5 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (5 Sept - Results & Review)

1. Michin’s Challenge Doesn’t Fly

Chicago wasn’t into Michin challenging Giulia for the Women’s United States Title whatsoever. Together, they worked fairly short match that gave the champ a routine title defence but wasn’t memorable in the slightest. This is a real case of 'been here before' with Michin, so nobody who watches SmackDown weekly will be shocked that her latest title challenge felt lacklustre.

Again, and this really can't be hammered home enough until WWE pays attention, there are some real glaring issues with the women’s division on Fridays going into the final few months of 2025. It sucks to see. Can we get, y'know, some compelling challengers and storylines, please?!

Corey Graves gushed over Giulia’s work on NXT from behind the commentary desk, but the sad truth is we’re not seeing any of that fire on the main roster. She’s cooled significantly. Giulia's union with Kiana James is all fine and dandy, but that'll only pay dividends if the champ has a proper feud to sink her teeth into.

It’s one thing to boast about her amazing in-ring skills, but it’d be nice to see them showcased in better matches on the main roster! As it is, fans who didn't watch NXT at all have pretty much zero reason to give a toss about anything the Women's United States Champion is doing.

Giulia doesn't come across as a big star, WWE picked the worst possible challenger in Michin (how many times is she going to be this belt's bridesmaid?), and the match was uninspired. It was losing life force from the minute the bell sounded to start it - like a health meter slowly ticking down in some video game.