

1	TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (Tue, Challenge , 2200)	209,000
2	TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (Sun, Challenge , 2100)	194,000
3	WWE LATE NIGHT RAW – LIVE (Mon, Sky Sports 3, 2600)	101,000
4	WWE LATE NIGHT SMACKDOWN (Fri, Sky Sports 2, 2100)	97,000
5	TNA XPLOSION (Wed, Challenge, 2200)	Under 160,000
6	WWE AFTERBURN (Wed, Sky Sports 4, 1800)	19,000

Despite a drop from last week, it's another impressive showing from IMPACT Wrestling on Challenge as it not only remains the most watched wrestling show in the UK and Ireland but garners more viewers this week than WWE RAW and Smackdown combined! The show garnered 209,000 viewers (down 9,000 viewers from last week) for the Tuesday August 23rd episode (Originally aired Thursday Aug 18th on Spike in the USA) headlined by Mexican America's World Tag-Team title victory over Beer Money.

IMPACT Wrestling also debuted in it's new Sunday night at 9pm slot with the Sunday August 28th episode (Originally aired Thursday Aug 25th on Spike in the USA) headlined by a hotly anticipated Crimson vs. Kurt Angle main event. The show garnered 197,000 viewers on the night, which despite being down is a very impressive showing given the move to a new timeslot which naturally usually sees a slight drop in viewership initially.

WWE RAW drew 101,000 viewers (down a whopping 35,000 viewers from last week) for it's Monday August 22nd episode which featured John Cena defeating CM Punk to become Number 1 contender in the main event.

WWE's other flagship show, Smackdown, garnered 97,000 viewers (down 23,000 viewers from last week) for the Friday August 26th edition which saw Bret Hart as GM for the night and Sheamus defeat Mark Henry in the main event.

Here's how the total's look for the year to date since IMPACT's return to UK Television on Challenge:

Weekly Ratings Wins so far (2011)*:
IMPACT Wrestling – 25
WWE RAW – 2
WWE Smackdown – 2

*Based on first showing viewing figures, not inclusive of +1 or replay figures.

Ray's UK Rating's Report: Week Ending August 21st 2011

Courtesy of the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board (BARB) here are the UK TV ratings for wrestling programming that ranked in the top 10's for their respective channels on the week ending August 21st 2011:

1	TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (Tue, Challenge , 2201)	218,000
2	WWE LATE NIGHT RAW – LIVE (Mon, Sky Sport 3, 2600)	136,000
3	WWE LATE NIGHT SMACKDOWN (Fri, Sky Sports 2, 2200)	120,000
4	TNA XPLOSION (Wed, Challenge, 2200)	Under 136,000
5	WWE AFTERBURN (Sun, Sky Sport 3, 1900)	54,000
6	WWE VINTAGE COLLECTION (Sun, Sky Sport 3, 1800)	31,000

Despite a drop from last week, it's another impressive showing from IMPACT Wrestling on Challenge as it remains the most watched wrestling show in the UK and Ireland, a position it has held now for 20 consecutive weeks. The show garnered 218,000 viewers (down 23,000 viewers [9.5%] from last week) for the Tuesday August 16th episode (Originally aired Aug 11th on Spike in the USA) headlined by a four way bout pitting Crimson against Scott Steiner, Gunner and Bully Ray of Immortal and the subsequent post-match attack on Crimson from Kurt Angle.

WWE RAW drew 136,000 viewers (up 7,000 viewers [5.4%] from last week) for it's Monday August 15th episode which featured an Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio main event.

WWE's other flagship show, Smackdown, garnered 120,000 viewers (up 19,000 viewers [18.8%] from last week, ending a two week ratings slide.) for the Friday August 12th edition which saw Mark Henry win a 20-Man Battle Royal to become Number 1 contender to the World Title.

Here's how the total's look for the year to date since IMPACT's return to UK Television on Challenge:

Weekly Ratings Wins so far (2011)*:
IMPACT Wrestling – 24
WWE RAW – 2
WWE Smackdown – 2

*Based on first showing viewing figures, not inclusive of +1 or replay figures.

Ray's UK Rating's Report: Week Ending August 14th 2011

Courtesy of the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board (BARB) here are the UK TV ratings for wrestling programming that ranked in the top 10's for their respective channels on the week ending August 14th 2011:

1	TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (Tue, Challenge , 2200)	241,000
2	TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE PPV (Wed, Challenge, 2201)	214,000
3	WWE LATE NIGHT RAW – LIVE (Mon, Sky Sport 3, 2600)	129,000
4	WWE LATE NIGHT SMACKDOWN (Fri, Sky Sports 4, 2233)	101,000
5	TNA XPLOSION (Wed, Challenge, 2200)	Under 177,000
6	WWE EXPERIENCE (Sun, Sky Sports 4, 1730)	25,000

Despite a drop from last week's all time high viewership record, it's another impressive showing from IMPACT Wrestling on Challenge as it not only remains the most watched wrestling show in the UK and Ireland, but once again outdraws the competition with more viewers than WWE Raw and Smackdown COMBINED. The show garnered 241,000 viewers (down 56,000 viewers [18.9%] from last week) for the Tuesday August 9th episode headlined by an RVD/Crimson vs. Scott Steiner/Gunner main event and the contract signing for Kurt Angle vs. Sting at Hardcore Justice.

Speaking of the Pay-Per View, TNA Hardcore Justice, which featured a highly anticipated World Title bout between Sting and Kurt Angle, garnered 214,000 viewers for it's airing on Wednesday the 10th. This was a rise of 34,000 viewers [18.9%] from last months pay-per view, TNA Destination X and up 10,000 viewers from the previous most watched pay-per view - Sacrifice. This means Hardcore Justice becomes the most watched TNA pay-per view event ever broadcast on UK television.

WWE RAW drew 129,000 viewers, equalling last weeks numbers, for it's Monday August 8th episode which featured the CM Punk/John Cena contract signing for their Summerslam bout as well as an R-Truth vs. John Morrison main event.

WWE's other flagship show, Smackdown, garnered 101,000 viewers (down 25,000 viewers [19.8%] from last week and the second consecutive ratings drop for the show.) for the Friday August 12th edition which was headlined by a Randy Orton vs. Great Khali Main Event.

Here's how the total's look for the year to date since IMPACT's return to UK Television on Challenge:

Weekly Ratings Wins so far (2011)*:
IMPACT Wrestling – 23
WWE RAW – 2
WWE Smackdown – 2

*Based on first showing viewing figures, not inclusive of +1 or replay figures.

IMPACT Wrestling celebrates record ratings with move to Sunday nights on Challenge!

In a press release issued today, it has been confirmed that IMPACT Wrestling will now be broadcast on Sunday nights in the UK and Ireland after winning record ratings on Challenge TV.

The show – which features Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam, AJ Styles, Mr. Anderson, the TNA Knockouts and many other huge wrestling stars – will now air every Sunday night at the earlier time of 9:00pm starting this Sunday, August 28.

What happened @TNA Xplosion - August 17th 2011

The following article was originally published at 1Wrestling.com, you can view the original piece by clicking here.

Ray Mullan reporting for 1Wrestling.com. This week on TNA Xplosion, the Xplosion Championship Challenge heats up as we reach the final match of the Semi Finals. The British Invasion’s Douglas Williams, goes head to head with Alex Shelley for a place in the Final, find out what went down and much more…

Ray's UK Rating's Report: Week Ending August 7th 2011

Courtesy of the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board (BARB) here are the UK TV ratings for wrestling programming that ranked in the top 10's for their respective channels on the week ending August 7th 2011:

1	TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (Tue, Challenge , 2200)	297,000
2	WWE LATE NIGHT RAW – LIVE (Mon, Sky Sport 3, 2600)	129,000
3	WWE LATE NIGHT SMACKDOWN (Fri, Sky Sports 3, 2216)	126,000
4	TNA XPLOSION (Wed, Challenge, 2200)	Under 160,000
5	WWE EXPERIENCE (Sun, Challenge, 1701)	34,000
6	WWE NXT (Thu, Sky Sports 4, 2400)	28,000
7	WWE BOTTOM LINE  (Sat, Sky Sports 4, 1331)	25,000

It's another impressive showing from IMPACT Wrestling on Challenge as it not only remains the most watched wrestling show in the UK and Ireland, but breaks it's all time viewership record with a whopping 297,000 viewers, breaking the previous record of 282,000 set just two weeks ago. The show garnered 297,000 viewers (Up 63,000 viewers [21.2%] from last week) for the Tuesday August 2nd episode headlined by a superb Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson steel cage match.

WWE RAW drew 129,000 viewers (Down 27,000 viewers [17.3%] from last week 156,000) for it's Monday August 1st episode which featured CM Punk's re-signing with WWE, the announcement of the Undisputed WWE Title match for Summerslam and an Alberto Del Rio vs. Evan Bourne main event.

Both IMPACT Wrestling and RAW remain the most watched shows on their respective channels.

WWE's other flagship show, Smackdown, garnered (Down 2,000 viewers [1.56%] from last week 128,000) 126,000 viewers for the Friday August 5th edition which was headlined by a Randy Orton & John Morrison vs. Christian & R-Truth Main Event.

Here's how the total's look for the year to date since IMPACT's return to UK Television on Challenge:

Weekly Ratings Wins so far (2011)*:
IMPACT Wrestling – 22
WWE RAW – 2
WWE Smackdown – 2

*Based on first showing viewing figures, not inclusive of +1 or replay figures.

Ray's UK Rating's Report: Week Ending July 31st 2011

Courtesy of the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board (BARB) here are the UK TV ratings for wrestling programming that ranked in the top 10's for their respective channels on the week ending July 31st 2011:

1	TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (Tue, Challenge , 2202)	234,000
2	WWE LATE NIGHT RAW – LIVE (Mon, Sky Sport 3, 2600)	156,000
3	WWE LATE NIGHT SMACKDOWN (Fri, Sky Sports 2, 2201)	128,000
4	TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (Sat, Challenge, 2100)	122,000
5	TNA XPLOSION (Wed, Challenge, 2200)	Under 122,000
6	WWE BOTTOM LINE (Sat, Sky Sports 3, 1200)	53,000
7	WWE SUPERSTARS (Sat, Sky Sports 4, 2200)	15,000

Despite being down from it's all time high viewership record last week (282,000 viewers), it's IMPACT Wrestling on Challenge that remains the most watched wrestling show in the UK and Ireland. The show garnered 234,000 viewers for the Tuesday July 26th episode headlined by a Sting & Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson & Bully Ray Tag-Team bout.

WWE RAW drew 156,000 viewers for it's Monday July 25th episode which featured a John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio Main Event and the highly anticipated return of CM Punk. There were no figures released last week for the Sky Sports channels so I am unable to determine whether or not this was a rise in viewership but the number does seem larger than RAW's usual numbers so I would suspect this was a rise in viewers this week, sparked largely by the interest of CM Punk's impending return and Triple H's first complete RAW as COO.

Both IMPACT Wrestling and RAW remain the most watched shows on their respective channels.

WWE's other flagship show, Smackdown, garnered 128,000 viewers for it's Friday July 29th edition which was headlined by a Randy Orton vs. R-Truth Main Event.

Here's how the total's look for the year to date since IMPACT's return to UK Television on Challenge:

Weekly Ratings Wins so far (2011)*:
IMPACT Wrestling – 21
WWE RAW – 2
WWE Smackdown – 2

*Based on first showing viewing figures, not inclusive of +1 or replay figures.

Daily Dropkick Exclusive: New Xplosion Segment "TNA Underground" to debut soon

Classic bouts from the TNA Video Vaults, such as the classic Triple ladder match, are set to grace television screens in the UK via TNA Xplosion on Challenge.

I have more good news for TNA Xplosion viewers. I spoke briefly with TNA Xplosion producer Kevin Sullivan today and he shed some light on one of the new features set to debut soon on the show.

An exciting new segment called "TNA Underground" will be debuting in the coming weeks and will feature some classic matches from the TNA Archives from their formative years at the "TNA Asylum" in Nashville, TN. The show will give UK fans the chance to see the history making events that formed TNA today and became the starting point for many of todays TNA greats.

The segment will likely feature some of the major moments in TNA history such as the first ever “Ultimate X”, Ken Shamrock winning the inaugral World Championship, the no-holds-barred action between Jeff Jarrett and Raven, legendary fight between country music superstar Toby Keith and TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett.

TNA Xplosion airs in the United Kingdom and Ireland every Wednesday Night at 10pm on Challenge TV. (Midnight following IMPACT Wrestling on weeks featuring a TNA Pay-Per View event.) 

Exclusive Interview with IMPACT Wrestling's Jeremy Borash

Jeremy Borash Interview conducted by Ray Mullan on 4th August 2011.

IMPACT Wrestling On Air Personality, Announcer, Host, Social Media guru and avid darts fan Jeremy Borash is in the UK this week as part of a media tour to promote the upcoming Maximum IMPACT Tour as well as TNA Xplosion's move to Prime Time on Challenge TV following strong showings in the ratings.

I had the pleasure of conducting an interview with Jeremy and discussed Xplosion, Impact Wrestling's relationship with BSKYB/Challenge, WCW, World Wrestling Allstars, a unique wrestling show he and Vince Russo once pitched to USA Network and much more. Jeremy also revealed some exciting things on the way for UK viewers, including a once in a lifetime competition for fans in the UK & Ireland...

What happened @TNA Xplosion - August 3rd 2011

The following article was originally published at 1Wrestling.com, you can view the original piece by clicking here.

Ray Mullan reporting for 1Wrestling.com. This week on TNA Xplosion, the Xplosion Championship Challenge heats up as we reach the halfway point of the Quarter Finals. The undefeated Crimson, goes head to head with Devon for a place in the Semi final, find out what went down and much more…

Ray's UK Rating's Report: Week Ending July 24th 2011

The Broadcaster's Audience Research Board (BARB) have released the UK TV ratings for the week ending July 24th 2011. And the figures should certainly please everyone associated with IMPACT Wrestling as it's flagship show on Challenge TV set yet another UK viewership record, garnering 282,000 viewers for the Tuesday July 19th episode headlined by Sting's World Heavyweight Title win over Mr. Anderson.

This is a viewership increase of 71,000 viewers (33.7%) from last week alone, a truly staggering figure! This means the episode was the most watched TNA/IMPACT Wrestling program ever broadcast in the UK, beating the previous record high of 244,000 set by the Tuesday 3rd May episode. Interestingly, this show was also headlined by Sting and Mr. Anderson (in a three way bout against Bully Ray), looks like IMPACT Wrestling have made a smart move in having the Stinger headline their upcoming UK Maximum Impact Tour!

Strangely there are no viewership figures provided by BARB for any of the Sky Sports channels this week so I'm unable to draw comparisons with WWE's RAW and Smackdown this week, but it's pretty safe to say that IMPACT Wrestling won the week. Here's how the total's look for the year to date since IMPACT's debut on Challenge:

Weekly Ratings Wins so far (2011)*:
IMPACT Wrestling – 20
WWE RAW – 2
WWE Smackdown – 2

*Based on first showing viewing figures, not inclusive of +1 or replay figures.

Daily Dropkick Exclusive: New Format for TNA Xplosion

I've got exclusive news for you guys this morning. Having spoken to some sources with IMPACT Wrestling / TNA Entertainment, their internationally syndicated show "TNA Xplosion" will have a new format from next week forward.

I'm told this will include much more exclusive content, apparently including an eventual increase in the number of exclusive matches going forward. This should be welcome news to viewers, who have often cited that the show needs to move away from the "IMPACT Wrestling Recap" segments and include more exclusive content.

You can catch TNA Xplosion in the United Kingdom and Ireland every Wednesday night at 10pm on Challenge (Tuesday at Midnight on PPV week) aswell as on ESPN Star Sports in the Middle East and Asia and the Fight Network in Canada.

IMPACT Wrestling Review: "Back from the Dead" - 24/05/2011

Photo: ImpactWrestling.com

IMPACT Wrestling – “Back from the Dead”
Tuesday 24th May 2011 – 10pm on Challenge

THIS WEEK ON IMPACT WRESTLING:
Mr. Anderson continues the mindgames with his “surprise” for Sting
Ric Flair calls out Robert Roode
Gunner let’s Eric Young know he’s not in the mood for fun and games
Velvet Sky d. Winter & Angelina Love
Matt Hardy & Eric Bischoff d. Generation Me
Kurt Angle & Jeff Jarrett agree to bout at Slammiversary with #1 Contendership & Olympic Gold medal on the line.
Tommy Dreamer shows AJ Styles that his actions are of his own choice
Samoa Joe d. Amazing Red
Abyss d. Kazarian to Win the X-Division Title
Mickie James, Miss Tessmacher and Tara d. Madison Rayne, Sarita & Rosita
Eric Bischoff vows to destroy the X-Division

First off, deserved mention for TNA producers David Sahadi and Kevin Sullivan who did an amazing job with the new opening video and graphics for IMPACT Wrestling, great stuff. The new blue colour scheme is a lot easier on the eye and the re-designed set looked great.

However the more things change the more they stay the same as the IMPACT Wrestling era started exactly how the Impact era started for the past year: Immortal’s theme music and too many non-wrestlers walking to the ring and an eventual all out brawl between warring factions. Don’t get me wrong, i liked the segement and it set up the premise for the show well, it just felt repetitive.

IMPACT Wrestling Review: "The Network's Revenge" - 17/05/2011

Photo: IMPACTWrestling.com

IMPACT Wrestling – “THE NETWORK’S REVENGE”

Tuesday 17th May 2011 – 10pm on Challenge

THIS WEEK ON IMPACT!:
Mr. Anderson wins 25 Man Battle Royal for Number 1 Contendership
Crimson d. Abyss & Samoa Joe
Chyna returns to Pro Wrestling as Kurt Angle’s hired “Mistress”
Mick Foley is revealed as the Network’s Representative
Sangriento d. Suicide
”Wildcat” Chris Harris is revealed as Matt Hardy’s Mystery Tag-Partner
AJ Styles confronts Tommy Dreamer regarding his actions
Ric Flair returns…but he is NOT the Network Rep
Mickie James & Miss Tessmacher d. Madison Rayne & Tara

The IMPACT Wrestling era began with a bang and one of the best episodes in a long time. Mick Foley’s reveal as the Network Representative was well built and made a ton of sense. Mick has a rocky history (both on and off screen) with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan, is good personal friends with Sting and Kurt Angle and is a great talker. This is the perfect role for Mick.

I enjoyed the interchange between Mick and Hulk and i loved the digs at WWE with “wrestling matters”, but if i’m allowed to nitpick i thought the change to IMPACT Wrestling wasn’t very clear for the casual viewers for whom it would have come across as a random announcement that really didn’t mean anything at the end of the day. TNA will have to do a better job explaining this change to their entire audience in the weeks to come.

TNA iMPACT! Review: "The Network is Coming" - 10/05/2011

Photo: TNAWrestling.com

TNA iMPACT! – “THE NETWORK IS COMING”
Tuesday 10th May 2011 – 10pm on Challenge

THIS WEEK ON IMPACT!:
Kurt Angle & Velvet Sky d. Jeff Jarrett, Winter & Angelina
Hogan & Bischoff speculate on the identity of the Network Representative
The X-Division wrestlers deliver a message to Eric Bischoff
TNA Knockouts Champion Mickie James d. Miss Tessmacher
Crimson lets Samoa Joe know how he feels about his “Help” last week
Rob Terry d. Murphy in a Loser Leaves Immortal match
AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels d. Bully Ray & Gunner via DQ as Tommy Dreamer attacked AJ
Mexican America Celebrate Cinco De Mayo
Sangriento d. Suicide
Bobby Roode has a message for Hulk Hogan

For the second consecutive week TNA delivers a show that looks and feels completely different. For a start the majority of Main Event players are given the night off, No Mr. Anderson and Sting and Rob Van Dam are on screen for no more than a cup of coffee.

Instead the spotlight this week was focused on the Jarretts who focus their attention on who they believed to be Kurt Angle’s hired “Mistress” – Velvet Sky. Velvet sure held her own in the confrontation with Karen Jarrett, their exchange was fluid and realistic and the addition of Winter and Angelina into the mix, furthering that storyline was a nice touch. Of course we all knew Kurt would eventually intervene and setup a main event that seemed hotly anticipated from the crowd.