Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of DIVAS DEBRIEF—a rundown of the events that have transpired in the world of women's professional wrestling over the past several days. Whether it's the women on WWE programming or elsewhere with the TNA Knockouts and other smaller, independent companies, Smark Out Moment attempts to keep you up to date on all things going on with the ladies of the ring.



Nikki Bella vs. Carmella

Bella went after Caermella the second the bell rang, raining fury down on the thorn in her side. Her momentum did not last long as Carmella soon gained the upper hand, zeroing in on Bella's neck and clearly enjoying herself throughout.

Nikki Bella, however, wouldn't be victimized, staging a classic babyface comeback and landing her new Rack Attack for the pinfall victory.

Carmella was a bit messy, but the emotion was there. Nikki Bella had the crowd firmly behind her and both women played their parts wonderfully. All they need is better storytelling outside the ring that matches the fire inside the ring.

Winner: Nikki Bella
Rating: 3/5

Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi

Naomi keeps getting extremely lucky.

After Becky Lynch was deemed unable to compete due to a medical emergency, Alexa Bliss was forced to take on a surprise opponent in a non-title match, with her own title shot coming in November.

Bliss controlled most of the match with a series of stiff strikes and her trademark viciousness, but Naomi managed to roll her up for a shocking victory.

In many ways, WWE was stuck. Lynch's unforeseen medical emergency ended up stalling one of the pay-per-view's most interesting feuds. Naomi is fantastic, but with no character direction a victory for her only served to halt Bliss' momentum and confuse everyone.

Winner: Naomi
Rating: 2/5





Bayley vs. Cami Fields

After Bayley kept Fields on her feet with reversals for everything she threw at the Hugster early on, Bayley escaped a dive into the turnbuckle, quickly connecting with a Bayley-to-Belly for the pinfall victory.

The hometown crowd gave her a thunderous ovation as she celebrated up the entrance ramp, but she was ambushed from behind by none other than Dana Brooke, who planted her to the ground.

Finally. Not only does RAW now have a secondary women's feud, but pairing Bayley with Brooke is beneficial to both in the long run. First off, it allows Bayley to be portrayed as a relatable (i.e. bullied) underdog and gives Brooke the chance to work with a worker who can pull a good match out of even the most inexperienced wrestlers.

Winner: Bayley
Rating: 1.5/5

Sasha Banks & Roman Reigns vs. Charlotte & Rusev

After new champion Sasha Banks and Charlotte opened RAW, they were interrupted by a petulant Rusev, who had no interest in their upcoming title match: the first ever women's Hell in a Cell match. Charlotte and Sasha threw down Lana when she attempted to put them"in their place" before double dropkicking Rusev out of the ring, soon being joined by Roman Reigns.

What resulted was a fun and fast-paced intergender match that was a lot of fun to watch.

The women started the match off, with Sasha Banks controlling Charlotte early on until Rusev tagged in, working over Reigns to control the match into the break. Reigns looked to be struggling until he tagged in a red-hot Sasha Banks, who managed to catch Charlotte into a Banks Statement as Reigns speared Rusev to force Charlotte to tap.

RAW could have easily made this all about the men. But instead, they knew which feud was hotter and took full advantage of it. Int he opening segment of RAW, Banks and Charlotte put aside their differences long enough to double-team a misogynistic man out of the ring, right before yelling in  each other's faces. Their rivalry is as intense as it has ever been, the added Hell in a Cell stipulation making their rivalry hot just as it felt it was overstaying its welcome.

Sasha even got universal cheers for Roman. That's quite the feat.

Winners: Sasha Banks Roman Reigns
Rating: 3.5/5




Naomi vs. Carmella

Following their matches at No Mercy, Naomi and Carmella squared off in singles action. Carmella clobbered Naomi to the ground before the latter woman had even finished her entrance. Carmella used the momentum to her advantage, but Naomi soon powered back with a well-placed high kick. She ascended the ropes and hit a flying crossbody on Carmella for a near-fall.

Carmella looked to find her rhythm after the near-fall, regaining control of the match over Naomi by slamming her to the ground back-first from the middle rope, but a distraction by Nikki Bella allowed Naomi to roll Carmella up for the pinfall victory.  Bella went after Carmella, who fled into the crowd.

SmackDown's women's division has a nice, unique feeling to it, but something is lacking writing-wise. We need clarity in almost every single feud they have going on. Why exactly does Carmella hate Nikki Bella so much? What do all of these wins mean for Naomi?

Bliss and Becky Lynch have a clear, focused feud, making it one of the best surprises SmackDown has produced. There's animosity, and we know exactly where it comes from. Carmella and Nikki Bella need that before their feud can feel like anything other than second-rate.

Winner: Naomi
Rating: 2/5




Gail Kim vs. Maria (NO DQ TNA Knockouts Championship match)

With Allie, Sienna and Laurel all banned from ringside, Maria was forced to take on now-Hall of Famer Gail Kim all alone. A terrified Maria threw as many weapons into the ring before the match as she could, but missed her first attempt to strike Kim. She fled up the ramp and Kim pursued, hitting her with a clothesline.

Maria managed to regain the upper hand with a cookie sheet, viciously striking Kim with it. Kim was basically victimized until she got her hands on a garbage can lid, hitting Maria with it. She hit Eat Defeat but before she got the pinfall, she pulled Maria up and hit her a few more times for good measure before finally pinning her to retain her title.

Winner: Gail Kim
Rating: 3/5



Sexy Star vs. Jack Evans (Gift of the Gods Championship match)

After being pinned by Evans two weeks ago in an Atomicos match, Sexy Star defended the Gift of the Gods Championship against Jack Evans in one-on-one action. Before the match, Evans proclaimed himself not just a Dragon Slayer, but a Star Destroyer, and vowed to end Sexy Star's career.

Early in the match, Evans avoided hitting Star, allowing her to get some offense in before he hit a cheap shot dropkick to gain control. His gloating kept him from keeping control for long as Sexy Star regained her footing, attacking Evans with a vengeance. Evans caught Star in a camel clutch, goading her on in Spanish before she fought out, going on the offensive in and out of the ring until Johnny Mundo ran in and hit her with a nasty spear as PJ Black distracted the official.

Back in the ring, Evans attempted a dirty pin, but the official noticed. Fenix then came out to even the odds, distracting the ref and allowing Sexy Star to hit Evans where the sun don't shine with a kendo stick.

Sexy Star is, for lack of a better word, a star. She oozes with charisma and owns the ring whenever she is in it. She feels and looks right at home wrestling against men. As Joey Ryan said on Twitter, intergender wrestling is about creating heroes, not victims, and Sexy Star is a hero in every sense of the word.

Winner: Sexy Star
Rating: 4/5



SAnitY's Wild Card

Not a match, but certainly something worth mentioning. Nikki Storm's (aka Nikki Glencross and now Nikki Cross) signing with NXT was met with massive excitement from those familiar with her work on the independent circuit. A well-seasoned striker with charisma to spare, Cross' impending debut was something many were looking forward to.

The initial glimpse we caught of her during house shows and her one televised match pre-SAnitY was severely underwhelming. She showed hints of ferocity in her ring-work, but lacked the kind of persona to truly skyrocket her into title contention.

Well, no worries anymore, huh?

Attacking the already prone Tye Dillinger with uncontrolled aggression, Nikki Cross looked positively volatile, playing off very well with SAnitY ringleader Eric Young. It's a welcome sight to see a faction featuring a very empowered (if extremely terrifying) woman right up there with the men. Nikki Cross is the perfect fit for SAnitY. The NXT Women's Division better watch out.

Liv Morgan vs. Billie Kay

NXT has found its new underdog.

After being openly mocked by Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, Liv Morgan looked to silence her critics against Kay. Following early control for Morgan, Kay turned the tide with a nasty fireman's carry and began to methodically work Morgan.

An well-timed dropkick looked to be bringing Morgan back, but it all came to a crashing halt when a distraction by Royce allowed Kay to hit a big boot for the pinfall.

Winner: Billie Kay
Rating: 2.5/5



Wow, okay, so we now know a LOT about the Bellas' sex lives.

The episode follows Brie, Nikki and Kathy as they all deal with relationship issues of their own. Brie and Daniel haven't had sex in a month, which Brie reveals to Nikki is because they need to set a certain mood. Meanwhile, Nikki and John are having issues because John has been putting his rehab and recovery ahead of spending time with her while Kathy is infuriated that good ol' Laurinitis wants a prenup.

Over the course of the episode, we catch a glimpse of Brie training with Lana for her retirement match, which was probably my favorite part of the episode. Brie was a veteran int he locker room, and her leadership was clear. It was nice seeing her in her element for one last time.


So there you have it, the breakdown for the week in women's wrestling. What were some of your favorite and least favorite moments from these women? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!