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One of the h*ttest points of the latest edition of SummerSlam was without a shadow of a doubt the great and controversial return of Becky Lynch after 16 months of absence due to maternity. The Man is back to challenge Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women's Championship, a challenge immediately accepted by EST which cost her the title, won by the Irishman in a match of just 26 seconds.
During the week there have been several rumors about the status and role that Becky Lynch would have had in SmackDown and all this has led to a great interest in the latest installment of the blue show. In fact, on this Friday, the show that airs on FOX opened with a promo of The Man, in which she said she did not regret having seized the moment at SummerSlam and in which she refused sudden revenge from Bianca Belair.
Apparently, the Becky Lynch effect has been felt on SmackDown's audience figures, which have literally skyrocketed compared to the last few weeks.
Becky Lynch is all set to begin another run as a heel
As revealed by the SpoilerTV site, the latest episode of SmackDown recorded 2.874 million viewers during the evening.
It should be noted that the Saturday projections are often subject to errors and it is reasonable to expect a lower figure at the time of confirmation on Monday afternoon. But if these numbers differ slightly from what is emerging now, it would be the audience record for an episode of SmackDown in 2021.
In detail, the first hour would have captured 2.933 million viewers and the second 2.815 million. Compared to the last episode, which was SummerSlam's go-home show, these figures are up 36.7%, and 28.5% compared to last Friday's projection.
In addition to the return of Becky Lynch, it should be emphasized that another highlight was the appearance of Roman Reigns after the victory over John Cena and the great return of Brock Lesnar. The Beast did not, however, appear during the episode of SmackDown as many expected, despite the WWE had never advertised his presence.
It is unclear when Brock Lesnar will be seen on a WWE show, while Becky Lynch is expected to be back on a permanent basis and the rematch against Bianca Belair is already in preparation. Lynch squashed Bianca Belair to win the SmackDown women's title for the fourth time in her career, and the quick win was reportedly designed to kickstart the returning star's stint as a heel.
As reported, WWE accepted Becky Lynch's request to alter her gimmick, and it will be interesting to see if she manages to replicate Roman Reigns' incredible run on SmackDown.