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

Ups...

5. Sparing Aliyah (And A Hearty Brawl)

There was more good than bad on this week's SmackDown though, and the show opened up with one of the bigger positives. Nobody had any desire to see Charlotte Flair squash Aliyah flat, so having Ronda Rousey march out for a pull-apart brawl was the correct decision.

Kudos to the writers for kicking off with some PPV build too.

Flair's promos are a tad predictable, but she's a spectacular a*shole when she wants to be. That was the aim here: Charlotte ridiculed Aliyah, offered to make her relevant and made excuses about last week's tepid 'Beat The Clock' angle. Despite saying nothing that was groundbreaking, Flair still drew some heat from the crowd.

Then, to her credit, Ronda looked like a fired-up babyface avenger who wanted to rip the heel's arm off. Their hearty brawl gives hope that Sunday's "I Quit" match can headline WrestleMania Backlash with aplomb. It'll have to, 'cause there's scant else on the card that fits the main event billing.