7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (July 31)

Ups...

7. A Solid Main Event

Charlotte Flair Carmella
WWE.com

General booking concerns aside, Charlotte vs. Carmella was an acceptable TV main event that won't live long in the memory, but told a consistent story throughout.

Carmella put forth strong work on what ended as one of the better nights of her main roster run. She lost, and must now face two SummerSlam opponents instead of one, but she was an effective heel from start to finish. Here, 'The Princess Of Staten Island' continually turned to classic heel tactics in order to vanquish Flair. She bailed out, took every shortcut that presented itself, and toned down the ear-piercing shrieking, resulting in a bout several levels above the turgid affair her and Charlotte worked at Backlash.

The end came as 'Mella's tactics started paying off, creating a fragile sense of overconfidence in the champion. She arrogantly went for a Figure Four on 'The Queen,' assuming she could win in whichever way she pleased, but paid the price. Flair countered into the Figure Eight, and that was that. Carmella tapped out for the second consecutive week.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.