3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 15)

Downs...

5. The Riot Squad

Billie Kay The Riott Squad
WWE.com

That's one 't' in "Riot" for a reason.

The entire SmackDown women's division outside Sasha Banks vs. Carmella (which doesn't feature here but will motor along nicely in coming weeks) sucks. It's honestly an absolute shambles, and that's a pity when there's clearly some good talent in the ranks - they're not being backed by proper storytelling though.

Whatever WWE are trying with Billie Kay, it's not working. She's a weekly nuisance who has flipped between working "comedic" backstage skits and bizarrely trying to burrow her way into the Riott Squad nest. Weren't Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott supposed to be challenging for the Women's Tag belts?

Lumping 'mother hen' veterans like Natalya and Tamina together is just plain boring too. None of this ongoing nonsense seems to have been booked with a clear goal in mind, and it's not even entertaining to watch in an erratic way.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.