2 Ups & 8 Downs From WWE SmackDown (17 April - Results & Review)
2. Yet More Women’s Title Pain
Rhea Ripley said she “wanted to come out here before [Jade Cargill] starts wasting everyone’s time”. Then, she proceeded to waste everyone’s time by saying sod all before Jade eventually walked away from the confrontation. This feud has been murder to witness, quite honestly. All they’ve done is say “bitch” a lot, and the build has made both Rhea and Jade feel less-than.
Their title match at ‘Mania better have something to offer that makes this horrendous hype worth sitting through. Hey, who knows? Maybe it'll be a surprise package. Maybe Jade will enter her best performance yet, and 'Mania Mami' will kick in to save the day. That seems like wishful thinking when the pair haven't gelled one bit on the microphone.
It's a true oil and water situation.
Unfortunately, it became clear incredibly quickly that Cargill and Ripley weren't going to click. Then, as if panicking, WWE spliced B-FAB and Michin into the picture alongside Jade for literally no good reason. Now, Rhea is pretending that they're a barrier for her getting to Cargill, but...stood in the ring with Jade and didn't do anything anyway. Huh? Good God, this is one of the worst WrestleMania rivalries of all time for sure.
Things would've been much better had Bianca Belair been able to return and go after Jade. Rhea is someone who either needs a break or something fresh as a character, and Cargill isn't experienced enough to make up for the feud's shortcomings. Fingers and toes crossed for their match. Please be decent, at least.