Included in WWE’s Fourth Quarter 2012 earnings release is official PPV business for Hell in a Cell, Survivor Series, and TLC – commonly referred to by fans as “The Ryback Run”.

HIAC, which featured Ryback’s WWE Title shot against C.M. Punk inside the cell, officially drew 199,000 buys, up from 182,000 buys in 2011. However, it was down from the 2010 HIAC PPV.

Survivor Series, which featured Punk vs. John Cena vs. Ryback, drew 208,000 buys, down significantly from 281,000 buys in 2011 for The Rock’s in-ring return. The 2012 Series was also down from 244,000 buys in 2010.

TLC also scored a three-year low, officially drawing 175,000 buys for John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler and The Shield’s in-ring debut against Ryback & Team Hell No. This was down from 179,000 buys in 2011 and 195,000 buys in 2010.

Hell in a Cell

2012 – 199,000 buys – Ryback vs CM Punk inside Hell In A Cell
2011 – 182,000 buys – CM Punk vs John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio inside Hell In A Cell
2010 – 210,000 buys – Undertaker vs Kane inside Hell In A Cell

Survivor Series

2012 – 208,000 buys – Ryback vs John Cena vs CM Punk
2011 – 281,000 buys – The Rock & John Cena vs The Miz & R-Truth
2010 – 244,000 buys – Wade Barrett vs Randy Orton (w/ John Cena as Special Referee)

TLC PPV

2012 – 175,000 buys – John Cena vs Dolph Ziggler
2011 – 179,000 buys – CM Punk vs The Miz & Alberto Del Rio
2010 – 195,000 buys – John Cena vs Wade Barrett

Overall, WWE drew $13.0 million in the fourth quarter, down 12 percent from Q4-2011. Last year’s fourth quarter also included the Vengeance PPV, which was cut from the 2012 schedule.

WWE blamed the revenue decline on one fewer PPV and international distribution, namely that Sky Box Office “selected one fewer event in the current quarter for distribution via pay-per-view.”  It should be noted that Sky always show 4 PPVs a year on Sky Sports which is not PPV – 2012 had one less PPV event than 2011 and so one less event was PPV.

WWE claimed that “on a comparable basis” to the 2011 fourth quarter, revenue increased “approximately four percent.” WWE added that a three percent decline in PPV buys was “more than offset by a 7 percent increase in the average revenue per buy due in part to an increased proportion of buys to view our events in high definition, which generally attracts higher retail prices.”