11 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (3 Sept)

3. Charlotte No Mates

Charlotte Flair Bayley
WWE.com

Bayley's sudden Raw heel turn raised big questions regarding her impending Clash of Champions showdown with Charlotte Flair.

Would WWE keep things as they were coming out of Monday's show and promote a straight-up villain vs. villain clash? Would 'The Queen' turn face, an alignment that rarely allows for the most compelling version of her character?

Whatever they end up doing, WWE took a strong first step by having Flair succumb to a 2-on-1 Bayley/Sasha Banks beatdown with minimal verbiage last night. Flair only mustered a couple of sentences before 'The Boss' appeared. She sensed the impending attack, so she leathered the SmackDown Women's Champion in the face, then inevitably succumbed to her disadvantage. Taken out by Bayley's (admittedly weak) chairshots, 'The Queen' was left lying (and sympathetic?) to close the opening segment.

The fans chanted "Becky! Becky! Becky!" as Charlotte was put down. It made more sense for Lynch not to appear. Flair, after all, is the biggest bastard on the women's roster and Becky's defining rival. They shouldn't suddenly be pals just because they have a couple of common enemies: that's something that should be built to over a number of weeks if, indeed, Charlotte goes babyface.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.