5 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 21)

Downs...

2. Did It, Done It, Doing It Again

Sarah Logan Ruby Riot Liv Morgan
WWE.com

Roman Reigns' Intercontinental Title win aside, Paige's WWE return was the biggest story to emerge from this week's Raw. Back on our screens for the first time in 18 months, the former Divas Champion introduced two NXT debutants in Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, with the new trio launching unprovoked attacks on Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Women's Champion Alexa Bliss.

We saw a near identical recreation of the angle on SmackDown, with newcomers Sarah Logan, Ruby Riot, and Liv Morgan running roughshod. They started by assaulting Naomi and Becky Lynch backstage, before beating Natalya and Charlotte Flair down following their SmackDown Women's Title match. This would've been fine in isolation, but it happened just 24 hours after the infinitely more impactful Raw angle, and therefore left a bad impression.

It's great to see so many new faces making a mark, but WWE essentially copy/pasted the previous night's debuts. That's so uncreative, it's insulting. The brand split should prevent such rehashes, but this was an unwanted flashback to the days when SmackDown was no more than Raw Lite, with multiple segments and matches recreated on the apparent B-show.

Unfortunately, this was a problem prevalent throughout the entire evening...

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.