5 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 1)

1. Women's Tag Match Fails To Excite

Becky Lynch Naomi
WWE.com

On a night of generally great in-ring action, Naomi and Becky Lynch vs. Carmella and Natalya stuck out. It’s not that the match was egregiously bad, but it was way below the standards set by the evening’s more notable singles bouts, and continued the trope of Money In The Bank winners eating big losses prior to their eventual cash-in.

Clocking in at a shade over five minutes, the action was rudimentary and unspectacular. There was no heat, no sense of urgency, and no reason to get excited. The work wasn’t peppered with technical flaws, but it was extremely boring when compared to everything else on the card, and Carmella tapping out wasn’t an ideal finish either.

This match felt like it was booked solely for the sake of getting the women’s division on television. If so, why not just pace the match like a sprint, and have all four go all-out within the limited timescale? Instead, WWE produced a contest that felt like twice its runtime. An unwanted lull in the middle of the show, and one that benefited none of its participants.

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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.