3 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (17 Oct - Results & Review)

Ups...

3. Routine But Fun Women’s Tag Title Defence

Following a modest amount of build in recent weeks, Friday's show also saw Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss beat Sol Ruca and Zaria to retain their Women's Tag-Team Titles. Overall, the match was routine and the belts were never changing hands, but the biggest takeaway here is that neither Ruca nor Zaria looked out of place next to the champs despite Flair and Bliss being bigger stars.

Fans came with the quartet from the start, and the whole ‘We’re Not Friends’ thing Charlotte and Alexa have going on is really working for them. Of course, the next step is giving them a proper feud to sink their teeth into, but a few more quickly-built title defences like this could work in the short term too. This is the kind of match that’ll stand the NXT’ers in good stead, that’s for sure.

Admittedly, some spots in the match weren’t exactly silky smooth, but nothing looked outright sloppy or bad. This bout got the job done, and there was even a bit of build for NXT Halloween Havoc with Blake Monroe watching from ringside and cackling when Sol tapped out to the Figure Eight. What a cackle it was.

The former Mariah May really knows how to work the cameras when they're on her. This is how someone maximises their minutes without threatening to take away from the match at hand. Good work, Blake.

Submitting to Flair isn't some crushing negative for Sol either, especially since Charlotte has shed that star suffocating aura she previously had earlier in the year. 2025 has been good for her character. Long may this tag run with Bliss last.