Last night's episode of SmackDown was billed as the show's "season premiere," and it certainly didn't disappoint. John Cena kicked off the show for a confrontation with returning Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, but the leader of the Cenation wasn't there to challenge the Tribal Chief.
Instead, he introduced LA Knight, with all signs now pointing to him battling Reigns for the title at Crown Jewel next month.
The big news of the night saw Triple H appoint Adam Pearce as RAW's General Manager. With that, he introduced SmackDown's new GM, Nick Aldis! Best known for his tenure in the National Wrestling Alliance and TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, this is a huge addition to WWE and, as Aldis is married to Mickie James, one that could lead to her return as well.
Aldis' first act as head of the blue brand was to reveal who SmackDown got in exchange for trading Jey Uso to RAW: Kevin Owens! Alas, that means his time teaming with Sami Zayn has reached its end (he addressed that in an interview which took place after the show).
Charlotte Flair also crossed paths with Jade Cargill backstage and later in the night, Reigns and Cody Rhodes stared each other down in what felt like a definite tease for next year's WrestleMania.
WWE is on something of a hot streak right now and that's as a result of Triple H calling the shots as head of creative in place of Vince McMahon. It's interesting that WWE has decided to reinstate General Managers, though it may not be a coincidence with Survivor Series looming!
Check out some highlights from SmackDown below.