5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (26 June - Results & Review)

4. Giulia’s Win & Blake Monroe’s (Re)Debut

Blake Monroe Giulia
WWE.com

Tuts were tutted and shaking heads wobbled to and fro when WWE debuted Blake Monroe in a nothing backstage skit with Chelsea Green on the 22 May episode of SmackDown. That came after weeks and weeks of "Coming Soon" vignettes hyping Blake's arrival, then...the promotion went right back to more "Coming Soon" vignettes like nothing had even happened in the first place.

It was confusing, but all's well that ends well on this occasion.

During Friday's pre-taped show, Giulia beat Kiana James in a spirited match (which is a good sign for her), then Monroe showed up to attack the babyface from behind. It's obviously early days, but it’s nice to finally see Blake inside a main roster ring. Those pesky “Coming Soon” vignettes are history, so cue WWE running another 6 of them over the next month and change. Only kidding! Hopefully.

Back on the bright side, it's nice to imagine another women's feud that isn't for a title. The most important thing here is Trips giving Monroe and Giulia plenty to work with. There will be concerns amongst the fanbase now SmackDown is going back to 2 hours, and rightly so; the lack of a third hour could wreck any chances these ladies have of featuring weekly.

Even so, Blake's second chance to make a first impression worked in front of the fans in London, England. They were pleased to see her, but also rooted for Giulia during her bout vs. James. Things are looking up for both. Finally, in the case of Giulia, because she's been struggling since day dot on the main crew.

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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.