6 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jun 12)

2. A Tedious Opening

SmackDown Women's Division Paige
WWE.com

SmackDown opened in a similar manner to Raw, with a bunch of Money In The Bank participants gathered in the ring. There weren't any ladders, and the men were nowhere to be seen, but we got Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Becky Lynch, and Lana hanging out while Paige put their upcoming bout over.

The group spent a few moments shouting over the top of each other (which seems to be the only way these writers know how to script scenes featuring more than three women), before the non-participants showed up, starting with The IIconics. Royce and Kay's impressions were skin-crawlingly bad, which is a good thing - they're heels. Then, it was Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, who said nothing of substances themselves, before a big brawl erupted for the close, setting up the night's main event.

Having the women bookend the show was a good move, and the opening segment's setup was effective, but the content was tedious. Like AJ Styles later in the evening, Rose and Deville's "barbs" were from the "lol we're better than you" school of trash talk, and listening to performers attempting to out-loud each other is never not laborious.

Not an unsuccessful segment, but not a particularly enjoyable one either.

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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.