Roman Reigns' absence leads to another fall in overnight ratings for WWE SmackDown
The overnight ratings for the latest episode of WWE SmackDown have been released.
The May 27 episode of the blue brand emanated from the Simmons Bank arena in Little Rock, Arkansas. The show had some thrilling matches on the card, and fans also witnessed the surprise appearances of Riddle and Drew McIntyre. However, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns wasn't on the show.
Spoiler TV reported that SmackDown recorded an average of 1.778 million viewers in overnight ratings. Hour one drew 1.841 million viewers, while viewership dipped to 1.714 in the second hour. It's lower than last week when the show drew 1.997 million viewers. In the key 18-49 demo, the blue brand averaged a 0.4 rating.
What happened on SmackDown this week?
The Usos started the show this week by thanking their cousin Roman for giving them the opportunity for the Tag Team Title Unification match. The Undisputed Tag Team Champions also shared that they completed 12 years in the WWE before proceeding to insult the fans.
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#SmackDown @WWEUsos https://t.co/Chd8ea3tBj
They were interrupted by Shinsuke Nakamura, who challenged them to a tag team match and introduced his surprise partner Riddle. All four men brawled in the ring, with Nakamura and Riddle standing tall after the dust settled.
Ronda Rousey vs. Raquel Rodriguez ended in a no-contest when Natalya and Shayna Baszler decided to interfere in the matchup. It led to an impromptu tag team matchup between the four women, which Rousey and Rodriguez won comfortably. In another tag team encounter, Los Lotharios defeated Jinder Mahal and Shanky.
Kevin Owens hosted an episode of the "KO Show" with Sami Zayn as his special guest. The two discussed Ezekiel's true identity and got into a shouting match.
In another tag team match, Gunther and Ludwig Kaizer defeated Intercontinental Champion Ricochet and Drew Gulak.
Sheamus and the rest of the "Brawling Brutes" were out to face Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and their mystery partner. The New Day introduced Drew McIntyre as their partner for the encounter. McIntyre helped even the odds as the match progressed by hitting Ridge Holland with a Glasgow Kiss followed by a Claymore. It allowed Woods to hit the top rope elbow drop to pick up the win.
Drew Day ROCKS!
#SmackDown @DMcIntyreWWE @TrueKofi @AustinCreedWins https://t.co/ITMhfnMmUN
While this week's episode was action-packed, WWE certainly missed its top stars, such as Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar and the ratings indicate that fact. It will be interesting to see if Reigns turns up next week on the blue brand.
You can view the full SmackDown results here.