7 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (May 1)
6. The Death Of Absolution
Absolution finally arrived on SmackDown last night. Sent to the blue brand in the Superstar Shake-Up, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville immediately tried to work their relationship with Paige, expecting special treatment from the new General Manager. They were shot down, though. They had title shots in mind, but Paige said they'd need to work their way to the top, and with Mandy booked to face Becky Lynch next week, "Absolution is dead."
While fans are right to be concerned by the duo's prospects as singles stars, this is a good move. SmackDown already has The IIconics. Having another heel tandem in this small division would've only caused problems, forcing an already stifled creative team to repeat the same content with both units, preventing either from prospering.
It'll be interesting to see what's next for Sonya and Mandy. The former's MMA gimmick would've been eclipsed by Ronda Rousey on Raw, but she can now blaze her own trail, and looked promising in last year's feud with Ruby Riott in NXT. Rose, meanwhile, forged a fun partnership with Goldust in the Mixed Match Challenge. Perhaps that can be resurrected on SmackDown, but it'd mean the former Intercontinental Champion switching shows.