Lana is back! WWE had better know what it is doing by having the blond beauty wrestle instead of being Rusev’s lovely valet.
During the 6-woman tag match on SmackDown, Lana came down to the ring and tripped up Naomi on the ring apron. This wound up costing Naomi the match and Lana posed with the Welcoming Committee after their victory. Later on during SmackDown, Naomi approached Shane McMahon backstage. Naomi asked for a match against Lana at Money in the Bank and said that she would be willing to put her SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line. SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon then made the match official. Naomi will defend her title against Lana at Money in the Bank on June 18th.
I’m not sure how this all makes sense, but it does make things a bit interesting. Would WWE really consider taking the belt off Naomi for someone who hasn’t been in a ring? Does Lana have more skills than say Stacy Keibler or even Brooke Hogan? The company is moving on with the “New Era” concept, but may have missed the boat on this one. Unless there is something Shane McMahon knows that we don’t know.
While all of the focus lately has been on the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, there could be a shift in attention to the new villainess. And should she win the title, which would do nothing for the women’s division, how long does she keep the title? This is not Alexa Bliss’s older sister in the ring.
Give WWE some credit in trying to make Lana look a bit edgier with attitude of her own. When he walked to the aisle with Rusev and spoke, it was to promote her man in the ring. Now, she is her own sounding board.
It makes sense if Lana wins and becomes a transitional champion for Charlotte Flair or Becky Lynch. But then, it also makes Naomi’s title run look weak. WWE has done a solid job of making JInder Mahal, Samoa Joe, Bliss, The Miz and Kevin Owens look like strong opponents. This would go against the groundwork that has been laid down.