9 Ups & 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Apr 30)

7. Bayley Vs. Lynch Underwhelms... Slightly

Bayley Becky Lynch
WWE.com

Becky Lynch vs. Bayley was an underwhelming singles match between two of the most celebrated wrestlers in the company. It wasn't bad, which is why it still finished as an Up, but it wasn't executed to anything near the level we'd been led to expect in the build-up, particularly with WWE marketing this as a HISTORIC FIRST TIME EVER! clash.

Nowhere near on the same level as last week's banger between Bayley and Charlotte Flair, this match suffered for its length. Becky and Bayley were given just over eight minutes. Surely WWE could have cut the Bray Wyatt repeat and trimmed the show-opening in-ringer, then reassign the time here?

These complaints aside, the action was fundamentally sound. There were a few sloppy moments, including one corner spot that saw Becky literally throw herself into the turnbuckles, but it was a fine TV match. A simplistic layout carried them to the right result, with 'The Man' overcoming her old friend via the Disarmher, leaving 'The Hugger' at 0-2 since joining SmackDown, though both of those losses came against the division's two biggest stars.

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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.