3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 15)
Downs...
5. The Riot Squad
That's one 't' in "Riot" for a reason.
The entire SmackDown women's division outside Sasha Banks vs. Carmella (which doesn't feature here but will motor along nicely in coming weeks) sucks. It's honestly an absolute shambles, and that's a pity when there's clearly some good talent in the ranks - they're not being backed by proper storytelling though.
Whatever WWE are trying with Billie Kay, it's not working. She's a weekly nuisance who has flipped between working "comedic" backstage skits and bizarrely trying to burrow her way into the Riott Squad nest. Weren't Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott supposed to be challenging for the Women's Tag belts?
Lumping 'mother hen' veterans like Natalya and Tamina together is just plain boring too. None of this ongoing nonsense seems to have been booked with a clear goal in mind, and it's not even entertaining to watch in an erratic way.