10 Decisions That Helped Kill WWE Raw's Ratings

Vince McMahon has never liked being seen as a wrestling promoter, and as such, he's always been adamant that he's in the "entertainment" business. When asked about other wrestling companies or even legitimate combat sports, McMahon has stuck to the adage that they aren't really WWE's competition - companies like Disney are.

It turns out McMahon really believes his own line. In 2004, Ultimate Fighting Championship and Spike agreed to air The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show that focused on aspiring fighters looking to join the MMA company. The goal of the show was to boost UFC's popularity, so Spike asked WWE for permission before airing it. McMahon said it was fine, as UFC wasn't WWE's competition.

The Ultimate Fighter became a huge hit. Though WWE would move back to USA in 2005, The Ultimate Fighter became a tentpole for Spike. As a result, the popularity of UFC grew exponentially, eventually peaking in 2010. While TUF never drew ratings on par with those of Raw, the growth of UFC led to a severe decline in popularity for WWE, most notably when it came to pay-per-view buyrates. Still, the effect on Raw was also notable, and as fans left WWE for UFC, ratings sank further.