6 Ups And 7 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Nov 22)

Ups...

6. Ripley Wins, Believe It Or Not

Rhea Ripley Charlotte Sasha Banks SmackDown
WWE.com

The opener, although unannounced, was not uninvited. Although it wasn't the finest Triple Threat you're likely to see this weekend - and as a vague preview of Sunday's similar setup, wasn't necessarily intended to be - it succeeded in getting the angle over, and in particular, Rhea Ripley.

Though things became a little sloppy in the closing stretch, with Charlotte landing a boots-first moonsault to her opponents on the outside, and somehow managing to bust herself open in a way which simply brought to memory the infinitely superior Becky Lynch programme of a year back, it was all made up for by the finish.

In an incredibly creative bit of work, Ripley sneaked in to roll Charlotte up whilst she had Banks locked in her Figure 8 - leaving her with no escape. Not only did it make Ripley look super smart, but it gave NXT a boost in a war that, until this week's big ratings win, threatened them with a hiding to nothing. So we all know what'll happen this weekend, then...

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.