Roman Reigns, huge matchups, and returns help boost WWE SmackDown overnight ratings

The overnight ratings for this week's episode of WWE SmackDown are out, and the blue brand is gaining momentum heading into Survivor Series WarGames.

This week's show emanated from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. The episode featured appearances from top stars of the blue brand, including Roman Reigns, The Bloodline, Bray Wyatt, Ronda Rousey, and Drew McIntyre.

Spoiler TV reported that SmackDown drew an average of 2.115 million viewers in overnight ratings. This was much higher than last week's average of 1.970 million. About 2.134 million viewers tuned in for the first hour, and the viewership fell slightly to 2.095 million in hour two. The show achieved a 0.5 rating in the key 18-49 demographic.

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What happened this week on WWE SmackDown?

This week's show started with The Usos defending the Undisputed Tag Team Championship against The New Day. The two teams went back and forth during the high-stakes matchup, but Jimmy and Jey retained the titles with a 1D to Kofi Kingston. This victory also ensured The Usos became the longest-reigning tag team champions in WWE history.

Liv Morgan, Lacey Evans, Shotzi, Raquel Rodriguez, Sonya Deville, and Xia Li were in a six-pack challenge to determine the next number-one contender for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Shotzi won the matchup with a Never Wake Up to Evans for the three-count.

In a first-round match of the SmackDown World Cup, Santos Escobar defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to advance to the next round. In another World Cup encounter, Braun Strowman made quick work of Jinder Mahal to move to the next round.

LA Knight and Bray Wyatt had a confrontation backstage, leading to Wyatt headbutting Knight and potentially sowing the seeds of a new rivalry on the blue brand. In another segment, Sarah Logan returned with The Viking Raiders to lay waste to Hit Row and Legado del Fantasma.

In the final segment, Roman Reigns and the rest of The Bloodline made their way to the ring. The faction was later interrupted by The Brawling Brutes led by Sheamus. The two tandems clashed in an all-out brawl.

As the numbers game favored The Bloodline, former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre rushed to the ring, and the show went off the air while the stars kept fighting.

What did you think of this week's show? Sound off in the comments section below.