You've ignored a mass cultural shift in the way we consume media that's occured in a realitively short period of time, to make a terrible (trolling?) point. If we are going to simplfy how the WWE is doing popularity wise, $$$ would be alot better point than TV ratings which are partially antiquated.
$$ has no direct correlation to how WWE is doing popularity wise, because they have avenues for making money that don't directly relate to the modern day product. Again, the two biggest are TV rights and Network subs.
I'm not ignoring any cultural shift, and I'm not saying WWE isn't a financially healthy company just because ratings are down, so I dunno why the fukk ya'll keep trying to argue that. WWE is obviously doing great financially, because they've built a great self-sufficient business model, but interest in the WWE FEELS like the lowest its been in a long time and the ratings back that up. The live attendance being down slightly from last year backs that up.
BUT as long as WWE still gets such a big revenue stream from TV rights, then ratings are really the be-all end-all. Wrestling brings in so little ad revenue compared to live sports and original scripted programming, that it's only worth it to keep on your network if the ratings are going to be high. If ratings keep dropping, USA will have to ask itself if its worth another hundred million+ when they go to the table to negotiate a new deal next year.
So again, for the 100th time, WWE is making money and nobody is arguing that, but mainstream interest in the current product is as low as its been in decades right now, anyone who has been following can see and feel that. I see the bubble bursting within the next 5 years if they don't turn this shyt around.