4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Oct 24)

Downs...

3. Here We Go Again

Carmella Charlotte Flair Becky Lynch
WWE.com

This week's cut and paste SmackDown women's match saw Charlotte Flair, Tamina, Carmella, Naomi, and Becky Lynch compete in a Fatal 5-Way, but with a slight twist: the winner would captain the blue brand's Survivor Series team on November 19th.

These stakes gave the bout a little extra zest. Otherwise, it was a worthless contest. The action was fine, and there were no obvious mistakes, but the way SmackDown's writers continue to book their women's division remains a massive bugbear. Every week we get a slight variation of the same multi-person match, and it's precisely why none of them are over anymore, particularly the likes of Charlotte and Becky.

Lynch took the victory by submitting Carmella, which was probably the right decision, as no one has been as marginalised as the 'Lass Kicker' in 2017. Still, it was another throwaway bout that succeeded only in getting five people on television at the same time, and with Survivor Series right around the corner, we can probably expect this to continue over the coming weeks.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.