WWE fans watching SmackDown in London last night were treated to a fantastic show, but everyone else is having to wait. The superstars and crew will be travelling to Saudi Arabia over the next few days for Saturday's Night of Champions event, meaning the usual weekly Friday night show was taped a few days early.
Some huge matches had already been announced, featuring the likes of Nathan Frazer, Paige and Giulia, while fans knew stars like GUNTHER and Cody Rhodes would be appearing. However, it was a surprise debut which has got some people riled up.
Blake Monroe's debut sparks backlash
After months of hype, England's own Blake Monroe finally made her first appearance on the blue brand and revealed her first rivalry in the process. Despite the great moment for fans in the arena, people at home have been ranting on social media that it was a mistake to debut her in a way that means it's now been spoiled online.
'You had a thousand chances to debut Blake the right way, and you chose a taped show. What a clown move,' X user @25_saurav complained. Others simply asked why WWE decided to have her 'debut on a taped show'. And another fan, @NN_Graps, argued: 'Another reason why it was such an odd choice to wait until a pre-taped London show is Blake now has to no-sell this and wait for Friday night to acknowledge her presence on The New A Show.'
Even before the show, one fan had predicted Blake's debut but insisted it wouldn't be the right call. @LoEl81 wrote: 'It will be taped and everyone will know about it, probably even seen clips, before it even airs on Friday. Kinda ruins the surprise and moment, but I'd take it right now. If she doesn't debut in her home city, then I don't even know where we go from there tbh.'
Fans defend London debut
Despite some people sharing the sentiment, plenty more pointed out that Blake debuting in the UK was the perfect spot, regardless of when the show airs. 'No, they did not waste Blake Main Roster debut because London was the perfect place for her to debut at,' argued @ThunderRail98.
Before the show went on air, there were plenty of fans predicting it – and Blake even hinted to Metro that it could be on the cards. While she wasn't going to outright tell us, she teased last month: 'We do have this European tour coming up, so maybe, let's see…'
The highly anticipated debut comes after weeks of vignettes hyping up The Glamour's arrival. 'WWE and SmackDown audiences have never seen anything like me,' she promised in our interview. 'They've never seen a woman as versatile as me.'
Other matches and post-show action
Elsewhere on the show, fans already knew that Norfolk's Paige would be facing off with Jacy Jayne, and Nathan Frazer challenged Rey Fenix. After the SmackDown taping itself ended, fans at The O2 were treated to an untelevised match pitting Oba Femi and Seth Rollins against The Vision's Bron Breakker and Austin Theory.
Once that bout was over, plenty of fans stayed in the arena for a special broadcast of England's match against Ghana. After the Three Lions failed to break down their opponents in the disappointing 0-0 draw, it was clear fans in attendance were much happier with the wrestling earlier in the evening.
