7 Ups & 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 22)

3. Rough Moments Spoil Mandy Vs. Naomi

Mandy Rose and Naomi aren't exactly SmackDown's most polished wrestlers. Though both are solid, they usually need a Charlotte Flair or Becky Lynch to help guide them to something better than average. Naomi is, of course, an excellent athlete, there are flurries of greatness in Mandy's offence, and the double-act with Sonya Deville usually works. All these things mean the duo almost certainly have a better match than this in them, but last night didn't hit the mark.

The work just wasn't to the standard we should expect from a major wrestling promotion in 2019, particularly after the screen-in-screen commercial spot. Mandy's ghastly-looking head-kick/clothesline flurry left the match on the brink of falling apart. Afterwards, Naomi's babyface comeback lacked the necessary fire, and it was as if the duo were moving through treacle before the ref bump/Deville interference finish, though the heel going over was the right booking decision at this stage in the feud.

A second match will now be a hard sell for most fans, especially for those who'd checked out of the angle long before Mandy lured Jimmy Uso to her hotel room.