8 Ups & 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 27)

2. Labouring With Lacey

Bayley Lacey Evans
WWE.com

Lacey Evans' boring social media "shoots" are the only things less interesting than her wrestling, which remains a big problem for the level she has been pushed at.

While 'The Lady of WWE' isn't as terrible as harsher critics profess, she's a stumbling, awkward competitor who sits well below the modern working standard. This is 2019. At this level, wrestlers with major championship aspirations can't get away with coasting on a couple of passable athletic spots and a decent look unless their personality leaps off the screen. Lacey's, sadly, does not.

Evans vs. Bayley was a shoddy encounter and close to the worst thing on the show. Slow, unengaging, and completely lacking in heat and chemistry, it never got going. Evans struggled with simple positioning early on and Bayley couldn't carry her, with the SmackDown Women's Champion seemingly content to coast through their 14 minutes together. An acceptable strategy for a busy wrestler looking to protect their body, but terribly dull to watch.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. 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.