7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (6 Dec - Results & Review)

Downs...

3. The Most Minor Of Gripes

Bianca Belair
WWE.com

Most minor, sure, but a gripe worth bringing up.

Bianca Belair had taped ribs following events at WarGames. Then, on SmackDown, Piper Niven booted her in the midsection during a quick backstage skit. That set up a match between the pair, which is cool. What wasn't cool? Belair proceeding to dance her way down to ringside smiling from ear to ear. Why? Someone should've had a word with Bianca about that before she went through the curtain - you don't need to dance every time.

Being fair, Belair did repeatedly clutch her ribs before and during the match, but the dancing entrance should've been cut. Selling the injury (and a backstage attack that had literally just happened a short while before) would've been smarter. Again, this is a minor complaint and might be one fan looking into things a little too much, but little things like this add up and matter.

There’s a difference between gritting teeth and fighting through the pain within the context of a match due to adrenaline and needing to do your usual entrance just because it’s expected. It’s a wee bit more annoying ‘cause the ribs played such a huge part in the actual match too. For the record, that bout turned out strong. More on it to come.

Wrestlers have to remember that they're out there to tell stories, not go through the motions and spring into life like a video game character. Would some kids be bummed out if they attended SmackDown and the 'EST' didn't twirl her braid around? Sure, but it would've fit the segment better and positioned Bianca as an injured hero who was up against the odds from the off.

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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.