WWE SmackDown Smacks and Downs: ‘Daddy Deville’ is amazing

Smack: speaking truth (in kayfabe) and remembering the past

Down: is Charlotte Flair the right conduit to breakup Bayley and Sasha Banks?

Look, overall, this was a good segment with each wrestler playing their roles well (for the most part).

The big question: is Flair a face, heel, or both? Her promos are a mix of face comments mixed in with discussions of being “genetically superior” and FOX wanting her on the show because she’s “blonde.” Those are not face things to say.

Bayley and Sasha Banks interrupting works well in the sense that all three of these women have notable histories with each other. Even though we are to believe all three brands are on equal footing, it’s undoubted that most fans view the championships in NXT as below those on RAW and SmackDown, so I’m guessing many fans saw it as an affront that Flair tried to grandstand on the show where Bayley reigns as champion.

Good for Bayley for reminding everyone that the last two times they wrestled, she defeated Flair, including for the Women’s Championship that Bayley currently wields. No matter what Flair says about Bayley needing a complete makeover and “bad haircut,” the fact of the matter is Bayley won and Flair lost.

My issue with the segment is one, I would have liked to see someone else receive the proverbial rub from a match/segment/feud with Charlotte, but as we discussed earlier with Otis, the depth is thin considering who’s already locked into feuds.

Two, I’m not sure Flair should be the person to be the catalyst for the breakup of Bayley and Banks. Flair doesn’t need any more spotlight, and at this point, having her be the conduit would be just like adding another championship to her ledger: it all blends together.

I’ve wanted this breakup to happen more organically than having the now-top woman in WWE add another check to her ledger. At worse, if the hacker is revealed to be Ember Moon, showing video of Bayley trashing/devaluing Banks behind her back, or Banks discussing her devious plan to turn on Bayley, would be an acceptable route.

This probably means in their “champion vs. champion” match next week, there will probably be some sort of miscommunication that leads to a loss for Bayley and further dissension between her and Banks. This is making me a little less excited for their match next week.

Hopefully, I’m wrong.

It’s also fair to wonder about overexposing the already overexposed Flair. She is basically a floater between the three shows. Logistically this works because of shows emanating from the Performance Center. Practically, it makes me want to see Flair less and less.

It isn’t just about overexposure at this point, but seemingly about just how many people she can give the championship rub to, beginning with Mia Yim and Liv Morgan, and now with Bayley, Banks, Shirai, and a possible return to Ripley.

It just seems like a cumbersome role for Flair. Let’s hope for the best.