5 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Oct 2)

4. Asuka & Royce Struggle

Peyton Royce Asuka
WWE.com

It's always great to see Asuka picking up victories in the wake of her post-Ellsworth slump, and the Naomi partnership hasn't yet sapped what little remains of her once imposing aura, but last night's singles match with Peyton Royce wasn't on point.

Cannibalised by a pre-bell commercial break (at least on the UK broadcast), this Super Show-Down "hype" match was presented as competitive. Unfortunately, it was too short and unsubstantial to do so. Another squash would've been unideal, particularly as WWE presumably didn't want The IIconics to look like goobers before Saturday's event, but it's hard to tell a compelling back-and-forth story when you're hampered by limited runtime.

The work itself wasn't particularly exciting either, with Royce's bland control periods missing the mark. She's a decent wrestler, but not convincing enough to against 'The Empress Of Tomorrow,' which is likely why her and Billie Kay are usually booked in losing positions.

An Asuka Lock eventually put the Australian away, but is anyone really more excited for the Super Show-Down bout after watching this?

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.