WWE Friday Night Smackdown Live Coverage - October 16th, 2020

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Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman set for Universal Title clash on SmackDown season premiere

Roman Reigns will battle Braun Strowman for the Universal Title, The New Day holds their Farewell Match against Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro & Sheamus, and much more.


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- The WWE SmackDown on FOX season two premiere Kickoff pre-show opens up from WWE ThunderDome at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida as Michael Cole welcomes us. He's joined by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. Cole hypes the show and says we will be joined by Renee Young later on. They hype tonight's main event and we go backstage to Paul Heyman. He says WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is taking tonight's match seriously, which is why he's not doing this interview. Heyman goes on and dismisses the idea of the pre-show, then sends us back to Cole and Booker. They send us to SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits in the back. They get hype for tonight's show and mention some of the guests, including WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, and others. We go to commercial.

Back from a break and we see the NFL on FOX panel giving their predictions for tonight's main event. Cole welcomes us back and sends us to an old friend - Renee Young. She checks in from home. Renee apologizes for not being able to be here in person but says there's no way she was going to miss this. She shows us some of the best moments from the first year of SmackDown on FOX. Renee talks about Seth Rollins now being on SmackDown. She sends us back to the panel and Rollins is with Cole and Booker. Rollins talks about being the Friday Night Messiah and being thrilled to get in the ring with some talent he hasn't been in with yet. Cole brings up The Mysterio Family and Mysterio isn't bothered by them. Cole sends us to a message from NFL player George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers. He's a fan of Rollins and wishes him good luck in dominating. Rollins thanks Kittle and teases a surprise for later tonight. Cole mentions Ryan Satin being with WWE on FOX Sports now. We see Braun Strowman backstage getting ready as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Cole sends us to former MLB player David Ortiz, who has a WWE Title belt with him. He cuts a promo on Booker. Booker responds accordingly. We go backstage to Strowman with Kayla Braxton now. He talks about his history with Reigns and says he's been his greatest adversary since coming to WWE. Strowman says they bring out the best and worst in each other, and he's taking the title to RAW at the end of the night, and all Reigns will get is these hands. We go back to Cole and Booker for a prediction on the main event. Booker praises Strowman but believes Reigns will retain. Cole sends us to a preview of WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin appearing with Rob Stone for college football tomorrow for Big Noon Kickoff. We see Stone video chatting with Austin. We see Triple H and Stephanie backstage getting ready. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and we get more WWE talk from the NFL on FOX crew. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are on the panel now. Triple H says it would mean turmoil and chaos if Braun takes the title back to RAW. They go on about how big season two of SmackDown on FOX will be. Triple H says he sees Rhea Ripley being the one to dominate in the next 5 year when asked, saying he sees her headlining WrestleMania. Cole asks about Bianca Belair and Triple H also praises her. We get more discussion and that's it for the Kickoff.

- The WWE SmackDown on FOX season two premiere opens up with the usual intro.

- We're live from the WWE ThunderDome at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida as Michael Cole welcomes us. He's at ringside with Corey Graves. The entire SmackDown roster, minus WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, is on the stage while Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are in the ring.

Stephanie welcomes us to the SmackDown season premiere. Triple H hypes tonight's main event for the WWE Universal Title. Stephanie hypes The New Day's farewell match while Triple H plugs Lars Sullivan vs. Jeff Hardy. Fans boo Lars' name. Lars is also not on the stage. Stephanie hypes how Daniel Bryan will be making his first ThunderDome appearance. Bryan is on the stage and gets a "yes!" chant from the crowd. Triple H says there are a lot of new faces here, starting with Kevin Owens. Owens gets a pop on the stage. Stephanie shouts out Aleister Black, who stares Owens down. Triple H introduces WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, who gets booed. Stephanie points to Otis and his Money In the Bank briefcase. Triple H hypes how The Street Profits will be defending their SmackDown Tag Team Titles. Fans chant "we want smoke!" now. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler suddenly attack The Profits, beating them to the ring. The rest of the roster also brawls to the ring as it quickly fills up with Superstars.

Triple H and Stephanie exit the ring as the big brawl continues. Owens leaps out and takes a bunch of guys down. Montez Ford runs and nails a big dive on Ziggler and Roode. The music hits and out comes Lars Sullivan. Sullivan levels The Profits at ringside. Kalisto leaps out but Sullivan catches him and rams him into the barrier. Sami retreats as Lars hits the ring. Shorty G and Apollo Crews attack Lars but he takes them both out with ease, hitting a Freak Accident on G. Fans boo Lars as he stands tall. Jeff Hardy comes from behind and attacks Sullivan. Sullivan blocks a Twist of Fate but Hardy sends him to the floor. Hardy celebrates as his music hits, while Lars stares him down from ringside.

- Cole and Graves hype tonight's WWE Universal Title match some more. We go to commercial.

Lars Sullivan vs. Jeff Hardy

Back from the break and we see Lars Sullivan and Jeff Hardy in the ring. Cole points to how WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett is watching in the ThunderDome crowd. The bell rings and Hardy attacks but Lars comes back and levels him with ease.

Lars mounts Hardy from behind and clubs him with big crossface blows as fans boo him. We see a replay that shows how Hardy may have landed bad on his hurt knee. Lars runs over Hardy again and stalks him in the corner while he's down. Lars unloads on Hardy in the corner now. Lars picks Hardy up and launches him across the ring. Lars with a sliding clothesline for a 2 count.

Lars goes to the top but misses the diving headbutt as Hardy moves out of the way. Hardy with strikes now but Lars takes them and grabs him. Hardy swats Lars away and hits a jawbreaker. Hardy keeps fighting and hits the inverted Atomic Drop. Lars drops Hardy with a big shot to the spine. Lars runs into an elbow in the corner. Hardy with Whisper In the Wind from the top for a 1 count.

Lars gets up and Hardy goes for the Twist of Fate but it's blocked. Lars sends Hardy out to the floor and the referee starts counting. Lars follows. Hardy runs and leaps off the steel steps but Lars catches him in mid-air, then slams him on the edge of the apron. Lars rolls Hardy back in but Hardy nails a Twist of Fate. Lars is stunned but he gets right back up as Hardy goes to the top. Lars grabs him by the throat and then delivers a Freak Accident to the middle of the ring for the pin to win.

Winner: Lars Sullivan

- After the match, Lars stands tall as his music hits. We go to replays. Lars stands and stares out at the crowd as the referee checks on Hardy while he's still down.

- Still to come, Strowman vs. Reigns and the return of Daniel Bryan.

The New Day vs. Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura and Sheamus

We go back to the ring for The New Day's Farewell Match. Due to the Draft, Big E will be staying on SmackDown while his partners are going to RAW. Out comes Big E with RAW Tag Team Champions Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston. They hit the ring and celebrate as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and we get a vignette for Bianca Belair. We go back to the ring and The New Day is celebrating as fans chant for them. Big E says after the last 6 years your boys have finally found the one thing stronger than the Power of Positivity - the damn WWE Draft. Woods talks about how he and Kofi are going to RAW while Big E is staying on SmackDown, which means for the first time The New Day will be split up. Kofi says they have had a week to think about his and after going through a plethora of emotions... Kofi gets a bit emotional but says he couldn't help but have a smile on his face. They talk about fans sharing their moments on social media. They talk more about their time together and how they formed the group, making more than best friends, making brothers. Kofi says he loves Woods and Big E. Woods says enough of the sappy stuff, they're here to get it done one last time and whoop that tail the only way they know how. Big E does his "New Day rocks!" chant and the crowd joins in. Cole sends us backstage to Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura and Sheamus with Kayla Braxton. Sheamus says they're so grateful for the opportunity to give The New Day the send-off they deserve. Cesaro says they stole their titles last week so they will take great pleasure in beating them up. Nakamura goes on and says this will be goodbye to The New Day forever. Sheamus' music hits in the arena and out he comes first to boos. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are out next and they head to the ring together. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and we see the NFL on FOX panel talking about tonight's main event again, giving their predictions. Most go with Roman Reigns, including Michael Vick. Terry Bradshaw goes with Braun Strowman. We go back to the ring now and the bell hits. Nakamura starts off with Woods and takes him down. They come back up and trade holds. Woods works on the arm and elbow now. Nakamura with a knee to the gut. Nakamura unloads in the corner now. Woods drops Nakamura and works on the arm some more. Nakamura counters and stomps on his feet. They run the ropes and Woods kicks Nakamura, tagging in Kofi. Kofi runs in and takes Nakamura down with a Woods-assisted stomp for a 2 count.

Kofi and Nakamura trade counters now. Nakamura drops Kofi with a big kick. Cesaro tags in and they double team Kofi with a few moves. Cesaro taunts Big E and talks some trash to Kofi. Cesaro unloads on Kofi in the corner now. Cesaro whips Kofi in the corner but he leaps off the second turnbuckle with a dropkick. Big E tags in and they double team Cesaro. Woods tags in now and he puts Big E on his shoulders, dropping him down onto Cesaro with a splash. Woods covers and Cesaro kicks out at 2. Woods with chops to Cesaro but they do nothing. Cesaro drops Woods and tags in Sheamus for the double team clothesline. They do a "The Bar!" taunt to Woods. Sheamus drops an elbow to Woods and goes to work on him while he's down.

Woods slides off Sheamus' shoulders and rocks him with a rolling elbow, then a kick to bring him down. Woods with a sliding knee strike. Big E tags in and powerbombs Woods on to Sheamus. Kofi comes off the top, nailing the splash to Sheamus for a 2 count. Nakamura ends up sending Kofi to the floor from the apron. Woods checks on Kofi and complains to the referee. Kofi gets hit with a big triple team move at ringside now. Nakamura brings Kofi back in the ring and covers for a close 2 count. Nakamura with boots to Kofi in the corner. Sheamus tags in and rocks Kofi with a right. Another quick tag to Cesaro as he and Sheamus stomp away on Kofi while he's down. The referee warns them.

Cesaro talks some trash but Kofi fights up from the mat. Cesaro scoop slams him and drops a big leg drop for another close pin attempt. Sheamus tags in and kicks Kofi in the gut while Cesaro holds him. Sheamus controls Kofi and holds him while Nakamura tags back in with a kick to the gut. Nakamura unloads on Kofi with stomps. Cesaro comes back in as the frequent tags continue. Kofi rocks Cesaro, then Sheamus and Nakamura. Kofi fights all three opponents but Cesaro puts him on the top turnbuckle. Kofi ends up getting knocked off the top to the floor and he lands hard as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Sheamus knocks Woods off the apron, then goes back to work on Kofi. Kofi counters with a roll-up for 2. Kofi with the SOS now. Big E and Cesaro tag in now. Big E with a big belly-to-belly throw, then a shot to knock Nakamura off the apron. Fans pop as Big E keeps working on Cesaro. Big E runs and hits the big splash in the middle of the ring. Big E rallies the crowd but Cesaro blocks the Big Ending. Cesaro comes right back with a big Gutwrench suplex. Cesaro with a running uppercut in the corner. Cesaro runs into an elbow in the corner. Woods tags in and they end up hitting a double team on Cesaro, the Uranage into a Backstabber by Woods. Woods covers for a close 2 count.

More back and forth with Woods and Cesaro going at it now. Cesaro lands an uppercut. Nakamura tags in and hits the sliding German suplex under the bottom rope. Nakamura comes back in for the 2 count. Nakamura works Woods over while he's down. Woods fights back and ducks a right hand. Woods drops Nakamura into the middle rope and jumps on his back, sliding to the floor. Cesaro and Nakamura end up on the floor together. Kofi runs and flies out, taking them both down. Sheamus gets kicked by Kofi from the floor. Kofi brings Nakamura back in and goes to the top. Kofi leaps with the big right hand but Nakamura nails a kick in mid-air. Cesaro tags back in but Nakamura gets dropped as he tries to double team.

Sheamus and Cesaro hit the double team White Noise but Big E breaks the pin up. Big E with the Big Ending on Cesaro. Nakamura runs in and drops Big E with a kick. Woods with a missile dropkick to Nakamura. Sheamus clotheslines Woods to the floor. Sheamus talks trash to Kofi but Kofi headbutts him. Sheamus charges but runs into the ring post as Kofi moves. Big E and Woods both come in. They hit Midnight Hour on Sheamus and Big E covers for the pin to win.

Winners: The New Day

- After the match, The New Day stands tall together as the music hits. We go to replays. The New Day huddles up in the middle of the ring for what Cole calls an emotional moment. Big E talks about how they will forever be a part of him, and he can't thank them enough, they are his brothers. They all hug again before posing in the middle of the ring for a pop, raising their hands and the titles in the air.

- Still to come, Bayley and Sasha Banks will sign the contract for their Hell In a Cell match.

- Kayla is backstage with Otis. She asks what he plans on doing about The Miz suing him for his Money In the Bank briefcase. WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn interrupts. He brings up how Otis lost his partner Tucker to RAW, and his girlfriend Mandy Rose to RAW. He says Otis will probably lose this lawsuit too. Sami says there are winners and losers in life, there are winners and there are Otis. Otis shoves Sami to the ground.

- We go back to the ring and out comes Daniel Bryan for his WWE ThunderDome debut. Fans chant "yes!" as Bryan hits the ring and we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Bryan is in the ring, and he's not dressed to wrestle. We see WWE Hall of Famer Brie Bella and their daughter watching from the ThunderDome crowd as the "yes!" chants continue. Bryan talks about how much he loves being inside the ThunderDome. Bryan loved his time at home. He says hello to Brie and their daughter in the crowd. Bryan said he could not wait to come back and experience this. He hypes up tonight's show. He's excited for some fresh faces on the roster, like Bianca Belair, The Riott Squad. People he's excited to fight like Kevin Owens, Aleister Black, Apollo Crews. He can't wait to get in the ring with these men. The music interrupts and out comes Seth Rollins.

The pyro hits and Bryan laughs as Rollins makes his way out with a mic. Rollins says it's so good to see Bryan. He's thrilled Brie let Bryan off daddy duty for a night to come to the ThunderDome. Rollins believes Baby Brain may have gotten to Bryan because he named a lot of people but he forgot to mention the most important Draft pick, the man who will lead SmackDown into the future - Rollins. Rollins enters the ring and says he has an important question to ask Bryan - which side of history do you want to be on? Because when it comes to The Greater Good, either you're with Rollins or against him. Rollins is sure Bryan is smart enough to want to stand next to him and mold the future of the industry to his vision. Bryan says he's all for changing the future for the better but to be quite honest, Rollins' vision seems a little short sighted, self indulgent, self centered, and just kind of a little bit dumb.

Rollins says Bryan doesn't mean that but he does. They argue a bit until Rollins drops Bryan with a right hand. Rollins stomps away while Bryan is down now as fans boo. Rollins yells at Bryan about how he's dumb. Bryan ducks Rollins and takes him down for a pop. Bryan delivers Yes Kicks now. Bryan goes for the roundhouse kick but Rollins retreat to the floor, and backs up the ramp. Rey Mysterio's music hits and out he comes with Dominik Mysterio as the "yes!" chant starts up again. Rollins returns to the ring as The Mysterios stare him down. Rollins tries to get Bryan to join him. Bryan exits the ring and leaves Rollins alone with The Mysterios. The music interrupts and out comes Murphy.

Murphy rushes the ring and stares everyone down. Rollins pats him on the back but Murphy takes Rollins down and unloads on him with strikes as fans pop. Murphy drops Rollins and sends him retreating up the ramp again. Murphy and The Mysterios stare each other down now. Murphy offers his hand to Rey for a shake. Dominik leaves the ring while Rey stares Murphy down. Rey also leaves the ring while Murphy still has his hand out. Rey's music starts back up as he and Dominik head up the ramp while Murphy looks on.

- Still to come, Strowman vs. Reigns. We go to Jay Glazer from NFL on FOX. He comments on how FOX is happy that they picked up top stars in the Draft. He also talks about tonight's main event and sends us back to Cole.

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SmackDown Tag Team Titles Match: Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler vs. The Street Profits

We go back to the ring and out come SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits - Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. Red cups fall from the rafters as the champs head to the ring. We get a backstage interview from earlier with Ford and Dawkins hyping up tonight's title defense. They are up and they want the smoke. Ford and Dawkins dance around the ring as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Robert Roode is already out with Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler and Dawkins go at it to start, back and forth. Dawkins with a big dropkick. Dawkins misses a corkscrew splash in the corner as Ziggler moves. Roode tags in and stomps away on Dawkins in the corner. Roode with a suplex for a 2 count. Roode drops Ford off the apron with a cheap shot.

We see WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair watching int he ThunderDome crowd. Ziggler comes back in for the double team and a 2 count on Dawkins as Ford breaks it up. Ford fights off both opponents but they beat him down. The referee calls for the bell.

Winners by DQ: The Street Profits

- After the bell, Roode and Ziggler toss Ford to the floor. They go for Dawkins but he fights them off. They get the upperhand and hit a big double team Spinebuster into a Zig Zag. Ford goes to the top and hits a double crossbody to take down both of the challengers. Ford helps Dawkins up and they celebrate together as we go to replays.

- We see what happened between Sasha Banks and Bayley in last week's title match.

- We go back to the ring and out comes Sasha Banks for her Hell In a Cell contract signing with SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley. Banks poses on the apron as the pyro goes off and we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and we get a plug for next week's SmackDown on FS1. We go back to the ring and out comes Bayley. Banks and WWE Producer Adam Pearce are already sitting at the table for the contract signing. Pearce talks about the match and lets Banks sign first. Banks signs and says she's been waiting for this moment for a very long time. So has Bayley, who just wants to be done with Banks, who she calls her baggage, so she can continue her historic title reign.

Banks and Bayley have more words as Pearce looks on. Bayley says Banks has been waiting to turn on her this entire time but she beat her to the punch, and that's why Banks is mad. Banks stands up and says if she wanted to turn on Bayley, she would've done it years ago. Banks says friends don't turn on each other. Banks recalls how she was the first person to call Bayley when she got left behind at WWE NXT. She goes on talking about how she was there for Bayley at different times. Banks says she will end Bayley at Hell In a Cell because her name is Sasha Banks and her name is bigger than Bayley's title. Banks says it will just be the icing on the cake when she leaves the Cell with the title.

Banks shoves the contract over to Bayley but Bayley stands up with a steel chair. Bayley backs out of the ring with the chair and says she's not signing anything. Banks tells her to leave like the coward she is, but there will be no where to run in the Cell. Banks says one way or the other, Bayley will be signing this contract. Bayley rants and taunts Banks from the ramp while holding her title and the chair. Banks stares back from the ring.

- We see Braun Strowman backstage warming up. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and we get shout-outs to WWE from actor/comedians Ken Jeong and Joel McHale.

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WWE Universal Title Match: Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns

We go back to the ring for tonight's main event and out first comes The Monster Among Men, Braun Strowman. The new RAW Superstar hits the ring to pyro. Out next comes WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman. The Tribal Chief also gets pyro. We get formal ring introductions from Greg Hamilton. Fans cheer and boo as we see Jey Uso backstage watching the two competitors face off in the ring. We go back to commercial.

Back from the break and we see WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin chatting via video call with FOX Sports' Rob Stone again to promote Saturday's college football on FOX. We see Stone and WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry watching from the ThunderDome crowd now. We go back to the ring and the bell rings to star the main event as Strowman gets sent to the floor after a lock-up. Strowman comes to the apron to re-enter but Reigns knocks him back to the floor with a Superman Punch. Reigns nails a dropkick on the apron and covers for a 1 count as Strowman kicks out with ease. We see Jey watching backstage again.

Reigns works on Strowman in the corner but Strowman fights back. Reigns with a big right hand and a kick to drop Braun again. Braun kicks out with ease again. Reigns sends Strowman over the top rope again. Reigns follows as the referee counts, slamming Strowman face-first into the steel ring steps. Strowman gets sent face-first into the announce table now. Strowman creates some space but Reigns leaps off the steel steps. Strowman blocks him in mid-air and ends up sending Reigns over the announce table to the floor.

Strowman returns to the ring and lets the referee count. Strowman runs around the ring as Reigns gets back to his feet. Strowman charges and sends Reigns flying over the barrier with a big shoulder. We go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Strowman has been dominating Reigns. We see WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg watching from the ThunderDome crowd now. Strowman clubs Reigns back to the mat for a close 2 count. Strowman stalks Reigns but runs into a big boot in the corner. Reigns moves and Strowman charges into the ring post.

Reigns leaps for a Superman Punch but Strowman catches him in mid-air by the throat. Strowman talks some trash and ends up manhandling Reigns back to the mat. Strowman declares that he is not finished with Reigns. Strowman with a big chokeslam in the middle of the ring for a 2 count. Strowman goes down and it looks like he got hit with a low blow on the kick out, just like what happened with Uso a few weeks ago.

Reigns follows up with a big Spear but Strowman still kicks out. Reigns is a bit surprised. Reigns waits in the corner and charges for another Spear but Strowman counters and goes for a running powerslam. Reigns slides out and sends him into the corner. Strowman grabs Reigns for a bear hug but Reigns turns it into a guillotine submission. Strowman rams Reigns into the corner but Reigns keeps the submission locked. Strowman starts to fade now. He goes to one knee and then the mat.

Reigns keeps the hold locked in on the mat for a minute or so. Strowman taps out for the finish.

Winner: Roman Reigns

- After the match, Reigns stands tall as his music hits. He's quickly interrupted as The Usos' music hits and out comes cousin Jey Uso to the stage. Reigns' Hell In a Cell opponent stares him down from the stage. Reigns looks at Strowman, then back at Strowman. Strowman gets up and Reigns delivers another Spear, to send a message to Uso. Reigns tells Uso to come down to the ring. Jey slowly walks down, staring Reigns down. Heyman hands a steel chair to Reigns and Reigns waits with it, taunting Uso at he makes it to the ringside area. Reigns points at Strowman and tells Uso that this is how they eat and take care of generations of family. If he's not at the top, then they can't take care of family. Reigns tells Uso that Strowman is him at Hell In a Cell, and to imagine if I can do this to him, imagine what I can do to you at Hell In a Cell. Reigns with chair shots to Strowman while he's down. Fans boo Reigns as officials rush the ring to get Reigns to stop. Reigns picks the chair back up and unloads on Strowman with more chair shots while he's down.

Uso gets on the apron now as Reigns continues to taunt him and tell him to bring it. Uso enters the ring and Reigns drops the chair. Reigns just wants Uso to understand that Uso is embarrassing them. Reigns goes on about Uso trying to take his place, and it makes no sense. Reigns says he still loves Uso. Reigns tells Uso to swing the chair at him and prove to Reigns. Reigns kicks the chair over to Uso and tells him to hit him. Reigns turns his back on Uso and waits. Uso picks the chair up but throws it right back down. Reigns laughs at Uso. Uso rocks Reigns and drops him with another big right hand. Uso yells about how they love each other. Uso picks the chair back up and hits Reigns with it while he's down. Heyman yells out. Officials hit the ring again to get in between them but Reigns takes advantage and drops Uso with a big Superman Punch. Reigns says this is Uso's last chance. Reigns makes his exit as his music hits and fans boo him. Officials tend to Uso while he's down. Cole thanks fans for tuning into the SmackDown on FOX season two premiere. SmackDown goes off the air with Reigns making his way up the ramp.