WWE chief Vince McMahon claims Brock Lesnar is the reason Raw’s ratings have plummeted – The Sun

VINCE McMAHON claims Brock Lesnar is the reason for the dramatic fall in WWE Raw's ratings.

Viewing figures released on Thursday showed a 16 per cent drop off for one of WWE's flagship programmes.

And the company's boss believes having no Lesnar – who lost to Brit Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36 – at Raw has been critical.

Speaking about the numbers during an investors call, McMahon reportedly said: "We no longer have Brock Lesnar, but we have a new champion and a lot of new performers coming in. That's the reason.

"[Raw] has suffered, but not necessarily because of the environment. It's suffered because we bring in a lot of new talent and it takes a while to get new talent over.

"How you use those performers in this story or that story. I'm convinced the Raw ratings will bounce back considerably."

McMahon was also quick to point out that there "has virtually been no change" for SmackDown.

The fall in ratings is the latest in a run of bad news for WWE chief McMahon.

The company’s CEO hit the headlines after he released a huge number of wrestlers and backstage staff amid the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis.

And then it was revealed he is facing a legal battle related to his XFL American Football business with him being sued for wrongful dismissal.

Former XFL commissioner Oliver Luck filed the federal lawsuit in Connecticut last week.

McMahon’s sport league collapsed earlier this month after suspending operations and laying off staff amid the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, Luck claims he was wrongfully axed on April 9 – a day before XFL officially closed its door.

To make matters worse, after the news of the legal case, it was reported that McMahon's bad moods reportedly “have become a running joke and source of laughter” inside the WWE locker room.

A report from PW Insider says McMahon became a “grumpy SOB” in the aftermath of XFL filing for bankruptcy, with sources inside the company telling them they were trying to stay clear of the billionaire for as long as possible.

One even claimed that they would “go outside and sit in their car or take the widest possible path” to avoid McMahon.

And their report went on to claim his huffs were “a running joke within the company”.

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