6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 17)

3. Lacey Evans Going Heel

Lacey Evans Naomi
WWE.com

It seems like the company finally realise something else: Lacey Evans is stronger as a heel than she ever was as a motherly babyface. Creative didn't help her when they turned Lacey without really giving much context behind her character shift, and she never truly looked comfortable waving at fans or being the inspirational type.

On SmackDown, Evans reverted to her heelish ways.

This was an improvement. Seeing her opportunistically tie Naomi's hair up in the ropes, wait until she managed to struggle free and then smack her in the chops with a 'Women's Right' felt 10x better than anything Lacey has been doing recently. Yes, including that damn karaoke performance last Friday.

WWE's missteps with both these women have been clear to see. They've been out in the cold and seem less like stars than they did last year - that's a problem, and it's one that can be fixed. This was a step in the right direction.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.