4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 20)

3. Starting A Riott

Ruby Riott
WWE.com

While WWE's pacing of the ongoing Riott Squad vs. the SmackDown women's division storyline has been odd, they're building towards the right match. Booking issues aside, Ruby is comfortably her trio's best wrestler, and Charlotte is the division's most three-dimensional competitor. They'll have a great match at Fastlane, and warmed up for it with a decent six-woman tag on last night's midcard.

The bout went a tad too long, but really heated up towards the end. Becky Lynch was the proverbial house on fire, throwing the Squad around with all kinds of suplexes, before locking in a Dis-Arm-Her. Liv Morgan made the save, though, and Riott pinned 'The Lass Kicker' a few moments later.

It was the right outcome. The Squad still lack credibility, and if Ruby is to challenge for the belt, she needs to start racking up the victories. She didn't score the pinfall last night, but she did look strong throughout. Let's hope her and her group continue building momentum over the coming weeks.

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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.