Heading into SmackDown some may have said that Bayley had her work cut out for her. She challenged and old foe in that of the NXT Women’s Champion to have a Champion vs. Champion match. Last time Charlotte Flair went against Bayley in the squared circle, the Queen lost the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Bayley has had the title ever since.
Prior to the match starting, Bayley told Sasha Banks that she wanted her to stay backstage during her match. Banks was concerned that Bayley thinks that what Flair said to her last week was actually in her head. She wasn’t even considering what Flair was stating as factual and wanted Bayley to know that. The champion just preferred her to stay backstage to prove she can win a match without her at ringside.
The two champions locked up to start the match as Flair quickly gets the upper hand by keeping the SmackDown Champion in the corners of the ring. Once Bayley was able to break free she did try to steal a quick victory with her legs up on the middle rope but was caught by the official.
Moments later the action would spill outside. Flair did what she could to stay on top as she drove Bayley into and over the barricades. She then took the headset at the commentary desk and taunted Banks to come out so that she could beat them both. Banks would never respond to the challenge.
Once back in the ring it appeared Flair was setting up Bayley for a Moonsault, but was not able to even make it to the top as Bayley counter and tweak the knee of The Queen. Bayley was able to dominate for a time showing her aggression. to be Once Flair went back on offense she was able to execute a Moonsault but landed on her feet as her opponent would move yet again.
Later Bayley would miss an elbow drop from the top rope and ended up being caught in a Boston Crab. She was able to roll out of this and get a near fall. After this she would focus on applying Flair’s moves against her by delivering many chops in the middle of the ring. She went for the Figure Four but Flair countered out of that.
Bayley catches her with a kick and Flair would then roll her up only for Bayley to roll through. She uses the ropes to her advantage as she holds onto the middle rope and gets the three count. Bayley steals a victory. Flair would continue to smile about the loss as the SmackDown Women’s Champion celebrated on the ramp.
The other match of the night was a Mixed Tag Team match that is riddled with anger and full of emotions. Mandy Rose and Otis took on Sonya Deville and Dolph Ziggler. Deville picked up a win over Rose one-on-one just a couple of weeks ago so it was certain that Rose wanted the revenge. Rose was out with a new denim attire serving looks which may be the influence of being Otis’ main squeeze.
Quickly into the match, Ziggler took Otis out as he pushed him into the steel steps shoulder first. Rose showed concern as she rushed to his side but Otis kept telling her to get back in the ring as the referee was counting. The majority of the match was between the women which were a good thing to see them as the focus.
It then turned into the battle of the running knees as both women tried to take each other out. In the end, Deville gets a clean victory with a pin on Rose. After the match Ziggler delivered a superkick to Otis.
Hopefully Deville and Rose have a match at the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view. The match should have some stipulation to elevate the feud.
Let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the week:
WINNER: Bayley
Bayley has really been killing it lately in my opinion. I love hearing her backtalk since we can hear the talent better now without a crowd in attendance. It has really brought out her heel side and made it more enjoyable. Although I do want a new champion soon, I can’t deny she has really put over her heel persona. At least for me. It will be interesting to see who she will face at Backlash since they aren’t really building anyone up besides maybe Sasha.
WINNER: Sonya Deville
Sonya keeps picking up the victories and the only thing we missed from her this week was another killer promo. In the end Mandy will more than likely get her underdog win, but for now I do enjoy how things are going. It will make a win for Mandy in the end that much more enjoyable.
LOSER: Mandy Rose
It must be getting frustrating for Mandy to continue losing. I was actually thinking she would pick up this win and then the two would have a rubber match. However, I do see the purpose of what they are doing as well. Mandy picking up the win, in the end, would be that full underdog story. Especially how after this feud is over it is going to be interested how their single runs will go.
What did you think of this week’s SmackDown? Do you think we are going to get Bayley vs. Sasha at Backlash or will we have to wait for later? We have been waiting since 2018…so…
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
