6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Sept 1)

Downs...

3. Right Result, But Not Good!

Shotzi Bayley Damage CTRL
WWE.com

WWE left it far too long to get to this one-on-one between Shotzi and Bayley.

In the end, they struggled through a near-10 minute showcase of why Shotzi has failed to catch fire on the main roster. She’s still quite sloppy, and there was only so much Bayley could do to offset that. Obviously, everyone should be pleased to see Shotzi get a win, but that could be curtains already for her repackage job if the writers don't follow up.

Unfortunately, it's never 100% that they will. Shotzi got some measure of revenge on Bayley and Damage CTRL for attacking her and forcing the rebrand, so...what's next? In the short-term, she'll be teaming with Charlotte Flair, but beyond that? Who really knows, man?

Shotzi will only improve by getting more in-ring reps. On the flip side, she should probably be showing out better than she did on SmackDown. Though the match with Bayley had some intensity to it, there was a real lack of flow overall.

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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.