5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown Live! In Newcastle (May 17)
1. Low Profile
Twitter, @scott_goldie87
A bad night for the blue brand Women's Division from a live perspective, with only one showcase for the entire crew in the form of a comedy-heavy eight-woman tag match with more fluff than fire.
The contest did at least play into the hands of the woefully outmatched heels. Champion Carmella was the strongest between the ropes alongside Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose and Lana, though even she was prone to flubs in comparison to the tightly-wound quartet of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Naomi and Asuka across the ring.
The heel/babyface divide grew wider despite heat segments on Flair and Lynch that afforded Asuka a big pop for her hot tag, but the routine dismissal of the bad guys didn't leave much hope that a struggling league can recover in short order. Asuka's aura was undeniably dented too - the wound of her WrestleMania 34 defeat may yet require more healing before fans fully climb back aboard her bandwagon.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
