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

3. So Forced It Hurts

Lacey Evans
WWE.com

Vignettes have made Lacey Evans seem like an inspirational babyface who prompts people to overcome trauma/a rough childhood/any adversity whatsoever and still kick ass. However, come time for her in-person comeback, WWE went another route with the story.

Ring announcer Samantha Irvin's intro and Michael Cole's comments about her bravely appearing in front of a live crowd were so forced they almost seemed heelish. This isn't something WWE does well - they can turn heartfelt moments into cornball nonsense by over-egging the pudding, and this was exactly that.

The presentation was all over the place.

It's a bold strategy if WWE plans to promote Evans as someone who "helps people break cycles of abuse" one minute, then have her rub heel superiority in everyone's faces the next. They're really gonna have to thrash out where they want to go and stick with it.

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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.