12 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Apr 23)

10. Absolute Tension

Sonya Deville Mandy rose
WWE.com

SmackDown already feels closer to a fully three-dimensional wrestling show following Brian 'Road Dogg' James' departure, and little sub-stories like the tension between Paige and former Absolution partners Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville is the reason.

This is really good stuff. Rose and Deville assumed they were who their ex-manager was referring to when she promised to bring a fresh team to SmackDown, and were upset when Asuka and Kairi Sane were unveiled in what they felt was their place. This bred bitterness, and last night saw the duo tell Paige that the Kairi/Asuka union was going to blow up in her face, and that she shouldn't come crawling back to them when it does. Later, Mandy and Sonya showed up to sarcastically applaud Sane's victory over Billie Kay from the stage.

Spinning compelling women's division narratives beneath the mainline title programmes has been one of WWE's biggest weaknesses throughout this Revolution. As small as they seem, angles like this are the solution.

Advertisement
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.