'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
SmackDown Live has dished out some good episodes in recent weeks. As a result of the same, the viewership of the episode has been solid, over the past few weeks.
This week saw a small increase from the week before, as SmackDown Live scored a 2% increase from last week's number. This was not surprising, considering that the fallout from Survivor Series played out during this episode.
In case you didn't know...
The central story coming into SmackDown Live this week was the fact that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, bitter at being left out of the SmackDown Live Survivor Series squad, had attacked Team SmackDown Live during the match.
Despite the fact that SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon wanted to fire them, Bryan saved them and booked them in the main event spot against The New Day, in a lumberjack match, as punishment for their heinous actions.
There was also an invasion from three female NXT superstars, and the debut of the Bludgeon Brothers during the course of the two hours.
The heart of the matter
Last week's show saw RAW lay siege on SmackDown Live, heading into the Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Thanks to the same, SmackDown Live scored a solid viewership of 2.607 million viewers, the previous week.
The blue brand managed to up the ante this week as well, and the viewership reflected how much the audience appreciated the brand's efforts. This week, the viewership was a solid 2.662 million.
It is interesting to note that ever since AJ Styles has become WWE champion, the viewership has gone up by a fair margin.
What's next?
Let's hope that the Kevin Owens- Sami Zayn- Daniel Bryan- Shane McMahon quadrangle plays out in an interesting manner over the weeks to come.
The viewership will certainly remain consistent then.
The glory days of SmackDown Live from last year may be upon us yet again.
Author's take
It's simple logic. Good television equals good ratings, really. There was a thread across the episode, and enough intrigue to keep the viewer hooked for two hours. Good going, Road Dogg!
Send us news tips at [email protected]
