Natalya is your Smackdown Women’s Champion number one contender. She’ll be squaring off against Naomi for her title at SummerSlam next month in Brooklyn, NY.
Most of the WWE universe and Philadelphia crowd, for that matter, likely expected to see Charlotte punch her ticket for a SummerSlam showdown with Naomi. So when Natalya scored the fateful pin, most fans may have cocked their heads.
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However, few WWE Superstars have more built-in goodwill with the fanbase and it didn’t take long for her supporters to sound their horns.
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I’m not even mad, Natalya deserves this. She’s only had 1 title. She deserves this so much. #WWEBattleground
— K💖 (@FLAIRSECTlON) July 24, 2017
That match was super fun. Excited for Natalya/Naomi at #SummerSlam. #WWEBattleground
— Rumble Ramble (@TheRumbleRamble) July 24, 2017
My face when they finally let Natalya win an important match #WWEBattleground pic.twitter.com/v6tQg9OWTt
— Melody Mirage (@MelodyMirage) July 24, 2017
While not having Charlotte fight for a title in WWE‘s 2nd biggest show of the year is perplexing, it’s hard to not get behind Nattie. However, at this moment she’s working heel. For her, pretending to be bad comes about as naturally as Seth Rollins pretending to be good, so WWE may reserve the right to switch up the chemistry.
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But Naomi is also a babyface, likely the most popular female wrestler on Smackdown. So WWE has some work in terms of making this story be a compelling one. Fans are going to want to support the veteran underdog Nattie.
After the match ended, Naomi hopped into the ring for a display of sportsmanship, Nattie wanted no part of it and declined the handshake. As of tonight, she’s still a heel.
The march towards Summerslam should be an interesting one. For Noami and Natalya, next month’s pay-per-view with being the biggest match for both of their careers. Maybe WWE can create a story about which female needs this win more.
For the rest of the division, there are only more question marks. Becky Lynch and Charlotte now find themselves out the title picture for at least a month. Chances are, WWE will not make room for multiple Smackdown women’s matches on the main SummerSlam card. regardless, Smackdown will have more answer for us on Tuesday.
