Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Robert DeFelice, Jordan Chaffiotte, and Gabby Velasquez will be giving their thoughts on the historic WWE Evolution event!

More of a Double Trouble edition this week as I really want to give Smark Out Moment's resident females a chance to voice their opinion on this historic pay-per-view. If you're truly interested in my in-depth analysis of this, then please check out this week's edition of Smack Talk. Now, let's get into it with Jordan and Gabby.


VELASQUEZ: This feud is as close to dynamite as WWE has gotten all year. It’s been built so slowly and so subtly that now, everything feels organic and raw. I think that Becky Lynch has come into her own in this feud even more so than she did in her first championship run. She’s got the crowd behind her heelish antics, and Charlotte has pulled her own weight as well. What I love about this feud so much is that it isn’t a “I’m the MORE progressive woman” feud. It’s two women who have both accomplished so much and are hungry for more– at any cost.

There’s no excuse for it to not be the main event. Charlotte and Becky have been putting in the work week in and week out for years. The Bellas, while accomplished in their own right, just returned to the fold. Ronda Rousey just got here and already co-opts time from literally every other star on Raw’s roster. When you consider what you want out of a main event– drama, physicality and storytelling– there is only one option: Charlotte and Becky.

Oh, well.

CHAFFIOTTE: This is exactly my cup of tea. It's a story with deep roots that has developed over the last 3 years. Both Becky and Charlotte are kind of right, and both of them are deeply wrong. That's so true to life, I don't think any of us have ever been in a fight where we were 100% right. I love that despite WWE's best efforts to get us to boo Becky (not gonna happen) the lines between heel and face are so blurred. If anything, I wish they had leaned into it more. Clearly, people like me identify with Becky, and at the end of the day what is wrestling if not fantasy indulgent. Most of us could never and would never act the way Becky is, but boy wouldn't it feel good? At first, I rolled my eyes at the Cutting Edge segment, fully expecting to mansplain nation. But I was surprised at how much that segment served to further this feud and give a window into Becky's mindset. Their match will easily be the match of the night and might make a solid MOTY candidate. So obviously I would love to see it main event, but I've also stopped putting so much on that spot in recent months. Rarely does the best match actually go on last.


CHAFFIOTTE: I don't think this feud was necessarily doomed from the start like most people (including myself) believed back when rumors started. Actually, there's something really raw and powerful about the fact Nikki has been called a DNB, in one way or another, her whole life. The thing is, they got this all backward. If WWE thinks that all the nonsense Ronda is spouting is feminism, they're really not in a position to lift women up the way they claim. But even if you put aside the slut-shaming and a woman tearing down another to make herself taller, it's still backwards. Imagine if it had been Ronda who had turn on Nikki and Brie. Maybe they lost to the Riott Squad at SummerSlam, handing Ronda her first loss. Ronda loses it and beats the twins up, and Nikki comes for revenge. That's such a more interesting story than the Bellas are mean and got bored one day

As for the main event, I would definitely prefer the last woman standing match to go on last. It's going to be big and hard hitting and probably a little exhausting. If they put Nikki/Ronda on last to capitalize on the casual fanbase, you won't see me complaining about it.

VELASQUEZ: Man, this feud is pretty bad. I’ll say it. I think that when you look at the feminist movement in general, a recurring flaw is women snipping at each other’s heels like oppression is a contest. It’s pretty clear that this feud is written by men because I feel like most women would realize how petty and ridiculous their promos come across. Who cares who burst down the most doors?

What might be the most disturbing moment of this feud is, without a doubt, seeing men cheering for Rousey’s awful comment about Nikki Bella knocking down the door to John Cena’s bedroom. Nikki Bella can be with whoever the hell she wants. It was upsetting to see so many men cheering Ronda’s slut-shaming. And yes, that’s exactly what it was. I don’t care how much of Nikki’s stupid Total Bellas engagement was real or not. Those who cheered knew exactly what they were cheering for and why.


VELASQUEZ: The singles matches are spectacular. I cannot wait to see Io and Toni face off, and it’s only right to see Kairi and Shayna doing battle once more. The returns are exciting as well, I mean come on: Lita! Trish Stratus! And hell, Rhea Ripley is wrestling Isla Dawn! In a WWE ring! Holy hell, what a dream!

But to be honest, I’m disappointed to see Bayley and Sasha in a tag match that we’ve seen some variation of for months now. I don’t doubt that the women will put on a fantastic show. I think that the show’s existence in the first place is good for them. But WWE still seems to be blindly stumbling through its new “Feminist” approach to women’s wrestling. Its writing makes it clear that it has very little understanding of female friendships and rivalries. It cannot seem to establish a midcard though its female ranks are flowing with talent.

I don’t need this show to be Wrestle Kingdom. I think that its existence in the first place is wonderful, and I will enjoy watching it greatly. I think that WWE’s audience is excited about this event, even though WWE has half-assed its buildup for all but two or three of the matches. It clearly means a lot to the women in it, and I think that the atmosphere will be as electric as we’ve always dreamed it would be. So as far as best efforts go… no, it’s not the best, but considering this is the same company that produced “Fastlane,” I can’t complain too much.

CHAFFIOTTE: It's a bit of mixed bag for me. I'm excited for the Last Women Standing match, the finals of Mae Young Classic, Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler, and whatever the UK NXT women put on. That said, I'm disappointed that the Riott Squad, Natalya, Sasha, and Bayley all got thrown into a 6-woman tag. The Battle Royale seems like a cop-out to telling interesting stories over the past few months. Here's my thing. I do believe WWE cares more about calling themselves progressive than they do about actually being progressive. Still, I believe this matters. It's a chance for the women to prove themselves, and if they go out there and leave it all out in the ring, it'll make a difference. Play the game, not the score. Honestly, most pay-per-views these days have some high spots, low spots, and a questionable main event. If we come in on par with that, but the women of WWE show us how much this means to them, I'll be happy with it.