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Winners & Losers: SmackDown 04.10.20

Friday Night SmackDown picked up where RAW left off and that is with plenty to talk about from the women’s division. WrestleMania may be in the rear view, however, there is still plenty to build from as a result of that event. The match of the night saw The Kabuki Warriors getting a rematch for their former gold. They faced the new Women’s Tag Team Champions – Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss.

Another great match between these four women was a joy to watch. Personally, I feel that the WrestleMania match was better, but this one certainly was entertaining. Asuka and Cross arguing on top of the commentary desk was fun to watch. Speaking of Asuka, she certainly has been the glue that has held both RAW and SmackDown together. She has been appearing on both shows for the past several weeks and has been the most entertaining to see during this time.

The match culminated with Kairi Sane being isolated in the ring. This allowed for a blind tag by Cross. She would enter the match and hit a neck breaker to pick up the pin on Sane to retain the title. With these two being the only two teams left on-screen I couldn’t have been the only one wanting The IIconics to return tonight.

Credit: @DynamiteSkye

In regards to the tag team division there seems to be a new team brewing and that is Dana Brooke and Carmella. They were seen backstage approaching Bliss & Cross after their win. They challenged them to a match and although Bliss was reluctant, they accepted. There wasn’t any mention of when this match would take place but because Brooke and Carmella weren’t on WrestleMania they wanted a chance for the gold.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1248782914294349825?s=20

Brooke was also announced to be in a qualifying match for next week against Naomi for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match that will take place on May 10.

From the tag titles we transfer to the SmackDown Women’s Title. Bayley retained in a Fatal Five-way at Mania and she continues to think she is the unstoppable role model. Her and Sasha Banks stood in the ring and explained the opinions of the sheep. They were interrupted by a determined Tamina. The two best friends attempt to smooth things over as always with the compliments to her. Tamina wasn’t buying it and issued a challenge of her own. She explains that although she may have been first out during the Fatal Five-way match, it took all four of the other competitors to do so. She wants a title shot one-on-one with the longest reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion.

Bayley would agree to this, however, Tamina has to go through Banks first next week. It has been a while since Tamina has been seen as an unstoppable force and also standing on her own instead of being the bodyguard for someone else. So could she be finally getting her moment?

Sonya Deville was also on the show to accompany Dolph Ziggler to ringside. Ziggler defeated Tucker and although it appears Mandy Rose is busy with Otis, Deville will meet with her next week. Deville and Ziggler maintain that the footage that was shown about their involvement with the Valentine’s date gone wrong was doctored. Let’s see how Deville talks her way out of this one as she will be face to face with Rose next week.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1248773830467825665?s=20

Let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the week:

WINNER: Sasha Banks

Banks has really been killing it on the mic. Her reactions to Tamina have been comical and having that during these times is a nice relief. Since Bayley was the one to make the match between Sasha and Tamina for next week, it seems that there is still that break up lurking. Although I won’t get my hopes up to much because we all know what happen for the majority of 2018 between the two.

WINNER: Dana Brooke

OPPORTUNITY!! Brooke was unfortunately taken out of the WrestleMania match but she is back and is ready to finally get some gold. Between her qualifying match for the MITB Ladder match as well a Women’s Tag Team Championship If anyone’s immediate future looks bright it would be Dana’s.

LOSER:

Everyone on tonight’s show seems to be moving forward in there storylines so it really is hard to pick a loser this week. The Kabuki Warriors could be considered on the losing end as they lost their rematch, but with how Asuka has been carrying both shows and the match itself being good that seems to be a stretch.

What did you think of this week’s show? Who were your Winners and Losers? Did you find anyone on the loser end? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss become two-time Women’s Tag Team Champions

To kick off WrestleMania 36 was an incredible match with the Women’s Tag Team Championship was on the line. Heading into the night, The Kabuki Warriors have held the tag titles since Hell in a Cell in October for the past 181-days. In fact, they defeated the team of Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross to … Read more

WrestleMania Day 1 Discussion Post: 04.04.20

Update: The Women’s Tag Team Title and RAW Women’s Title matches will take place tonight. WrestleMania 36 will be one to remember. For the first time in the history of WWE, WrestleMania will take place in front of no crowd. As a result of the very serious COVID-19 pandemic, it has also been taped. It … Read more

WrestleMania 36 – Preview and Predictions

The weirdest, strangest and most bizarre WrestleMania of all time is nearly upon us. Not only is it going to take part over two nights and in front of zero fans, but it has also been pre-recorded across multiple locations. Over the course of Saturday and Sunday night, we will be treated to another unprecedented … Read more

Women’s Tag Team Title match officially confirmed for WrestleMania

With WrestleMania already taped and ready to go, the Women’s Tag Team Championship match wasn’t officially announced. That is, until now. On tonight’s RAW it was determined that The Kabuki Warriors will defend their titles against Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross. There was a prior rumor that Asuka’s presence at Mania was questioned. That was … Read more

Winners & Losers: SmackDown 03.13.20

Friday Night SmackDown was brought to you from the WWE Performance Center in front of – no one. That’s right. For the first time ever, SmackDown took place without an audience. Truth be told, at first, it was awkward and odd but the talent did a great job making light of it and still putting … Read more

One year on, what’s next for the WWE Women’s Tag-Team Championships?

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Women’s Tag-Team Championships. This time last year at Elimination Chamber Sasha Banks and Bayley became the inaugural champions defeating Fire and Desire, Tamina and Nia Jax, The IIconics, The Riott Squad and Naomi and Carmella in the process. However, despite the initial excitement in their creation the history … Read more

Winners & Losers: SmackDown 01/31/20

Friday Night SmackDown was dubbed “Super” this week, but it had its moment where it wasn’t so super. This is mainly in reference to the only match of the night. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross took on Fire & Desire for what feels like the hundredth time. What makes matters even worse is I don’t think we know why they are wrestling each other, to begin with.

These two teams have had their fair share of feuds in the past, but this one has literally zero storyline. They have been having matches against each other for weeks now and no one knows why. The main story is actually between Mandy Rose and Otis. After all, she did get a date with Otis set for Valentine’s Day.

https://twitter.com/WWE_MandyRose/status/1223450464680923136?s=20

Fire & Desire suffer another loss after a short match between the two teams. Michael Cole repeatedly said that whoever wins may have a chance at the Women’s Tag Team Titles against The Kabuki Warriors. A match hasn’t been made official, but at least we are starting to talk about the tag titles again. Rose would take the pin after a neckbreaker by Cross sets up Bliss to deliver the Twisted Bliss.

Despite the one win Rose picked up on Bliss a couple weeks ago, this is the same result week after week.

Now on to a better moment of the night. Naomi has returned! That’s right, Naomi, who returned at the Royal Rumble, is now back on the blue brand. The SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley was out in the ring first. She was gloating about her win against Lacey Evans at the Royal Rumble.

She goes on and on about how much of a role model she is and how she has beaten everyone there is to beat. Expecting Charlotte Flair to pick her to face at WrestleMania, she calls out the Queen but gets the Glow instead.

Naomi’s music hits and her entrance had a new fresh element to it. She heads to the ring with an EDM Fishbowl placed upon her head. Once she enters the ring, she states that she could stand in the back with Bayley spilling lies. She reminded Bayley that she hasn’t beaten her when she so boldly stated she has defeated everyone.

Bayley would attack Naomi, but the Glow Queen would get the last laugh as she lays out the champion who winds up on the floor at ringside.

It looks like Naomi is going to be the next challenger for Bayley. This could very well just be a one-off at Elimination Chamber, or perhaps they will continue this through WrestleMania.


WINNER: Naomi

Naomi is the clear winner this week. She has made her long-awaited return and seemingly has claimed her spot in the title picture. The former two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion can use this title match/feud and so do the fans. Both SmackDown and RAW have been rather stagnant with the same talent being used and recycled storylines. This seems fresh between Naomi and Bayley and I am ready for it.

LOSERS: Fire & Desire

Unfortunately for Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, they continue to end up on the losers list. The only thing that would make either one a winner would be Rose securing a date with Otis. As much as I love these two together, the best thing may be to try them out as singles competitors. I do hope they can win the tag titles before they are broken up though.


Final Thoughts:

It is good to hear the tag team titles being talked about again, but we need more teams. Having Bliss and Cross go right back at the titles when they are the ones who lost them to the Kabuki Warriors is just recycling again.

Overall SmackDown has a similar problem that RAW has. The same few women used every week. For several weeks at least SmackDown was using every member of their roster, but now we are back to the same few (minus the inclusion of Naomi). Bring back, Dana Brooke. Where is Carmella? Let’s fix this.

Also can we start having more matches? If NXT can have two to three matches a week consistently then so can SmackDown and RAW.

I really think they may be ready to move a few NXT talent over. Hopefully this happens around WrestleMania time. Top picks to move over are Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, and Candice LeRae. It would be nice to see those who haven’t won the NXT Championship to do so, but I don’t see Rhea Ripley dropping the title anytime soon.

What were your thoughts on this week’s SmackDown? Who were your Winners & Losers? Use the comment section below to let us know what you think.

Winners & Losers: SmackDown 01/03/20

The first Friday Night SmackDown of the new year kicked off with the women as it very well should have. The scheduled Triple Threat tag team match was first with Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Lacey Evans & Dana Brooke vs. Sasha Banks & SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. The match starts with Evans and Banks, but Banks wasn’t having it as she tagged in Cross.

The match was a great way to start off the year and was quite lengthy. All six-women were able to showcase their skills and it was overall enjoying to watch. The crowd was really into the match as well which was good to see. The match would culminate with Brooke isolated by both Banks and Bayley. In this type of match-up she could tag either Evans or a member of Cross & Bliss.

Bayley would take out the team of Cross & Bliss off the ring apron to the ringside floor to eliminate them from the equation. Brooke would eventually get the tag to Evans. Evans would focus on Bayley and miss with her moonsault as Banks pulled her best friend out of the ring.

After a Bayley to Belly (it is hard to believe she is still using this move) a near fall is broken up by Brooke, Cross, and Bliss. Once the match regroups, Banks is tagged in and after a double team from her and Bayley is countered by Evans, The Boss is hit with the Woman’s Right. Brooke would tag in and hit a huge senton on Banks to pick up the pin and the win.

This was the main focus of the women for the night. Fire & Desire did appear but it was only to further the storyline of Mandy Rose and Otis. Carmella after collecting a couple wins against both Sonya Deville and Rose was not present.

The Usos returned at the end of the show, so this could and mostly like means that Naomi will be on SmackDown upon her return. Naomi was out of action when the WWE Draft took place in October so her placement could be either brand. Hopefully, her return will be held off until maybe the Royal Rumble match so that she receives the best response possible.

WINNER: Dana Brooke

Dana Brooke is perhaps the biggest winner of the night. She not only excelled in the ring but she would pick up the win for her team. Many people may not like that out of anyone in the match she pinned Sasha Banks, but her recently booking recently is what she has needed for years.

She could very well have pinned Nikki Cross or Alexa Bliss and still made an impact without Banks taking another loss. However, the story is between Brooke & Lacey Evans against Banks and Bayley so the pin makes sense.

WINNER: Lacey Evans

Lacey Evans’ babyface turn is better than anyone expected. A gimmick that fits so well with being a heel has actually translated quite well as a babyface role. Her clip art graphics on her titantron seem to have left also. She now has patriotic red, white, and blue graphics which makes more sense for her character and just overall looks better. The crowd was eating it up as well.

Her in-ring skills continue to show improvement. Personally, I have always been a fan of hers but her improvement is still incredibly noticeable to where she was at 6 months ago.

Credit: WWE

LOSER: Sasha Banks

In the same ways that Dana Brooke is a winner is why Sasha Banks is on the losing end this week. Banks more or less just continues to take losses. It is a tough position for Banks to currently be in as she is still by the side of Bayley. If Bayley loses a match instead then her title may be in jeopardy.

Banks losing just continues to put people over without progressing herself. There is nothing wrong with putting people over, but at some point Banks needs her moment. Could she potentially get her moment by winning the Royal Rumble? As long as they stay together or as long as Bayley is still champion I feel it is always going to be a lose-lose situation.

LOSER: Carmella

Carmella putting together two weeks worth of wins against Fire & Desire to just be missing in action is a little head-scratching. Of course, this is just one week where she is not present, but where are her wins going to push her to? It seems like she needs a good one-on-one feud and not against a tag team.

With the pairing of Brooke and Evans as of late, the landscape of SmackDown is becoming just tag teams. Having more tag teams isn’t a bad thing as that division is badly needing to grow, but then that means there may be a need for a few more singles competitors. Perhaps moving a few over from NXT wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen.

For next week it has already been announced that Lacey Evans will go one-on-one with Sasha Banks.

What are your thoughts of this week’s SmackDown? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!!

Asuka needs the Raw Women’s Championship

A few years ago the catchphrase “No one is ready for Asuka” sent a powerful message throughout the women’s revolution as “The Empress of Tomorrow” left her path of destruction through NXT and WWE’s main roster. She went undefeated for 914 days before suffering her first loss at the hands of Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania … Read more

Winners & Losers: SmackDown 11/29/19

This week’s Friday Night SmackDown certainly had its moments for the women’s division. Coming off a Survivor Series loss, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks addressed their fellow colleagues in disgust. The one to answer their tirade was Lacey Evans.

The only match of this week’s show was between Sonya Deville and Nikki Cross. The match itself was short but with Cross pulling off a victory it led to the return of Alexa Bliss.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1200599757669851136?s=20

For the full rundown of the show, you can head over to the live coverage that you can view here.

Here are the Winners & Losers from this week’s SmackDown:

WINNER: Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss made her return and although it wasn’t entirely a surprise it puts her as a big win. Bliss is scheduled to be in a Fatal 4-way this weekend at Starrcade on Sunday, so her reemergence was expected. She was last seen almost two months ago at Hell in a Cell and has been nursing a shoulder injury since.

WINNER: Lacey Evans

Lacey Evans received the biggest win of the week. Although it hasn’t been confirmed that she is Bayley’s next challenger for the title it can be assumed. The face turn for her still remains to be seen on how good it will work, but it is a start. She received a decent reaction from the crowd as well.

Although personally, Evans wouldn’t be my first choice for the next opponent for Bayley, at least it isn’t the same Nikki Cross/Alexa Bliss feud that has been done way too much. More than likely it is only going to be a temporary feud as I don’t see Bayley losing the title until at least WrestleMania.

LOSER: Bayley

Bayley’s heel persona fell big this week. Generally, I feel like her heel turn has been working even if it is a little lackluster. This week however was not a good way to build the champion up especially after a loss at Survivor Series.

After Lacey took down Sasha Banks her bestie simply stood there. It is not a good look for the SmackDown women’s division to have a champion who doesn’t have that fire. She should have won at Survivor Series in order to further her character development.

Final Thoughts:

Sasha Banks could use her own feud and break away some from Bayley. It looks like this could be Carmella. And if nothing comes from this, it should.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1200596925210214400?s=20

I am not opposed to Lacey being Bayley’s next opponent, especially as it may just be a one-off to get to the Royal Rumble. However, this was the perfect time to give Dana Brooke her moment. With her Twitter romance with Batista, Brooke is the talk of wrestling social media right now.

They could have built off of this and had Brooke as the one to come out to confront Bayley and Sasha instead of Lacey. Instead, she was just provided with a backstage segment with Drake Maverick trying to give her a little smoochy smooch. Missed opportunity and we all know Dana loves her opportunities.

What were your thoughts on this week’s SmackDown? Who were your Winners & Losers? Discuss this week’s show and developments in the comment section below.

Starrcade match changed to a Fatal 4-Way

WWE has changed the landscape of their women’s match at Starrcade. It was previously said that we would see The Kabuki Warriors defending their Women’s Tag Team Championship against RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, It was being booked as a Texas Tornado Match. The pressure has now been applied even more for … Read more

Discussion Post: Friday Night SmackDown 11/8/19

SmackDown

Welcome to your Discussion Post for this week’s Friday Night SmackDown. SmackDown tonight is taped as it took place earlier in Manchester, England. To see the spoilers of tonight’s show plus Monday’s RAW you can click here. The advertised match of the night is Sasha Banks returning to in-ring action against Nikki Cross. Also, Dana … Read more

Spoilers: Friday Night SmackDown & RAW: Manchester 11/08/19 & 11/11/19

WWE is in Manchester and as a result, Friday Night SmackDown for tonight and RAW for next week are taped. Diva Dirt’s own John Duffy is present for the events and has provided some spoilers for tonight’s episode. Heading into it we know that Sasha Banks is returning to in-ring action for the first time … Read more

Bayley to defend SmackDown Women’s Championship tonight

Breaking news just announced that Nikki Cross will challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship tonight. Cross won this shot at the title just a couple weeks ago in a six-woman gauntlet match. Severe flight delays from Saudi Arabia have forced this change to tonight’s card as the majority of WWE talent is still stuck … Read more

Winners & Losers: SmackDown 10/25/19

After the women weren’t used on Monday during RAW it was good to see some women in a match on tonight’s SmackDown. We technically received two matches, although one was a squash match with Lacey Evans taking out a local talent with a Woman’s Right. The second match was the advertised Nikki Cross vs. Mandy … Read more

Nikki Cross is the number one contender for the SmackDown Women’s Title

On Friday Night SmackDown a Six-Pack Challenge Match delivered as it showcased the newer women to the blue brand such as Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, and Dana Brooke. They joined Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, and Carmella to find out who would become the number one contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The great part of … Read more

Six-Pack Challenge set for SmackDown to determine a number one contender

The newest members of Friday Night SmackDown women’s division are to face off in a big way this Friday. They will be involved in a Six-Pack Challenge Match to determine the number one contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Bayley’s next challenger will be either Mandy Rose, Lacey Evans, Carmella, Sonya Deville, Nikki Cross, and … Read more

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross have been traded to SmackDown

The draft may be technically over but further trades are still in the works. Triple H has announced on WWE Backstage that former Women’s Tag Team Champions, Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross are now on Friday Night SmackDown. These two ladies were originally part of night one of the draft last Friday on SmackDown and … Read more

Additional matches added to Hell in a Cell

On WWE Now via a live stream, they have added further matches to what was originally a very small card for Hell in a Cell. The stream is hosted by Cathy Kelley and Mike Rome.

In addition to the SmackDown Women’s Title match and the Hell in a Cell Match for the RAW Women’s Title – the Women’s Tag Titles will be on the line. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross will defend their titles against the Kabuki Warriors.

On the Kick Off show, Natalya will continue her feud with Lacey Evans.

Click back in with Diva Dirt for Live Coverage during the main show starting at 7 p.m. ET. Hell in a Cell Kick Off show starts at 6 p.m. ET.