5 Ups And 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE Talking Smack (Jan 31)
5. Up - Glowing
The steady ascension of Naomi up the ranks of Smackdown Live's Women's Division has been a carefully managed process, and the culmination of the journey has now arrived as she prepares to challenge Alexa Bliss for her Smackdown Women's Title at Elimination Chamber.
Initially appearing to have far more sizzle than steak with her insane entrance and luminous attire shielding below-average in-ring skills, the former 'Funkadactyl' has quickly put more of the pieces together in her act, and follows a traditional route to her title shot through two worthy pinfall victories over the current titleholder.
As usual, Talking Smack was a useful vehicle for a rapidly rising star, as Naomi presented a polished portrayal of her trials and tribulations working to improve as a performer, and exhibited genuine excitement when General Manager Bryan informed her of her Pay-Per-View clash with Bliss.
Creating suspense for her first singles title match, she noted that WrestleMania 33 host city Orlando was her hometown and that her family had never seen her wrestle.
Even the contemplation of her entrance as Women's Champion at the 'Show of Shows' added a layer of intrigue previously missing from what's likely to be an understated clash on Smackdown Live's last stop before WrestleMania.