Roman Reigns' absence on WWE SmackDown affects the show negatively according to reports

Roman Reigns' absence from WWE SmackDown last week has reportedly affected the show negatively.

The Bloodline Civil War continued last week on SmackDown despite the absence of Roman Reigns. Jey Uso got into an altercation with Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman after he was blamed for what happened to Jimmy the following week on SmackDown.

However, unlike the previous episode, Reigns was not there this week, and his absence has had an adverse effect on the show. According to Wrestling Observer Online, SmackDown averaged 2.309 million viewers on Fox, down 9.8 percent from the previous week's episode. This was also the lowest audience for the show since the June 9 episode.

With respect to network television, SmackDown finished in second place last week. In the 18-49 demo, the show received a rating of 0.62, down 18.4 percent from the previous week's episode. However, it was double the nearest competition.

However, when comparing the same week with the previous year, viewership was up 11.2 percent, while the show received a 31.9 percent boost in the 18-49 demo rating, which indicates an upward year-over-year trend.

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Roman Reigns is advertised for this week's SmackDown

The overall viewership should be up this week as Roman Reigns returns to SmackDown, which will occur on FS1 due to the Women's World Cup.

Reigns and Jey Uso are set to have their rules of engagement this week on the blue brand. As of writing this article, there is no official confirmation of what this means for both men.

Fans will be waiting in anticipation to see what the Tribal Chief has to say regarding last week's events. It will also be interesting to see if Jey Uso can maintain his composure in front of Reigns.

What do you think will happen this week on SmackDown? Sound off in the comments section.