Alexa Bliss & Tatum Paxley Capture Gold: SmackDown Shocker
What a chaotic night on SmackDown! Thanks to a backstage ambush by Jade Cargill that took Charlotte Flair out of the equation, Alexa Bliss stepped up as a last-minute substitute to team with Tatum Paxley.
Against all odds, the newly formed duo pulled off the upset and snatched the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships away from Fatal Influence.
This win marks a massive milestone for Tatum Paxley, as it's her very first championship victory on the main roster (following previous success down in NXT where she held both the NXT Women's and NXT Women's North American Championships).
While it definitely stings to see Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid drop the gold, let's keep it in perspective: this is literally their first loss on the main roster. They've had a phenomenal run, and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Big Picture
Looking at the bigger picture, this whole situation feels like the catalyst for a much larger story. Fans online are already putting the pieces together, and it's hard to disagree with the sentiment.
As user arynleneer pointed out:
"I get the feeling that this is setting up Charlotte going back to turning heel... [it] won't happen immediately but it won't be surprised if she turns by the time Survivor Series comes around"
It makes total sense. Charlotte didn't get her hands on the titles, her replacement won without her, and the tension is bound to boil over soon.
At the same time, Fatal Influence's story shouldn't end here either.
As petrone.20 rightly noted:
"Fallon and Lainey need to stay hot tho. Don't keep them off tv despite the loss. Fatal influence is great"
They've proven they can carry the division, so keeping them heavily featured on television while they chase a rematch or pivot to singles competition is the right play.
Between Tatum's milestone main-roster win, the looming Charlotte character shift, and Fatal Influence's inevitable rebound, the SmackDown women's division just got a whole lot more interesting.
