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 (No DQ match)

Carmella came after Bella with a vengeance, fearlessly attacking her early on. She threw Bella into the barricade, the ring steps, and cemented control with a kendo stick. Bringing the fight back into the ring, Carmella then locked in her submission finisher, but Bella desperately reached out and grabbed Carmella's kendo stick, using it to fight the rookie off.

This turned the tide in Bella's favor. Bella grabbed a fire extinguisher from under the ring, spraying Carmella with it and hitting the modified Rack Attack for the pinfall victory.

This match was a bit too quick for my liking, but it was fun. Carmella looked better than she has since making her main roster debut. her strikes were stiff and her ferocity was beliavable. Bella also showed how far she has come in recent years, looking strong and making Carmella look strong in defeat at the same time.

Winner: Nikki Bella
Rating: 3/5

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Women's Championship match)

Becky Lynch's fearless aggression finally got the best of her as she faced Alexa Bliss. Lynch attacked Bliss relentlessly from the moment the bell rang. Bliss knocked Lynch out of the ring, but the champion responded with  leg sweep, dropping Bliss right on the ring apron. Back in the ring, Lynch hit Bliss with a gruelling snap suplex, setting a table up at ringside.

Bliss attempted to knock Lynch onto the table, but Lynch dodged. The two exchanged blows on the apron, teasing falls onto the table often. Bliss looked to be in serious trouble, but a bite to the hand allowed her to evade a fall. Now taking control, Bliss beat down on Lynch, setting up a table inside the ring. Lynch fought back, attempting a superplex, but Bliss fought out of it, knocking Lynch back. Lynch turned the table over for good measure.

Bliss regained momentum, setting the table up again, but Lynch caught her in a fireman's carry, looking to end the match, but Bliss knocked the table over while on Lynch's back, hitting a DDT on the overturned table. Lynch attempted another comeback, setting the table up on the ropes, but Bliss fought out of it. The fight returned to the apron, and bliss finally sent Lynch crashing through the table from the beginning of the match to capture her first ever championship in WWE.

Putting the title on Bliss is shocking and genius at the same time. Alexa Bliss has gone above and beyond in her feud against Becky Lynch, taking every opportunity given to her and surpassing expectations at every turn. Lynch's chase back to her precious title will be a blast with Bliss at the helm.

Winner: Alexa Bliss
Rating: 4/5




Bayley vs. Alicia Fox

After Alicia Fox got angry that Bayley gave Cedric Alexander a teddy bear and a hug backstage, Bayley challenged Fox to a match.

No, seriously. This happened. In 2016.

Alicia Fox started off strong, grounding Bayley as the bell was still ringing and landing a running knee to the face. Fox drove Bayley into the turnbuckle, managing to hit a dropkick before Bayley swiftly turned things around, hitting Bayley to Belly to close the match.

Bayley was NXT's biggest star. She's over with the crowd and marketable to men, women and children alike. Yet somehow, WWE has absolutely floundered her on the main roster. She wrestles in short, useless matches with no real storyline to drive her forward in matches made because of teddy bears. WWE must find a way to develop her outside of the title picture before it's too late.

Winner: Bayley
Rating: 1/5

Family Affair

After Sasha Banks challenged Charlotte to an Iron Man match at Roadblock, Charlotte, having accepted, came out to the ring to publicly apologize to her father, whom she dumped in high fashion back in May. She invited him to the ring, and after embracing him in reconciliation.... slapped the living daylights out of him. Sasha Banks emerged to defend him (because that's a thing, apparently) and the two brawled viciously at ringside to end RAW.

While the segment dragged at first, Charlotte was stunning here. Her raw emotion throughout was palpable, and she more than stood her own across from her father in the ring. She spoke with passion, utilizing classic heel tactics to fire the crowd up. It's amazing to think how far she's come in the span of a year. Imagine how good she will be in another year. Or five years.



Carmella vs. Natalya

Carmella came to the ring, mic in hand, and once again denied that it was her who attacked Nikki Bella before the Survivor Series match, echoing her claim that it had been Natalya. Natakya did not take kindly to that, joining her int he ring. The two brawled, and Carmella drove Nattie backstage, where she came face to face with Nikki Bella. Natalya pleaded with Bella, insisting it hadn't been her who had attacked her, but Bella just walked off.

This story has a lot of moving parts in it, which is good. I'm glad they aren't letting Carmella fall into obscurity as Natalya and Nikki begin to develop their own feud. I'd love it if Nikki's mystery assailant turned out to be neither of these women.

Hey, Eva Marie's got to come back some time, right?

Winner: No contest
Rating: 1/5

Ding Dong, the Witch is Champ

Following her victory at TLC, Alexa Bliss cemented herself as SmackDown's top bad girl in her victory celebration, which was cut short by a desperate Becky Lynch. Lynch demanded her rematch then and there, and Bliss looked like she was accepting until she rolled right out of the ring.

It's a shame we never got a real women's match. SmackDown is usually better than its red cousin about giving its women a chance to wrestle. But aside from that, Bliss and Lynch were both phenomenal. Their chemistry as rivals is off the charts, and the slow burn to their eventual rematch is going to be a lot of fun to see play out.




Allie vs. Laurel Van Ness

Allie's story continued as she faced off against one of her most cruel tormentors: Laurel Van Ness, accompanied by Maria. Allie revealed to Van Ness that she's been training for this match, and her trainer is none other than Braxton Sutter. This gutted Van Ness.

Van Ness started off strong, hitting Allie with a wicked arm drag, but Allie had a response for everything Van Ness threw her way. Allie hit a suplex, surprising herself with its power. Mike Bennet came out and attacked Sutter at ringside, distracting Allie so that Van Ness could hit her from behind. Van Ness set Allie up for the Curb Stomp, but Allie dodged and hit a reverse DDT for the pinfall.

Allie' journey is like every high school clique movie combined into one beautiful storyline. It's juvenile in its simplicity but beautiful in its effectiveness. Allie is like TNA's Sami Zayn at this point, and it's wonderful.

Winner: Allie
Rating: 2.5/5



Sexy Star vs. PJ Black

Sexy Star faced PJ Black for the chance at a rematch against Johnny Mundo for the Lucha Underground Championship. The two traded control of the match early on, with Star using her devastating hurricaranas to her advantage. Black took Star down with a face-first power slam. Star responded with a series of strikes.

Black grounded Star out of a submission hold and ascended to the top ropes, but his arrogant showboating cost him valuable time as Star knocked him off. The two traded more devastating moves (and even a Styles Clash) before Jack Evans came running with a baseball bat in hand.

As the ref removed the weapon, Evans attempted to hold Star in place for a kick from Black, but Star dodged and Black hit Evans instead. Star then rolled Black up for the win.

It's hard to find a Sexy Star match I didn't enjoy. Star's relentless determination is as engaging as ever, and the quick tempo of her match against Black was incredible. She continues to deliver every time she's given the chance, and I can only hope to see her hoisting that beautiful championship once more.

Winner: Sexy Star
Rating: 4/5



Ember Moon vs. Kimber Lee

Welcome to WWE, Kimber Lee! WWE's recent signing from the independent circuit made her debut with the company in a fun but quick effort against rising star Ember Moon.

The match kicked off with a test of strength, which Kimber Lee surprisingly won, grounding Moon early on before Moon reversed it into a modified Codebreaker of sorts. Moon brought the advantage back to her corner with her flipping turnbucke forearm soon after before hitting the Total Eclipse for the pinfall.

Kimber Lee proved a surprisingly able opponent against Moon, a signt hat WWE will invest in her talent when the time comes. Both fought with believable ferocity. Ember Moon just needs character development and she's set to challenge for the NXT Women's Championship sooner rather than later.

Winner: Ember Moon
Rating: 2.75/5



We finally get to witness Paige and Alberto Del Rio's romance! Yay?

Renee Young and a hungover Dean Ambrose decide to do yoga on a surfboard. Ambrose can apparently bend and snap. It's as amusing as you would expect it to be. Renee is the first to fall off her board, and Ambrose's teasing...well, it's just plain cute.

Backstage at SmackDown, as Nattie is enjoying her push in her feud against Charlotte, Paige wanders backstage. It'ss been nearly six months of no storylines for her, and she's unhappy. At RAW, Eva Marie is upset that she hasn't been booked for anything for the week. She approaches Mark Carrano, who has nothing for her.

Meanwhile, in Brie and Bryan's little cottage, Brie tells her husband that she's invited Nicole to visit them for the weekend for the first time since their Total Bellas throwdown. Nicole has lunch with her mom, filling her in on her rehab for her return. She's desperate for her in-ring return, and wants to ask Bryan to coach her. When Brie picks Nicole up, she tells Brie that she wants Bryan to coach her and Brie tells her not to talk about wrestling in front of him. They pick up a tree for him. Brie, Nicole and Bryan go wine tasting and Nicole asks Bryan to help her. Brie's not happy. Bryan tells Brie she doesn't need to protect him from wrestling talk. Bryan goes and talks to Nicole, and they make up.

Later, the three go out to train,a nd Brie is happy to see Bryan finally back in his element as he helps Nicole.

The ladies meet up for dinner, and Paige brings along her flame Alberto Del Rio. The girls grill Paige about how this came to be. Paige reveals that she's smitten with Del Rio, even going so far as to say that she's in love. Natalya has her doubts.

Maryse and Eva Marie relax in a hot tub, and Eva Marie complains about wanting to be in a storyline. Maryse tells her to be brave and demand something, going to TV anyways.

Later, the ladies meet up for breakfast. They're concerned about Paige. Backstage at SmackDown, Lillian Garcia tells Renee that Paige missed live events and that everyone's concerned about Paige. Eva Marie decides to show up at TV tapings even though she's not booked.

Renee and Paige go out for coffee. Renee asks Paige what's going on with her. Paige says what's going on with her is nobody's business and storms off.

Backstage at a live event, Eva Marie's persistence pays off, and she gets a match.

Paige misses a call time, and Carrano calls her to his office. He tells her that she should be retired by 31 (which is supposed to be comforting???) and that everyone is worried about her. She says that she feels like nobody really cares about her. He tells her she's wrong, and to find people who do at the company, because they do exist. Paige makes up with Renee.


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!