5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (23 Oct - Results & Review)

1. Blake Monroe Can Finally Get Started

Blake Monroe's ‘Street Fight’ vs. Giulia was another slick watch on SmackDown.

It was the second women’s match in a row that rocked as well. Granted, it’s arguably easier to thrill with all the weapons and distractions in a gimmick bout like this, but that’s missing the point: Blake vs. Giulia has been a stuttering feud and Monroe’s main roster run has never felt like it’s going to get going, so this was a vast improvement for both.

Now, after this performance and win, we can finally say that bigger things are coming for Blake. Lord only knows where Giulia goes from here, but she deserves praise for her work on Friday too and could find a neat landing spot vs. Jacy Jayne or if she moves on over to Raw.

A mirror spot backstage was funky, but they had to finish things in the ring. If you thought Blake and Giulia were done after going all Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty behind the curtain, then they had a treat in store. Their superplex spot onto some chairs looked nasty in a good way.

That had to hurt, and it's difficult to know who got the worst of it; Giulia's back smashed into some awkwardly piled chairs, but Monroe's head might've smacked into one of them on the way down too.

Both workers just had the best match either has had to date in WWE. This is the Blake/Mariah May that AEW fans once knew. It's about time management let her show up and show out.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out 7 Behind The Scenes ECW Stories That’ll Shock You and WWE's Biggest Booking DISASTER Every Year (1986-2026)!