Hello readers and welcome to this week’s Smackdown Redux. It’s Josue again and I’ll be filling in for Kyle this week. We apologize in advance for the lack of Smackdown Reduxes within the last few weeks. There have been some great segments and matches coming from our female superstars that were missed but moving forward, we’ll be sure to cover them.
On this week’s Smackdown, number one contender for the WWE Women’s Championship Natalya teams up with England hometown heroine Paige to take on Team B.A.D members Naomi and Tamina.
Kicking off Smackdown this week are Maryse and Intercontinental Champion The Miz. The pair set up their Miz TV segment for special guest AJ Styles, to figure out what his involvement, if any, behind Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson‘s attack on WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns.
Of course, my favorite line of this whole bit has to be Maryse calling her husband “the biggest American movie star in the whole world!” Major LOL moment! I’m calling it now: AJ Styles will be turning Heel come Payback.
We then turn our attention to the match of the evening:
Sadly, Team B.A.D are not given an on screen entrance but Natalya and Paige each get one; Paige getting the strongest ovation, as expected.
The bell sounds as Natalya and Tamina start this tag match off. Tamina wins early control of the match by tossing Natalya’s head on the mat with a dirty pull by the hair. Tamina takes Natalya to her corner to make a tag to Naomi, who enters the ring with a high kick to Natalya’s left arm.
Naomi uses the top rope of a turnbuckle for some rear offense. She charges towards Natalya to follow up on the attack but is taken down by a toe hold. Natalya brings Naomi to Paige’s corner to make a tag, much to the crowd’s delight, and the babyface duo work together to hit an innovative leg split maneuver.
Paige strikes Naomi in the head with a running big boot and tags Natalya back in the match. Natalya goes for a Sharpshooter after landing a running dropkick but Naomi escapes before the submission hold is applied. Naomi flees to the ring apron by rolling under the bottom rope, causing Natalya to pursue after her.
From the ring apron, Naomi hits a high kick to Natalya and then a massive leg drop to the throat upon reentering the ring. Naomi goes for the pin but falls short on the three count. Tamina is tagged back in and goes for a pin of her own after bringing Natalya down with a powerful clothesline.
Team B.A.D keeps their tag team attacks rolling when Tamina tags Naomi again to hit an elevated running dropkick while seizing Natalya in place. Naomi goes for a pin but Natalya kicks out at two. Natalya looks onto Paige with intentions to make a needed tag but Naomi shoves Natalya’s back to a turnbuckle corner and makes another tag to Tamina.
Tamina goes for a snapmare to Natalya and starts taunting Paige’s desire for tag with the use of Nattie’s right arm. Tamina grabs a handful of Natalya’s hair to toss her head on the mat for a second time in this match. She follows up with a running knee drop but misses when Natalya manages to roll out of the way, setting up for a hot tag scenario.
When Tamina and Natalya reach to their partners for a tag, a much fired up Paige delivers three kicks to Naomi’s midsection and drops her famous “This is my house!” line.
Paige follows up with a running knee and goes for the pin but Naomi kicks out. Paige goes for a second cover after successfully landing her RamPaige finisher to Naomi but Tamina is quick to break it up. Natalya runs back in the ring to even things up by putting Tamina in the Sharpshooter hold while Paige sets Naomi up for the PTO.
Both Team B.A.D members tap out and your winners are Natalya and Naomi!
Before we close up this Smackdown Redux, we check in with Summer Rae, who makes a surprise appearance during Smackdown’s Fallout show.
Summer says she is enjoying her time in Europe, along with all the oversea fans and the off screen TV events she’s gone to… with fellow superstar Sasha Banks. The tone of the interview quickly changes at the mention of Sasha Banks.
Summer says she is sick of Sasha’s face being all over the place. She recalls hearing “We Want Summer!” chants and dissed Sasha’s self-hype.
Summer goes on to praise Sasha’s historic WrestleMania match but adds that Sasha didn’t walk out as the new Women’s Champion, nor is she currently in the title picture. Summers wraps things up by stating that the next time she meets Sasha in the ring, she’ll prove why the two are on the same playing field!
Thoughts: Another momentum building moment for Natalya ahead of her rematch title match against Charlotte. Of course, having Paige as your partner during this London week trip helps add to the good feel moment.
The tag match was all right but I do wish we would have seen a little more from Natalya in this match given the wins she has been picking up on Raw in the last two weeks. Team B.A.D dominated most of this match and I enjoyed seeing the delivery in their tag team moves. There is a bit disappointed to see the absence of Charlotte on Smackdown with Payback approaching. I’d like to see WWE try and have more interaction between the challenger and champion before the big title match at Payback.
Summer’s message during the Smackdown Fallout clip was a surprise introduction to what may lie ahead as another potential feud in the works. Summer Rae has a lot of character and her message to Sasha holds value to it seeing as how Sasha is taking a break from the title hunt. We’ve seen Sasha and Summer square off a few weeks ago, so should they square off again, there will be more of a concrete story behind it. This works as a nice side feud to keep Sasha on screen until she returns to the title spotlight and will give us a chance to see more from Summer Rae.
Speaking of side feuds, let’s hope that the other brewing feud between Emma and Becky Lynch reemerges soon.
