4 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (7 Aug - Results & Review)

Ups...

4. Decent Main Event Peaks With NXT Call Up

Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill didn’t show anything to suggest it would’ve worked at SummerSlam (which was the original plan before Rhea’s injury changed everything), but it was a solid TV match and Tatum Paxley’s debut was an unexpected treat. Alexa Bliss came out with her arm in a sling, then the lights went out and Tatum hit a crossbody onto Michin and B-FAB on the outside. That left Flair to beat Jade.

The final stretch of this main event was a cracking watch even if Cargill seemed intent on botching everything before the end, and the debut should represent a fab spot for Paxley on the main roster. Personally, your writer isn't sure we need a 6-woman tag out of this, but we’ll probably get one. Regardless, it’s cool to see Tatum aligned with big stars, at least.

She'd done pretty much all there was to do down in NXT, so moving her up to Raw or SmackDown had been on the cards for a while. If nothing else, it's safe to assume that Paxley won't get lost in the shuffle quickly because of who she's buddying up to. It's hardly like Charlotte is gonna vanish from screens all of a sudden - she's a made woman in WWE circles, and it's difficult to see that changing.

Flair and Cargill probs deserve to have at least one more match to iron out some of the kinks and produce even better. The big story will be Tatum's debut though, not some of those messy Jade botches. Charlotte covered well for those, then celebrated with Alexa and their new recruit.