6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Oct 6 - Results & Review)

Ups...

6. Perfectly Fine Tag Action

Damage CTRL IYO SKY Bayley Charlotte Flair Asuka
WWE.com

Sure, Charlotte Flair teaming with Asuka 24 hours before they're opponents was one of those WWE booking tropes that will never fail to be irritating, but at least creative had the sense to script a little tension between them. Besides, the actual meat of the match vs. Bayley and IYO SKY was fine.

It successfully put some doubt on IYO's title reign without her having to eat a pin, which is something. Honestly? It does feel like SKY's run needs fresher rivals than Charlotte and Asuka though. There's a prevailing sense of 'been there, done that' with both that's hard to ignore.

They are often slick in-ring, to be fair. This was an example of that professionalism.

Few play grating heel who gets her comeuppance better than Bayley in 2023. She knows her role (backing up IYO) and is very good at it. Plus, again, WWE smartly protected the current champion and didn't do anything silly before Fastlane's three-way.

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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.