Major return, Roman Reigns finds an unlikely ally? - 4 takeaways from the season premiere of WWE SmackDown on USA Network

The season premiere of WWE SmackDown on the USA Network is officially in the books. It’s safe to say that this week's episode was action-packed, with many amazing moments for the WWE Universe.

One of the most highly anticipated matches of the night was Cody Rhodes defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Solo Sikoa in a Steel Cage Match. Despite a valiant effort from Solo, it wasn't enough to put The American Nightmare away, as Rhodes successfully retained the title.

Here are the four major takeaways from the season premiere of WWE SmackDown.

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#4. LA Knight has a new challenger

Carmelo Hayes and Andrade both believe they should be next in line for LA Knight's United States Championship. With each having two wins over the other, the fifth installment of their series of matches was made official for the season premiere of SmackDown.

After a hard-fought match, it was Andrade who emerged victorious. LA Knight then came out and acknowledged that Andrade deserved the next title shot, announcing that the United States Championship match between himself and Andrade would take place next week.

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#3. The future of Naomi and Bayley hangs in a balance

On this week's SmackDown, Nia Jax announced that she would be defending her WWE Women's Championship at Bad Blood, though her opponent was yet to be determined.

Bayley came out, demanding a rematch from SummerSlam, followed by Naomi, who also staked her claim for a title shot. To resolve the issue, Nia Jax proposed a high-stakes tag team match for next week, pitting herself and Tiffany Stratton against Bayley and Naomi. The stipulation for next week's bout is that if Bayley and Naomi win, whoever scores the winning pinfall will get a WWE Women's Championship match against Nia Jax at Bad Blood.

However, if Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton win, the person pinned will have to leave SmackDown permanently. This match is not only a must-win for Bayley and Naomi to secure a title shot but also crucial for their futures on SmackDown.

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#2. Randy Orton is officially back on WWE SmackDown

After appearing on Monday Night RAW for several weeks leading up to his match against Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at Bash in Berlin, Randy Orton has finally returned to SmackDown.

Orton made his comeback as the mystery tag team partner of Kevin Owens, teaming up against Grayson Waller and Austin Theory in a tag team match. The Viper was at his usual best, delivering an RKO to secure the win for his team.

It will be interesting to see what WWE has planned for Randy Orton moving forward.

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#1. Roman Reigns finds an unlikely ally ahead of Bad Blood

After Cody Rhodes defeated Solo Sikoa in the opening match of the night, the rest of The Bloodline, namely Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu attacked the Undisputed WWE Champion.

This was when Roman Reigns made his return, taking out all the members of The Bloodline. By the end of the segment, arch-rivals Reigns and Rhodes stood tall together against Solo Sikoa and company. Later in the show, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis announced that Solo and Jacob Fatu had challenged Rhodes and Reigns to a tag team match at Bad Blood.

Initially, Rhodes dismissed the idea, but at the end of the show, he signed the contract to make the match official. Though tensions seemingly still exist between Reigns and Rhodes, they will have to put their differences aside and team up at Bad Blood against Solo Sikoa's Bloodline.