5 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (June 13)

2. Charlotte's Momentum Continues

Natalya Charlotte
WWE.com

Charlotte Flair and Natalya contested the second women’s singles bout of the evening, and while several steps below some of the great matches they’ve had in the past, it was a decent little contest. They were allowed to wrestle without interference (though Carmella and Becky Lynch were shown watching from backstage), with Natalya looking dominant and overbearing during her heat segment, and Charlotte selling like a resilient babyface.

Nattie hit a powerbomb in a nice call-back to Charlotte sending her through a table with the same move a few weeks ago, but she lost in the end, falling victim to Natural Selection and a pinfall. Charlotte celebrated afterwards, looking up to the Money In The Bank briefcase above her - a prize they’ll both compete for on Sunday night.

A solid bout, and one that continues Charlotte’s good momentum on Tuesday nights, with her only SmackDown loss coming through the six-woman tag at Backlash, in which she wasn’t even pinned. The writers have done a good job of presenting her strongly since switching shows, and while her Raw run ended on a whimper, Charlotte is building plenty of steam on SD, and this will hopefully continue once they drop the lame multi-person feuds.

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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.