14 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jul 9)
Downs...
2. A Confused Contract Signing
One of the criteria considered when determining whether a SmackDown segment should finish as an Up or Down is how well the live crowd responded to it. Did it get over? Did it get the intended reaction? How loud was said reaction? That kinda thing.
So while your writer enjoyed the Bayley/Nikki Cross contract signing on a subjective level, last night's reactions suggest that their relationship isn't resonating with the wider audience.
The duo spent time bantering back and forth over the table as is custom in these situations. Bayley was reasonable but assertive, while Cross was as naive as ever, refusing to accept the continued suggestion that Alexa Bliss is using her. This fed into the Scot's match with Carmella and while the segment was well-executed, people seem to be having a hard time figuring out how to take the angle.
Alexa and Nikki is one of the best-told stories in WWE today. Unfortunately, Bayley/Nikki is confused, and it feels like people are caught between disliking Nikki as a pseudo heel and feeling sorry for her.