4 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (7 Aug - Results & Review)
2. Great For Fatal Influence, Disaster For Chelsea!
The WWE trope of new champions suddenly getting egg on their faces and looking like losers needs to go. This fan really isn't sure what the logic behind pinning Chelsea Green here was. Fatal Influence interrupted Green’s title celebrations, then agreed to a Jacy Jayne title shot vs. Tiffany Stratton next week if Tiffany and Chelsea received a Women’s Tag Title chance here. Everyone said yes, then Green nonsensically took the pin.
Sure, everyone watching the weekly product knows she’s not some dominant alpha female like Rhea Ripley, but come on. You've just made your interim Women’s Champ look like a total afterthought and a loser right off the bat. Chelsea is talented and popular enough to offset this, but the creative is nightmare stuff in terms of choking momentum.
It would’ve made way more sense for Jacy to help Lainey Reid or Fallon Henley pin Stratton before their title bout next week. That way, Green would've been protected somewhat and could've moved on to her next story/feud without having to stare at the lights. No excuses - Chelsea just shouldn’t have been the one beaten in this tag bout. It was so avoidable.
She's a sympathetic underdog and makes that work for her, but it's also important to give people a reason to believe that the tide is turning for the breakout babyface. After this result, there's no reason to invest. Lord only knows how WWE will tackle Ripley's return, assuming Chelsea is even still the interim Women's Champ when that happens.