6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 24)

Downs...

2. The Problem With Lacey Evans' Presentation

Before getting started here, it's vital to point out that there was nothing wrong with Lacey Evans' tear-filled promo. In fact, she was top class on the mic, and her emotion came across as genuine when reflecting on her childhood, her father's depression and how she always wanted to be a role model for her daughter.

WWE didn't bridge the gap between this and her prior gimmick though.

Lacey is booked to talk about her pride over standing up to bullies when she was a bully herself as a heel just last year. That's something creative obviously don't want to acknowledge, but it's a bit jarring and hardly rewarding for long-term viewers who want some kind of reason (literally any clearly presented reason would do) for why wrestlers turn babyface or heel.

It's slightly awkward to see Evans wiping tears from her eyes as she calls Bayley and Sasha Banks bullies, then look back to how she acted over on Raw in 2019. There, Lacey called everyone a "Nasty" and came across as an overbearing snoot.