Roman Reigns returns to SmackDown
WWE Friday Night SmackDown advertised the return of Roman Reigns and Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler. SmackDown marks the first WWE broadcast since the promotion announced its latest round of releases with Nia Jax, Keith Lee, B-Fab, Karrion Kross, Scarlett Bourdeaux, Franky Monet, Eva Marie and Ember Moon being some of the bigger names that were let go.
Last week’s broadcast of SmackDown on FS1 garnered 1.032 million, SmackDown’s best number for an FS1 show.
- October 29, 2021—1.032 million
- October 22, 2021—2.249 million
- October 15, 2021—866,000
- October 8, 2021—2.147 million
- October 1, 2021—2.252 million
WWE SmackDown Key Competition
ROH Releases and why Free Agents Should Launch a Black Wrestling Promotion (Pro Wrestling Bits)
WWE SmackDown Total YouTube Viewership Last Friday: 4,679,541 (Down from 10,267,687)
- Most-Viewed: Shotzi vs. Charlotte Flair (1,332,653 views)
- Least-Viewed: King Woods Knights Kofi Kingston (262,417 views)
- Median Viewership: 545,806 views
WWE SmackDown Results | Friday, November 5, 2021
Roman Reigns Kicks Off SmackDown
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This segment led to a confrontation against The New Day where King Woods would battle Jimmy Uso in a “Bend the Knee” Match.
Despite longstanding reports that WWE refuses to say the name of smaller cities, King Woods proudly shouted out “Evansville, Ind.,” and said it with his chest.
SmackDown went all out with its graphics, even showing illustrations of what it would look like for King Woods or Jimmy Uso to Bend the Knee.
King Woods was gifted with serviceable new theme music.
While complaining about how bad SmackDown was without him, Roman Reigns even said “it was almost as bad as Raw.” Given Survivor Series is a SmackDown vs. Raw pay-per-view, Reigns’ timing is impeccable.
Shayna Baszler def. Naomi
Naomi originally won this match, only for Sonya Deville to reverse the decision, leading to a loss. I think Naomi has lost more than enough times to justify her finally getting her hands on Deville, because at some point they’re risking it being too little, too late.
Los Lotharios def. Cesaro and Mansoor
Los Lotharios are the team of Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo. What I can say is their theme music is decent.
Cesaro and Mansoor were described as a makeshift tag team, which tells you everything you need to know about their chances.
Los Lotharios lost after a miscommunication between Cesaro and Mansoor. I was certain one of them would turn on the other after, but WWE couldn’t be bothered and promptly moved on from this segment.
In a truly awkward segment, Jeff Hardy blew off an interview to follow Aliyah since she was having a conversation with Sami Zayn.
Drew McIntyre def. Ricochet
Prior to this match, Ricochet cut a lukewarm promo before slapping the hell out of Drew McIntyre. Ricochet didn’t get in another offensive maneuver for minutes.
This match ended with a picture-perfect Claymore Kick while Ricochet was mid-moonsault.
Drew McIntyre’s Internet Darling Destruction Tour on SmackDown has led to some very fun, quick matches. Next week has to be Cesaro, right?
The Viking Raiders def. Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss via Countout
At one point, Michael Cole referred to Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin as “The Happy Folks.” I hope this sticks as their tag team name.
This was a showcase of destruction from The Viking Raiders who were actually booked like a dominant tag team. It also helped that Pat McAfee marveled at everything they did.
Hit Row Roasts Sami Zayn
While talking about an upcoming Hit Row segment, Pat McAfee said “this is gonna B-Fabulous,” a not-so-subtle shoutout to B-Fab.
WWE made B-Fab’s release official by removing her already-iconic “Hit Row” voiceover from their theme music.
Hit Row endeared itself to this Indiana crowd, but WWE has to get rid of their background music during their freestyles.
King Woods def. Jimmy Uso—Loser Bends The Knee
The announcers were putting so much emphasis on how pissed Roman Reigns would be if Jimmy Uso lost it was almost a shoo-in that King Woods was going to win.
This “Bend the Knee” storyline was a lot of fun. The crowd was way into it, even chanting “bend the knee” following Woods’ victory.
Like the heels they are, instead of bending the knee, The Bloodline ambushed The New Day. Reigns just wasn’t having it.
