5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (May 6)

Lacey Evans returns; WrestleMania Backlash build is so-so; SmackDown champs go missing.

by Jamie Kennedy
Ronda Rousey Charlotte Flair
WWE.com

WWE are learning some things the hard way.

They now know that arm bar machine Ronda Rousey will never be composed on the mic or deliver the kind of killer promos creative wants her to. That's not her strength, but working intense pull-apart brawls? Yeah, that works for the SmackDown Women's Champ to be. This week, SmackDown's writers opened the show with some fine WrestleMania Backlash build.

Typically, they wobbled elsewhere when it came to convincing fans that Sunday's pay-per-view is essential viewing. Huge question marks remain over what's happening in the women's tag division, champions have gone AWOL suddenly, and a proposed Undisputed WWE Universal Championship challenger has fallen at the first major hurdle.

Christ knows how they're gonna book themselves out of that one.

On the plus side, some segments were better than anybody could've reasonably expected; comedic babyfaces are trying their best, there was a fine gimmick bout on tap, squash artists are moving in the right direction and the episode ended with a bang.

Here's all the good and the bad from WWE's 'Mania Backlash go home.

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Contributor

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.