11 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (July 30)

4. Queen Vs. Queen

Trish Stratus Charlotte Flair
WWE.com

As expected, Jerry Lawler welcomed Trish Stratus to last night's episode of the King's Court, and as expected, it led to the legend being booked to face Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam.

This exciting era vs. era clash is one of the most intriguing on the card so far. While Trish has looked good since returning in the 2018 women's Royal Rumble, she hasn't had a singles match yet. Each of her bouts has been multi-person affairs that have allowed Status to hide any weaknesses that will have inevitably crept into her game since retiring, making SummerSlam a massive, massive test. Fortunately, she'll be in there with the women's division's ace. Flair is tremendous, and while she does have the old disappointing performance in her, she should be able to craft something fun with the veteran.

As for the segment? It wasn't perfectly performed, with Trish a little shaky on the microphone. This didn't drag it down, though. Her versus Charlotte was a compelling verbal jousting session with 'The Queen' making good on last week's promise to face a big name at the pay-per-view, and there was real conviction in her voice as she told Stratus to "get the hell out of my ring, hop in your minivan, and go back to changing diapers."

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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.