5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (May 5)

2. An Unconvincing Last-Minute Sell

Bianca Belair Liv Morgan Raquel Rodriguez
WWE.com

It still doesn't sit right that Bianca Belair is holding the Raw Women's Title on SmackDown. The whole thing is messy and was avoidable, much like Rhea Ripley winning the SmackDown gold at WrestleMania then ending up on Mondays. WWE literally created this scenario.

Belair's segment with Damage CTRL, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez was a bit weak, and it didn't do anything to convince fans that IYO SKY has a hope in hell vs. Bianca at Backlash. Some of WWE's female feuds are super-lukewarm. Worse, they're typically over by the time they'd start heating up.

This feels so stock and like a total afterthought.

IYO got a few licks in when Belair was distracted, but was akin to the fly that somehow got in your bedroom window and can't find a way back out again. That's not good, people. Most of Bianca's rivalries have been a tough sell, and this is the classic example of that.

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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.