5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 3)

4. Sasha Volunteers Bayley

Sasha Banks Bayley Alexa Bliss Nikki Cross
WWE.com

The established formula for Sasha Banks and Bayley is that they talk a good game before some babyfaces intrude on their self-aggrandising and Bayley puts her partner forward for a match she doesn't want. WWE decided to put a neat twist on that this week, and it worked.

Tensions continue to simmer away nicely.

This time, it was Sasha who volunteered the SmackDown Women's Champ for a bout she didn't fancy. What followed was a standard TV match against Alexa Bliss, but a decent one. Other positives included Nikki Cross showing off some more fire post-match and everyone shining on the mic before.

Sure, the comedy fell a bit flat (Nikki saying she was "Queen of Scotland" and Alexa claiming she conquered Antarctica in a go-kart were particularly egregious), but everyone knows the drill by now. It's surely only a matter of time before both these teams split.

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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.