WrestleTalk Roundtable – WWE SmackDown Live – October 23, 2018

After the prolonged heartache that was Monday Night Raw, it was nice to return to emotional stability on SmackDown Live last night.

It was like a plain bagel after a heavy night: simple, comforting, yet largely forgettable. And that’s not a bad thing, as this relatively mundane episode of SmackDown Live was zipping along rather smoothly for a while. That was, at least, until they slipped a massive raisin into this wrestling delicacy.

What was the real-world embodiment of this metaphorical devil fruit? The current state of WWE‘s women’s division! What on earth is going on with it?

We’re just a few days out from Evolution, the all-women’s pay-per-view touted as being the epitome of women’s empowerment in WWE. A hard-earned reward for their diligence, passion and skill. And yet, it’s arguable that the company’s women’s division has never looked more directionless.

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t mean that from a talent perspective. In fact, in terms of overall in-ring ability, I think we could agree that WWE has never had such a wealth of terrific women wrestlers at its disposal. It’s the way in which they’re used that’s so abysmal.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpM3ov_D9EI/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

While questions could legitimately be asked about the build to the tag match featuring Trish & Lita vs Mickie James and a hopefully healthy Alexa Bliss, as well as the suddenly thrown together Riott Squad contest against Banks, Bayley and Natalya, the most egregious example of poor booking has to be the Battle Royal.

Twenty-one competitors have so far been announced for the match, over the course of a two week build – most of which has been dedicated to having various menageries of women awkwardly toss one another over the top rope. No explanation, no real context. Just silly, forgettable nonsense.

The fact that this is being treated as such a throw-away match is especially bizarre when one considers that of the fifteen current main roster stars scheduled to compete in the Battle Royal, six are former WWE or NXT Women’s Champions. SIX! Could we really not find room for Ember Moon, Asuka or Naomi to have a featured match in a reported three-hour show?

https://twitter.com/Zelina_VegaWWE/status/1054915075503546369

And what of the Mae Young Classic finals or the two NXT Women’s titles on the line? I don’t recall any of those matches even being mentioned during Raw or SmackDown this week, which is frankly incomprehensible. How are these women expected to get over with audiences if you can’t ever bother to give them any main roster TV exposure?

There’s no excuse for these lapses. Evolution was announced on July 23, giving WWE just over three months to build a pay-per-view correctly presented as a landmark accomplishment. Three months in which to prominently feature women, create rivalries and generate excitement.

Instead we get ‘Shuffles McGee’ Shane McMahon dropping one sentence about the event before quickly moving on to a largely meaningless World Cup tournament.

HERE COMES THE MONEYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

Welcome to the show, @ShaneMcMahon! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/pyqyEoHahD

— WWE (@WWE) October 24, 2018

And therein perhaps lies the greatest irony. At a time when WWE should be hyper-focused on Evolution and the message behind it, they’ve found themselves distracted by Crown Jewel, the increasingly controversial pay-per-view to which Evolution will tragically forever be tied.

Between World Cup qualifiers, Shield tag matches, Dean Ambrose heel turns and four geriatric legends chatting about which one of them is going to die first, much of the on-screen oxygen has been siphoned away from the all-women’s event.

It’s an unbelievable shame that during a time of women’s evolution, WWE has found itself focusing exclusively on an event in which they are banned from competing.

But what happened on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live? Join our WrestleTalk writers as we quickly recap some of the best and worst moments on the blue brand. Then don’t forget to let us know your rating of the show as well as your thought on this Sunday’s Evolution.

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