8 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 6)
6. Lynch Conquers Cross
After hosing the gimmick earlier, it is with a begrudging acceptance that your writer acknowledges last night's Nikki Cross contributions as a success. Manchester was into her surprise appearance, the match with Becky Lynch was solid enough, and although she lost, it didn't feel like her in-ring credibility was undermined in any way.
'The Lass Kicker' scored the victory via Dis-Arm-Her after dropping Nikki neck-first on the bottom rope. It took a shade under six minutes, but there's absolutely no shame in falling to the best wrestler on the roster (in kayfabe and real-life).
If you're into the character, Cross' arrival was almost certainly an electric turn of events. She got plenty in against Becky, too, and even though the cocky champion prevailed, this was a decent warm-up for a wrestler who probably hasn't been called-up just yet, but will be soon.