'WWE SmackDown' Airs Awkward Blunder That Most Viewers Missed

By John Connor Coulston

WWE SmackDown's Friday night broadcast on Fox featured a bit of an awkward detail, but many viewers didn't even know it happened. As noted by Twitter user @YeahEJH1, the Aug. 19 broadcast's audio description was a bit lacking during a women's tag team segment, leading to a pretty funny — although kind of insulting — moment.

The episode — which aired live from Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada — featured the latest match in the Women's Tag Team Championship tournament (spawned by previous champions Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out on the company due to ex-CEO Vince McMahon's poor creative plans for the titles). The matchup featured SmackDown mainstays Sonya Deville and Natayla up against a late addition to the tournament, Toxic Attraction. The latter team, made up of Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne, is a dominant force on WWE's developmental show NXT, alongside leader (and NXT Women's Champion) Mandy Rose. The two were a late replacement for another NXT duo, Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons, who were disqualified from competition due an injury and an undisclosed medical issue, respectively.

When Toxic Attraction entered, the person responsible for the audio description was unclear about who they were. In describing Jayne and Dolin walking down the entrance ramp, the automated voice read, "Two hot chicks come strutting out wearing... bondage type outfits." While it's definitely insulting to just describe the two WWE Superstars as "hot chicks" in bondage, the formal tone of the voice saying it is pretty funny. Plus, the person who has to quickly translate the visuals of SmackDown's live broadcast into an audio description track does not have the easiest job, so we ought to give them a break.

As for how the match turned out, Toxic Attraction pulled one out over the veterans. Jayne and Dolin will now face fan-favorites Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah in the second round of the tournament. That match is set for the Aug. 26 SmackDown episode. On the WWE Raw side of the bracket, Asuka and Alexa Bliss will face off against Dakota Kai and IYO SKY. WWE SmackDown airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. The full episode is available on Hulu the next day (and on Peacock 30 days later, and highlights are posted on WWE's YouTube channel.

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