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Xia Li has been absent from WWE television since she made her in-ring main-roster debut on the February 25, 2022 episode of SmackDown. She defeated Natalya in her debut match.
Li was drafted to SmackDown in the 2021 WWE Draft and made her first appearance on the brand when she saved Naomi from an attack orchestrated by Sonya Deville on December 10. She went AWOL soon after.
The first-ever Chinese female superstar in WWE has had numerous matches on WWE Live Shows and dark segments, which are not filmed and generally take place before or after televised shows.
Apart from Natalya, Li has only faced Shotzi since making her main-roster debut. Shotzi herself made her last TV appearance on the same episode as Xia, taking on Sasha Banks in a losing effort.
Before being drafted to SmackDown, Li faced Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT Women's Championship in her last match for the black & gold brand in July 2021.
As of this writing, there has been only speculation on Xia Li's current status. No reports have indicated that she suffered an injury. Many have guessed that she could be part of WWE's April releases, which has sadly become an annual tradition for the company since the pandemic era.
With Superstars like Xia Li and Shotzi not appearing on TV for months, SmackDown women's roster has slimmed down considerably
As reported above, Xia Li and Shotzi haven't appeared on WWE TV for almost two months now. These absences combined with many others who have either gone to other brands or have been absent from are screens have left SmackDown's women's roster a bit shallow on paper.
Xia's last TV opponent, Natalya, recently appeared on NXT 2.0 to start a program with Cora Jade. Aliyah had her last TV match on the February 11 episode of SmackDown, where she tapped out to the Queen of Hearts. Shayna Baszler had her last match on the blue brand on the same episode as Xia Li and Shotzi.
Meanwhile, Sonya Deville started a feud with WWE RAW Women's Champion Bianca Belair on the red brand. Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley did appear on Friday's episode, but they are officially part of RAW. Raquel Gonzalez, now going by the name Raquel Rodriguez, just debuted on the brand and is yet to have a TV match. Lacey Evans, too, has just returned after a long sabbatical.
This just leaves the Women's Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Naomi, the SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, and her challenger Ronda Rousey as the only regularly-utilized superstars with ongoing storylines.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the SmackDown Women's roster? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
