WWE SmackDown 2/2/2024: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE SmackDown," the show where people apparently give up their WrestleMania main event spots for no reason! We'll get to that, don't worry. Will we get to everything? No. Sorry, Logan Paul/Kevin Owens feud, you didn't make the cut this week, but people can still read about you by going to our live coverage/results page! This space is about the strongest feelings the WINC staff had about a given show, which is about to become extremely evident.

How did we feel about Bayley's falling out with IYO SKY? Were we happy to see the likes of Tiffany Stratton and Naomi sign "SmackDown" contracts? And most importantly, regarding the main event segment ... zuh? Here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 2/2/24 episode of "WWE SmackDown."

I won't lie. I had my reservations about Bayley being a babyface again at first given how her "Hugger" character ultimately played out. However, all of my worries instantly dissipated tonight when she showed just how talented she truly is in her in-ring segment with Asuka, Kairi Sane, and IYO SKY.

We all knew that the split was inevitably coming, but the way that it happened was so much better than I ever could have anticipated. From top to bottom, this entire segment was perfect and had everything you could want –- from emotion to intrigue, and even a little bit of suspense. Not only did Bayley catch Asuka, Sane, and SKY mocking her earlier in the night backstage, but she caught them doing the same thing in the ring as she looked to reveal her WrestleMania 40 opponent. When the time came that she revealed that she understood every word they were saying the whole time, the way all four women played off each other and their reactions were perfect. Just when I thought that it couldn't get any better, WWE decided to switch things up a little bit and have Bayley fight back with a pipe when Asuka, Sane, and SKY blindsided her instead of simply leaving her laid out and ending the segment there, wrapping things up in a nice little bow by having her select SKY as her WrestleMania opponent.

The absence of Dakota Kai made things all the more intriguing, as it makes you wonder where her loyalties will lie once she comes back. On the one hand, she's gotten pretty close to Sane, Asuka, and SKY over the course of the past few months, but on the other hand, Bayley has had her back since day one and brought her back into the company. All this goes to say that it adds another interesting and dynamic element to a story that both of those words encapsulate.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

On "Raw" this week, Seth Rollins pleaded for Cody Rhodes to pick him instead of Roman Reigns to face at WrestleMania 40. He trashed his former stablemate and downplayed his title reign in an effort to make the WWE World Heavyweight championship look like the better title. Keep in mind why that title was created in the first place; a consolation prize while Reigns was holding onto the title until he surpasses Hulk Hogan's record. When putting down "The Tribal Chief" didn't make Rhodes immediately challenge Rollins, Rollins took the obvious route: talking about Dusty. He put the title over as the workhorse's title. The Dusty title. While Rhodes still didn't declare his 'Mania intentions, he clearly got emotional. On "SmackDown", Rhodes would make his decision at the show's end.

Early in the show, a video aired of Rollins' plea, honing in on the party where he invoked "The American Dream". The speech had been re-recorded, just for this video, with different language. They added footage of Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair, Sid Vicious, Hogan, and of course, Dusty.

That speech and the subsequent video isn't for Cody. It's for the fans. Many of us were unhappy with Rhodes not winning at WrestleMania 39. People tried to tell us it's part of the story. It isn't. Rhodes was screwed and so were the fans. Almost a year later, he won the Royal Rumble again; following the match, he found Reigns in his suite and pointed to him. He wants to finish the story. This has been his entire (storyline) reason for returning to the company that never saw him as a main event star, let alone the face of the company. Instead, WWE wants Reigns to break Hogan's record (which is completely understandable) and The Rock wants to headline another 'Mania. If they don't do it now, it won't happen.

Then CM Punk got injured. The rumored match was Punk vs. Rollins in Philadelphia. In wrestling, card is subject to change. So Rollins gave a speech to convince the fans that the match they really want is "The Visionary" vs. "The American Nightmare." He'll spend the next 60 days trying to convince us that this too is part of Cody's story, while The Rock tries to convince fans that his family feud — that's four years late -– is what they would rather have. Just another chapter in the story, right?

Written by Samantha Schipman

One of the most impressive women in recent memory not named Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, and the like, to me, is Tiffany Stratton. To me, she has the beauty and sassy character of an Attitude Era Diva, but with the incredible skill set we see on the women's roster today, especially when they're trained in the Performance Center. I started tuning in to "NXT" consistently when Stratton was really starting to come up and become a star. I was thrilled when she won the "NXT" Women's Championship, and slightly miffed when she didn't regain it after losing to Becky Lynch. Now, I can see there was really no reason to be upset because with her performance in the Royal Rumble, the rumors of her being called up to the main roster were almost immediate. And with good reason – she absolutely killed it in the Rumble and looked like she belonged. It's amazing, because, as commentary reminded us tonight, Stratton has only been wrestling for two years. While she doesn't look like a veteran of the game just yet, she's well on her way to becoming a top star on "WWE SmackDown."

The choice to put her up against Michin, the former Mia Yim, tonight was a spectacular one. For one, Michin does not get enough screen time to showcase how good she is in the ring. Getting her in there with Stratton for a good amount of time tonight was great for them both. Michin is one heck of a wrestler, and she took Stratton's Alabama Slam and Prettiest Moonsault Ever like a champ, in addition to getting her own stuff in. Honestly, if they have another match or two for a mini-feud, just to get Stratton's feet wet on the main roster, I wouldn't be opposed to it. It can just be on weekly TV, they don't have to build up to a premium live event or anything. They worked extremely well together, and the match was great for Stratton's first appearance on "SmackDown." She's going to be a star, and I'm glad WWE recognized it was time for her to move on, giving the other women on "NXT" space to grow, as well. With the way I felt about the ending of the show, I am certainly glad it's "Tiffy Time."

Written by Daisy Ruth

On Friday Night, Naomi excitedly walked out of General Manager Nick Aldis' office with a SmackDown contract in her hand. "Michin" Mia Yim, Shotzi, and Bianca Belair were all there to hype her up, and a small "welcome back" chant was even started by Yim and Shotzi. Then, Tiffany Stratton came rushing out, irate that she was not the center of attention. The rest of the segment unfolded, and Naomi slowly faded into the background. She was not

To make things perfectly clear, this is not a hate directed at Stratton. Her presence as a non-Damage CTRL heel on the blue brand is welcome, and her overall meteoric rise through WWE should be celebrated. What this is a hate about is Naomi's lack of use on tonight's episode of "WWE SmackDown".

Naomi left WWE in May 2022 over issues that are concerningly similar to what she experienced tonight. She expressed her dissatisfaction with the way she was handled prior to her departure, and I could not help but see the similarities between her booking then and tonight. Naomi should have been celebrated so much more than she was tonight, especially after her shocking Royal Rumble return, where she lasted for over an hour in the match. Instead, she got a total of maybe five minutes of screen time (not including her vignette), and for a good portion of that five minutes, she was reduced to an ensemble character who reacted to Stratton giving Yim a solid slap. It feels insulting, and whatever hype there might have been around Naomi making an unexpected return was probably squashed tonight (I say "probably", because I know that there are diehard Naomi fans out there, and we appreciate you).

Granted, I may be a bit impatient here. This is only Naomi's first show back, and perhaps in due time, she will get her flowers and a WWE run that puts her in the main event scene. I also acknowledge that the industry of professional wrestling is fast-paced, and it is so easy to fall through the cracks. I could be a bit impatient, or I could be worried that the foundation of Naomi's current WWE run is too shaky to withstand the rushing current of the industry's waters. Either way, "WWE SmackDown" needs to order some glow sticks and neon lights, and pay extra for express shipping. Naomi's first match back needs to be made a priority.

Written by Angeline Phu

Coming off of a Royal Rumble debut in which he eliminated four men — just as many as eventual winner Cody Rhodes — in an impactful showing just over five minutes long, the wrestling universe was right to wonder, "Is this finally time for Bron Breakker to hit the main roster?" The answer now, clearly, is an emphatic yes.

Appearing with "WWE SmackDown" General Manager Nick Aldis, contract in hand, Breakker looked ready to sign on the dotted line until "Raw" GM Adam Pearce showed up asking Breakker to wait until Monday, review his offer, and go from there. And that's where we're headed, with Breakker holding on to his "SmackDown" offer and set to meet up with Pearce come Monday.

This is good news on multiple levels, with the first piece of business being that Breakker is indeed moving on from NXT. (What that means for his Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final matchup alongside Baron Corbin against Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams is now anybody's guess.) Some would say his call-up is long overdue and by all accounts, he has been ready for some time. The Rumble appearance, reportedly set in motion when Brock Lesnar was removed from the match, cemented that status. And best of all, positioning Breakker as a hot commodity, actively being bid on by both WWE GMs, is a simple stroke of brilliance, reinforcing the existing beliefs of the NXT faithful, while convincing main roster regulars that the new guy here is someone to watch right out the gate.

Personally, I agree with what Jeff Jarrett posed on the latest episode of his "My World" podcast, pumping up Breakker as the guy to dethrone GUNTHER as WWE Intercontinental Champion, but we shall see. For now, let's be content with Breakker off to a good start.

Written by Jon Jordan

Wow. Just ... wow.

I never entertained for a second the possibility that WWE would actually replace Rhodes with The Rock at WrestleMania, allowing Cody to fill in for the injured CM Punk against Seth Rollins. Just really, truly did not think it would happen. So more than anything else, I'm just very surprised.

I am not a Cody Rhodes superfan. I think he's fine, but I'm not really that invested in whether the guy "finishes his story" or whatever. I do think that WWE is taking a massive risk right now in having Rhodes step aside from facing Reigns at WrestleMania and letting The Rock do it instead, because it's really not a great look for Cody. But he's very good at what he does, and I don't really know if he's in danger of losing the current generation of WWE audience, who have a lot of patience with the product these days. I think Cody, as a performer and character, can come back from this.

It's the execution of the whole thing that I take the most issue with. It's just ridiculously stupid. I'm sorry that CM Punk got injured, but you just had Rhodes win the Royal Rumble for the second straight time, point to Reigns in the sky box after he did it, and confirm in the post-show press conference that he's coming after Roman. I wrote a whole thing about how he really is the guy now. I don't care if someone else has an injury; from a narrative standpoint, you're locked in at that point. Your only option is to slot somebody else in to wrestle Rollins, and there were a number of options to choose from. Instead, we got Rollins' vapid promo on "Raw" — the one that made so much sense they had him re-do it for the video package that aired tonight — and now this. I can only get invested in stories and characters if things make sense, and none of this does.

To be fair, I should mention that nobody was really in an explaining mood tonight, which was really annoying, by the way. I'm guessing this press conference on Thursday is where they'll present whatever explanation they pulled out of their ass, but I'm not banking on that being helpful. I think when all is said and done, the answer to the question of why The Rock replaced Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 will simply be "Because Dwayne really wanted to." And that's not acceptable. I don't particularly care whether Cody finishes his story or not, but I would appreciate WWE at least attempting to tell one.

Written by Miles Schneiderman