6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Mar 18)

3. The Closing Angle

Charlotte Flair Ronda Rousey
WWE.com

Last week, the full gamut of Ronda Rousey's strengths and weaknesses were laid bare. WWE had Rousey do some rather nervous yakking earlier in the show, then saved the day by having her fight Charlotte Flair backstage. There was no 50/50 nonsense to be found on Friday night.

The company kept Ronda's talking to a minimum and had her get physical again instead. That's how the ex-MMA fighter should be booked. As much as Charlotte's own promo felt like it was stalling for time, her powerbomb on Rousey through the announce table worked as another physical marker for the story.

Cue revenge in Texas.

One has to dig the narrative of Flair desperately doing everything she can to evade Ronda's arm bar too. That elbow-shattering moment will come at 'Mania 38 - much like McAfee going to town on Theory, it'll be worth the wait. Prepare to have a new SmackDown Women's Champion.

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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.