This past Friday’s SmackDown took place at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. John Cena kicked off the show to welcome fans for the season premiere of SmackDown. Roman Reigns interrupted Cena and said he should be the one to open the show. The GOAT said that he didn’t want to challenge Reigns because he didn’t earn it. Cena then introduced LA Knight as Reigns’ next challenger. Knight and Reigns exchange a few words. Jimmy Uso then tried to attack Knight, but the Megastar threw him over the top rope. Solo Sikoa then challenged LA Knight to a match.
Pretty Deadly defeated Brawling Brutes in a Tag Team match.
Bayley defeated Zelina Vega. However, Damage CTRL attacked Zelina after the match. Charlotte Flair came to Zelina’s aid.
Triple H appeared on the show and praised Adam Pearce for his work. WWE’s Chief Content Officer promoted Pearce to the WWE RAW General Manager. Dominik Mysterio interrupted Triple H. The Game then introduced Nick Aldis as the new SmackDown General Manager. Aldis introduced Kevin Owens as the newest member of the blue brand.
Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso defeated Austin Theory & Grayson Waller to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles.
In the main event, LA Knight faced Solo Sikoa. Jimmy Uso tried to interfere in the bout. However, John Cena delivered an AA to Jimmy. Solo hit Cena with a Samoan Spike. Knight then hit a BFT to pick up the victory. Roman Reigns speared The Megastar after the match.
According to Nielsen via SportsTVRatings, the October 13th episode of WWE SmackDown drew 2.417 million viewers on FOX and a 0.62 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
WWE SmackDown viewership & ratings for the past few weeks
| Episode of WWE SmackDown | Viewership | 18-49 demographic |
| October 13th | 2.417 million | 0.62 |
| October 6th | 2.319 million | 0.64 |
| September 29th | 2.303 million | 0.60 |
| September 22nd | 2.227 million | 0.63 |
| September 15th | 2.569 million | 0.70 |
| September 8th | 2.094 million | 0.53 |
| September 1st | 2.443 million | 0.65 |
| August 25th | 2.647 million | 0.78 |
Stay tuned with The Spotlight for more news.