8 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (9 May - Results & Review)

7. Charlotte Flair Leans Into It

Anyone who witnessed the sometimes-controversial-but-definitely-spotty build up to WrestleMania 41's bout with Tiffany Stratton will be slightly taken aback by this upcoming Charlotte Flair love-in, but here goes. Charlotte was full-on heel here. Her promo was better than usual and she didn’t steal a ton of time getting to the point.

Here’s the thing: Flair is a decent talker, but she’s been bogged down in swimming against the tide for too long that it’s almost like she’s learning to promo again. There was nothing too forced or 'love me, love me' about her speech on Friday. Charlotte made a deliberately ridiculous statement by calling her match vs. Stratton “the greatest women’s match in WrestleMania history”, then she walked out and bleated about fans showing her disrespect. This is the best way to use Charlotte for now.

Let's be real about something else: There’s zero desire to see her have a stranglehold on titles in 2025 anyway. Alexa Bliss saying “let’s talk” backstage is interesting too. If nothing else, at least there’s some intrigue about what Charlotte and Alexa will do next. Will they unite as a desperate veteran faction looking to cut down relative newbies like Tiffany, Jade Cargill and more? Or, are they about to become enemies all over again?

Personally, this writer enjoyed how clearly outraged and outright heel Flair was on this week's TV. She didn't smile through the boos either, which is important. Instead, Charlotte got ticked off and tossed her microphone to the canvas before storming off. Casting her as somebody who thinks she should be thanked daily for her part in the women's revolution will work, because people love to hate on Flair and don't relate to her personal life.