{"id":96261,"date":"2021-07-17T14:00:28","date_gmt":"2021-07-17T18:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=96261"},"modified":"2021-07-17T12:03:26","modified_gmt":"2021-07-17T16:03:26","slug":"smackdown-women-rock-the-house-houston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/07\/17\/smackdown-women-rock-the-house-houston\/","title":{"rendered":"How the SmackDown Women Rocked the House in Houston"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Its been a cruel summer for the women\u2019s division at <strong>World Wrestling Entertainment<\/strong><em>. <\/em>Budget cuts sent <strong>Mickie James, Chelsea Green, Ruby Riott, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, <\/strong>and <strong>Lana <\/strong>off, wishing them well in their &#8216;future endeavors\u2019. This left a skeleton crew of female WWE superstars heading into the build-up for the women\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/07\/17\/wwe-money-in-the-bank-predictions-7-18-21\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong><em>Money in the Bank<\/em><\/strong><\/a> ladder match. With few participants to hold qualifying matches with, half of the seven woman ladder match\u2019s entrants have been announcements made via social media, or by onscreen authority figure <strong>Sonya Deville<\/strong>. However, some fresh blood and charismatic talent are keeping the women\u2019s evolution moving forward, and the SmackDown<em>\u00a0<\/em>women rocked the house at Houston\u2019s Toyota Center on July 16\u2019s broadcast.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The team of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShotziWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ShotziWWE<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TeganNoxWWE_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@TeganNoxWWE_<\/a> have just upset the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWE<\/a> Women&#39;s Tag Team Champions!!!!!!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0xCSe9fxXE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/0xCSe9fxXE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1416199722159812608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 17, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>No Tank Shines Brighter<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Tegan Nox<\/strong> and <strong>Shotzi <\/strong>made their second appearance on SmackDown and their first in front of a live crowd since joining the blue brand. Although it is early days yet, Shotzi\u2019s gimmick appears to be remaining intact-the TCB tank, her wolfish howls, and her punishing, risk-taking in-ring style. Yet again, she and Nox overwhelmed the WWE Women&#8217;s Tag Team Champions <strong>Natalya <\/strong>and <strong>Tamina<\/strong>. These four athletes\u2019 styles are so complementary because they are all so distinct: Tamina\u2019s gusto, Nox\u2019s excellent timing and synchronicity with her partner, Natalya\u2019s submission style, and Shotzi\u2019s human wrecking ball approach to pro wrestling create a visual buffet of clashing approaches among the SmackDown women.<\/p>\n<p>However, theirs wasn\u2019t the only clash to watch during the match. <strong>Liv Morgan <\/strong>and <strong>Zelina Vega<\/strong> on guest commentary sewed the seeds of a feud between them with several petty swipes that turned into a brawl between the commentary desk and the apron. Their fisticuffs distracted Natalya as she attempted to lock in the sharpshooter on Nox. &#8220;The Girl With the Shiniest Wizard&#8221; turned the tables on Natalya with a roll-up pin, capturing her and Shotzi\u2019s second win.<\/p>\n<p>The enraged Natalya and Tamina attacked Morgan and Vega in retaliation for their antics, but Morgan fed Natalya the canvas, incapacitating the Women&#8217;s Tag Team Champion and pointing triumphantly at the Money in the Bank briefcase. The dust-up sets the stage for how the SmackDown women will interact in Sunday\u2019s ladder match.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WomensTitle?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WomensTitle<\/a> is on the line right now as <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BiancaBelairWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@BiancaBelairWWE<\/a> defends against <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarmellaWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@CarmellaWWE<\/a> in front of the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEUniverse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWEUniverse<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WTnOm0ygoL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/WTnOm0ygoL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1416202156751953926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 17, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The SmackDown Women&#8217;s Championship Match<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Carmella <\/strong>was slated to be in the ladder match, too, until being tapped to fill in for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/07\/09\/wwe-confirms-bayley-injury\/\" target=\"_self\">the injured <strong>Bayley<\/strong><\/a> to challenge for <strong>Bianca Belair<\/strong>\u2019s SmackDown Women\u2019s Championship. Expectations were high for Belair\u2019s first appearance before a live crowd since winning her title from <strong>Sasha Banks<\/strong> at <strong><em>WrestleMania 37<\/em><\/strong> in April. The match, WWE\u2019s first WrestleMania bout to feature two African-American headliners, recently won an ESPY for Best WWE Moment.<\/p>\n<p>Although Belair, and the crowd, missed out on seeing the fruition of her entertaining summer feud with Bayley, Carmella was a formidable challenger. She is a genuinely capable submission wrestler with a bag of well-executed tricks but also employed vicious heel tricks like tossing Belair into the barricade and knocking her face-first into turnbuckles. If the crowd wasn\u2019t in love with the exuberant and engaging &#8220;EST&#8221; before, they were solidly on her side whenever she seemed overcome by Carmella. However, Belair&#8217;s prodigious strength was on her side as she reversed Carmella\u2019s guillotine into a vertical suplex that commentator <strong>Pat McAfee<\/strong> compared to that of <strong>Davey Boy Smith, The British Bulldog. <\/strong>Bianca whipped &#8220;Mella&#8221; around with her braid and hit her powerbomb finisher, the Kiss of Death, and covered for the pinfall win.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time since winning the belt, Belair got to raise it high before the crowd. It wasn\u2019t the match originally planned, but the champion still made it her moment.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"Vewd9YqvQ69cQYjz1_dFPQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1328052439\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'Vewd9YqvQ69cQYjz1_dFPQ',sig:'nTYfG6JhhWurXiHESKJZebnpGWl7hmXeLe5Q921JsHo=',w:'594px',h:'434px',items:'1328052439',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The SmackDown Women Rock the House &#8211; In Closing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>SmackDowns\u2019 women\u2019s division is adjusting to recent losses and additions, but it has a healthy mix of veteran talent and exciting new transplants from <strong>NXT<\/strong>, plus the star power of Belair. The crowd at the Toyota Center got quite a show from these stellar performers.<\/p>\n<p><em>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. WWE fan? You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Peacock<\/a>\u00a0and WWE Network.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Head on over to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/boards\/index.php\" target=\"_self\">LWOS Boards<\/a> to engage in conversation with fellow fans!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Its been a cruel summer for the women\u2019s division at World Wrestling Entertainment. Budget cuts sent Mickie James, Chelsea Green, Ruby Riott, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, and Lana off, wishing them well in their &#8216;future endeavors\u2019. This left a skeleton crew of female WWE superstars heading into the build-up for the women\u2019s Money in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3715,"featured_media":96284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,26,317,4,3,320],"tags":[351,217,404,159,3207,867,3086,1747],"class_list":["post-96261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-smackdown","category-women","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","category-wwe-women","tag-carmella","tag-liv-morgan","tag-natalya","tag-sasha-banks","tag-shotzi-blackheart","tag-tamina","tag-tegan-nox","tag-zelina-vega"],"modified_by":"Robbie Sutter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3715"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}