5 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (July 3)

4. A Rushed Victory

Becky Lynch Peyton Royce
WWE.com

Becky Lynch extended her winning streak to three last night, defeating Peyton Royce in a shade over three minutes despite Billie Kay's ringside presence.

This is positive. Long considered one of SmackDown's most marginalised figures, 'The Lass Kicker' is finally ascendant again. Including multi-person bouts, she has now triumphed in six of her past seven matches, and while raw wins and losses aren't the truest gauge of a performer's push, her current form is a welcome reprieve from her modest line of best fit.

The match itself didn't quite work, though. It felt like a longer bout condensed into an unsuitably small runtime. Yes, it was another notch for Becky's W column, but how much does that victory mean when the heel barely has a chance to shine? Royce had no time to generate any real momentum despite grounding Lynch twice, and the contest's rushed nature made her feel as inconsequential as Becky's win.

Picking it apart in greater detail would be pointless, but appeasing Lynch loyalists was the only box this ticked.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.