5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (22 Aug - Results & Review)

2. Neither Challenger Sounds Great Right Now

Nia Jax
WWE.com

Triple H has a puzzle to solve on the SmackDown women's side. Somewhat remarkably, it has nothing to do with Charlotte Flair as a babyface. She's smashing it. The same can't be said for thrown-to-the-wolves champion Tiffany Stratton. Her own face stock has plummeted lately, and poor planning is to blame. WWE don't have tippy top challengers people want to see Tiffany fend off.

Neither Nia Jax nor Jade Cargill seem like must-see contenders for Stratton at the moment. We’ve been there, done that a thousand times with Nia and Tiffy, and Stratton has already beaten Cargill at SummerSlam. The creative squad blatantly don’t have anyone else ready for this challenger spot, so they’re rehashing old turf. It’s a bit boring, and it sucked wind on this week's show.

The fact that Raw's Becky Lynch looked like the biggest deal in the ring when she was only there due to SmackDown taking place in Ireland speaks volumes. Sure, fans were happy to see Tiffany when she interrupted Lynch's promo, but it isn't much to ask that WWE had better things in mind for her than repeat Nia Jax or Jade Cargill matches.

It's hardly like Jade's challenge at SummerSlam produced sparkling results between the ropes anyway.

WWE might fancy going the Triple Threat route with these women soon. Let's get real here: Tiffy vs. Jade vs. Nia won't be patch on some of the other women's 3-ways we've seen in 2025. Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair vs. IYO SKY at WrestleMania, and another between Rhea, IYO and Naomi at SummerSlam ruled, but there were better stories going into those than what's on offer here.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.