More Evidence Cody Rhodes Has Been A TV Draw For WWE

There is increasing evidence of Cody Rhodes being a legitimate needle mover for WWE.

Over the past few weeks, the segments involving "The American Nightmare" have been the most-watched quarters of "WWE Raw" on the USA Network. According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, the in-ring segment with Sami Zayn Monday was viewed by over 2,080,000 viewers and notched up a 0.53 rating in the 18-49 key demo. Overall, the show averaged a viewership of 1,812,000 viewers.  

Similarly, Rhodes' critically-acclaimed promo exchange with Paul Heyman on February 6 was watched by 2,027,000 viewers at the top of the third hour, where viewership is traditionally lost. In fact, the segment did so well in the ratings that the audience reportedly grew 11% from the previous quarter. For context, only the Rhodes-Heyman and Brock Lesnar-Bobby Lashley segments garnered over 2 million viewers. 

As for YouTube views, Rhodes' segments have regularly been the most-watched, with only videos involving Roman Reigns and/or Zayn drawing as many eyeballs. 

Rhodes has also been a legitimate draw at WWE's house shows. According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, the ticket sales for several live events in the aftermath of Rhodes' Royal Rumble victory shot up incrementally, especially one show in Columbus, Georgia, where WWE "sold a ton of tickets" after announcing Rhodes for the show. 

Furthermore, Rhodes has reportedly been among WWE's top merchandise movers since making his in-ring return at the Royal Rumble.

Rhodes is currently the odds-on favorite to dethrone "The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns and emerge as the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania 39. There is a belief among fans on social media that the impending victory could catapult Rhodes as the new face of the promotion.