WWE SmackDown Grades: The Man Earns A Match With The Empress At The Rumble

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1. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella

Things have been heating up in the SmackDown women’s division for months now, creating must-see TV in the process.  The emergence of a new side of Becky Lynch, an old-new side of Charlotte Flair, and Asuka as SmackDown Women’s Champion has taken things to an even hotter level.

Asuka is set to defend her title at the Royal Rumble, but the opponent was still to be determined when a Triple Threat Match took place last night between Lynch, Charlotte, and Carmella with the winner becoming the number one contender.  It was safe to assume the best from this match, and those assumptions were emphatically met.

These women put forth a tremendous match with great storytelling as well, especially from Carmella who played the role of the third wheel perfectly.  It was all about the issues between The Man and The Queen, but The Princess Of Staten Island tried to sneak in and capitalize on those issues several times.  It looked like Carmella would win the match after a while, but it wasn’t that simple.

The action was intense and action-packed, but the finish was just what the doctor ordered for Lynch.  After Charlotte was taken out of the picture, Lynch countered Carmella into a dis-arm-her where she tapped out, giving Lynch the big win.  After the match was over, Asuka came out and went face-to-face with her Royal Rumble challenger to set the stage for a huge matchup.  Overall, this was a great match that was basically perfectly executed.

The Empress Of Tomorrow vs. The Man is set after a great Triple Threat Match last night that probably outdid the exact same match at SummerSlam back in August.

Final Grade: A