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

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Ronda Rousey Learns A "New" Hold

Ronda Rousey
WWE.com

Charlotte Flair has started palming off Ronda Rousey as a one-dimensional, washed-up ex-MMA fighter who over-relies on the arm bar. This week, as top babyfaces should, Ronda kept the heel guessing by adding something "new" to her arsenal.

Kurt Angle's good ol' ankle lock, baby.

This was a simple-but-effective way to show that Ronda is adaptable and that Charlotte's SmackDown Women's Title reign is in real peril. Flair was also at ringside on guest comms as Rousey tore recent ally Sonya Deville to shreds and countered everything the evil authority figure had to offer with ease.

SmackDown went off the air with a fire-breathing Ronda threatening to shatter Charlotte's ankle. Remember that edge spoken of earlier (the one that Nakamura and Boogs totally lack)? Yeah, Rousey has it in a big way. WWE got this week's parting shot bang on.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out AEW Revolution 2022: 10 Things That Must Happen and WWE 2K22: 10 Things To Know Before You Buy!

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Contributor

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.