Overnight ratings for the October 22 episode of WWE SmackDown

Overnight ratings for the season premiere episode of SmackDown have been released. According to Spoiler TV, the blue brand drew an average of 2.101 million viewers in overnight ratings.

Friday's SmackDown emanated from the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The show marked the beginning of a new era of SmackDown following the WWE Draft.

The blue brand's viewership improved considerably from last week. Last week's show on FS1 drew an average of 793,000 viewers in overnight ratings. This week, SmackDown managed an average of a 0.50 rating in the 18-49 demographic, topping the list for the night.

The show's first hour drew 2.152 million viewers, while viewership fell slightly in the second hour to 2.050 million viewers.

What happened on WWE SmackDown this week?

The new season of WWE SmackDown was chaotic, to say the least. The show started with Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman celebrating the Tribal Chief's victory at Crown Jewel, while the former urged Brock Lesnar to deliver on his promise to beat Reigns senseless.

The Beast Incarnate swooped down to the ring, destroying Reigns and The Usos. WWE official Adam Pierce suspended Brock Lesnar indefinitely as a result. However, Lesnar planted the WWE Official with two F5s in the middle of the ring.

Drew McIntyre officially debuted on the blue brand, beating Sami Zayn in a singles matchup. The show also featured the coronation ceremony of Xavier Woods and the debut of Hit Row.

In a rematch of their Crown Jewel encounter, Mansoor once again defeated Mustafa Ali. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura was also in action against Happy Corbin in a non-title match.

The last segment featured a much-awaited title exchange between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Sasha Banks made herself part of the title picture as she launched an attack on Charlotte Flair, ending SmackDown.