Newly reunited WWE faction defeat Sheamus' team on SmackDown debut

Sheamus and The Brawling Brutes faced Gunther's Imperium in a six-man tag team match to kick off tonight's SmackDown. This was Imperium's official SmackDown debut as a faction.

At WWE Clash at the Castle this past Saturday, Ludwig Kaiser introduced Giovanni Vinci to the WWE Universe. Intercontinental Champion Gunther and the Celtic Warrior put on a brutal contest, with The Ring General retaining his title. After the match, the former WWE Champion received a standing ovation.

Sheamus getting a standing ovation.

THAT'S how you lose a match! Amazing. #WWECastle https://t.co/j00Up9kmGA

Ridge Holland and the debuting Giovanni Vinci kicked things off in the six-man tag team match. After a few exchanges, both Superstars tagged in their leaders. The crowd came alive when Sheamus and the Ring General faced off against each other again.

Sheamus vs Gunther Pt. 2?! Let's Go!

#SmackDown https://t.co/Yb5iMmbvl7

Sheamus had an impressive performance and Butch gave the former WWE Champion the much-needed support. Butch almost took out the entire Imperium, but Gunther proved to be a bit too much for the Bruiserweight.

Kaiser and Vinci showed the WWE Universe why they are two-time NXT Tag Team Champions. Kaiser and Vinci hit the Imperium Bomb on Ridge Holland to get the pinfall victory.

#Imperium stands tall! #SmackDown https://t.co/D4uQWkUIY9

Imperium stands tall in victory and has made their mark as a dominant faction on SmackDown.

Were you impressed by Imperium? Let us know in the comments section below.