4 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (28 Aug - Results & Review)

1. A Nothing Challenge & A Feud Nobody Wants

Paige challenging Jacy Jayne for the Women’s United States Title was a complete disappointment, sadly.

It was fairly short, boring, and it never felt for a second like Paige could win the title. On top of all that, the live crowd seemed to view the bout as a means to sit on their phones or go visit the rest rooms. That's a quite vicious takedown from the core audience considering how much noise WWE made about Paige's comeback at WrestleMania 42.

Then, post-match, Nikki Bella ambushed Paige with a sloppy spear as the live crowd sat on their hands. Hmm, Nikki vs. Paige could well be a low point for the women’s division when it happens. Unfortunately, Paige’s WWE comeback has been pretty rubbish, and The Bellas Twins (when healthy) have been stinking up the joint far too often as well. Put those struggling legacy acts together and you've got a true recipe for disaster in waiting.

Read the room, Triple H. Nobody is particularly enthused for Paige vs. Bella (Nikki or Brie once she's healthy again), and that isn't going to change. If they even dare to try and stick this on the lineup for SNME, then it'll be the designated p*** break match. Either that or Baron Corbin vs. Lil Yachty.

Here's the deal: Paige isn't especially over as a babyface in her own right at state of play in late-August 2026, and Nikki has been flattering to deceive since she returned last year too. Don't forget how miserable some of her matches vs. Stephanie Vaquer and Becky Lynch were.