5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (20 June - Results & Review)

2. Alexa Was Not Ready For Asuka

Asuka Alexa Bliss
WWE.com

This was Asuka's first singles match on SmackDown since a loss to Charlotte Flair on the 8 December 2023 edition. Please don't make it her last in 2025, because the Japanese veteran proved why she's oh so valuable to the women's division regardless of brand attachment. Both she and Alexa Bliss produced a hyper-competitive bout that's well worth your time.

It was a match between two wrestlers who feel like legacy stars of the division these days.

Smartly, they slowed things down here or there with some rest holds, but that didn't kill fan investment. People in Grand Rapids cheered or reacted in general whenever Alexa of Bliss encouraged them to. Then, there was a neat spot that saw Bliss deciding against Twisted Bliss because she thought Asuka was playing possum - that high flying hesitation isn’t a spot you see too much, so the fans were a little confused by it.

Don't take that as criticism, please, because it added a splash of realism to the story they were telling. Finally, it was honestly impossible to tell who was going to win here, and that’s another positive. Even so, Asuka advancing to the final works, and she'll bring the best out in either Jade Cargill or Roxanne Perez come Night Of Champions.

Strong match, strong exchanges, strong finish and strong interest from an enthused live crowd. What's not to like about everything Asuka and Alexa did? They would've got match of the night had the men's semi final not been booked on the same card.

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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.