12 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 6)

1. A Credible Contender?

Ember Moon Natalya
WWE.com

Many were happy to see Ember Moon elevated to contender's status a few weeks ago, but WWE haven't done a good job of presenting her as a credible challenger to Bayley's throne over the past fortnight.

'The War Goddess' justified her nickname a few weeks ago, downing the SmackDown Women's Champion and Charlotte Flair with gusto, elevating her status by standing tall over the SmackDown division's two most credible wrestlers. A great move. Unfortunately, WWE undid it by having the champ level Moon the following week, and it continued last night, with Ember weakened by her short match with Natalya.

The bout concluded with Nattie trapping Moon in a Sharpshooter on the outside. A double countout followed and 'The Shenom' looked helpless until Bayley turned up to save the day, splitting her and the Raw Women's Title challenger.

Ember looked like a doormat here. A weakling. Damaged. That's not a good look heading into the biggest match of her main roster career.

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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.