6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 14)
Paul Heyman lands in hot water; Shotzi gets a makeover; Hurt Business revamp incoming?
You've got to feel for Asuka right now.
Yes, she's the reigning WWE Women's Champion, but little about SmackDown's booking over the past few weeks reflects that. If anything, Asuka has been pushed to the side so almost literally everyone else shines brighter, and it's a shame when she's such a top worker.
That unfortunate decision from creative means everything, from an opening promo segment involving Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair to the main event bout pitting Belair vs. Asuka, sagged. This all seems to avoidable, and WWE should sort it out soon - they'll promote a three-way at SummerSlam, but the actual champ doesn't feel important.
Elsewhere, another member of the women's roster received a heartfelt makeover, and Bloodline excellence continued even though Roman Reigns was absent. Credit to Jey Uso, Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa for carrying the can this week. They soared when it would've been easy to phone things in.
If only WWE's writers could bottle some of the magic of that storyline, then sprinkle it onto other parts of the show. The upcoming Roman vs. Jey stuff is really carrying SmackDown right now, but there are shoots of recovery popping up thanks to a few hot midcard acts.
Here's all the good and bad!