5 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (April 4)

4. Naomi's First Defence

Naomi Alexa Bliss
WWE.com

SmackDown's women did a great job of squeezing as much action as possible into a limited timeslot at WrestleMania 33, and while chaotic, their six-way match was very enjoyable. Hometown girl Naomi walked away with the victory (and the SD Women's Championship) in a real feelgood moment, and after dropping the title for the second time in as many months, Alexa Bliss claimed her rematch last night.

It wasn't a blow-away match, but it was very solid. Bliss, as usual, played a tremendous heel, using her A+ facial expressions to punctuate her ruthless assault on Naomi's previously injured knee. The champion, meanwhile, showed excellent fire in her comeback, and after a closely fought 10 minutes of action, she was able to put Bliss away with the new choke submission she used at Mania.

After weeks of aimless cluster booking, it was great to see SmackDown's women return to a more focused approach. The likes of Becky Lynch and Mickie James were absent from the show, but you can't book everyone every week, particularly when you only have two hours to work with. Recent weeks have left the division feeling disjointed and diluted, so here's hoping last night turns the focus back towards individual rivalries.

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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.