5 Things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown: Former MITB winner's title shot to get delayed, Big storyline set to end next week with a stipulation match
It was the penultimate episode of SmackDown before Hell in a Cell 2021, and WWE did a great job in keeping interest heading into the pay-per-view. While not a whole lot of matches were made official for Hell in a Cell, there was a lot of storyline progression on the show.
The rumored feud for the Universal Championship was true after all, and that will be the focal point of programming on the Blue brand with only one episode left before Hell in a Cell.
There were ups and downs, but as a whole, SmackDown continued to prove why it's a more consistent and enjoyable show to watch. Here are some things WWE subtly told us this week:
#5. No immediate SmackDown Women's title shot for Carmella
In the last few weeks, Carmella has gained a bit of momentum as she picked up a few wins on SmackDown. When building a title challenger, WWE usually gives them a winning streak to help boost them to take the next big step.
It seemed clear that Carmella would be the next SmackDown Women's title challenger to Bianca Belair. The latter, who is currently feuding with Bayley, defeated her at WrestleMania Backlash and will face her again at Hell in a Cell 2021.
With Belair expected to defeat The Role Model, it seemed inevitable that Carmella would be the next in line after this feud is over. Perhaps as a challenger at Money in the Bank 2021. But make no mistake about it, she would simply be a way for WWE to get Bianca Belair through to SummerSlam.
Either way, Carmella lost to Liv Morgan on this week's episode of SmackDown. Maybe it's a way to start a small feud before one of them moves on to challenge for the SmackDown Women's title.