What's the story?
As reported by Cageside Seats, the new WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Naomi may not get the chance to defend the Championship at WrestleMania 33. She won the title at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view after pinning Alexa Bliss in a move that divided opinions among the WWE Universe.
In case you didn't know...
Naomi, who has been a member of the WWE roster for a few years now, looks set to be going into WM33 as Champion. It'll have an extra special feeling for the former Funkadactyl as Orlando is her hometown, which was one of the main storylines heading into her title match with Alexa Bliss at the February PPV.
The heart of the matter
As previously mentioned it is being rumoured that Naomi will not be awarded the opportunity to defend the strap at the Citrus Bowl. Instead, the match-up that has been spoken of is Naomi & Becky Lynch taking on Alexa Bliss & Mickie James in a tag team match.
This would mark the second time in three years that there has been a straight up 2-on-2 female tag bout at the showcase of the immortals, with the Bella Twins facing Paige & AJ Lee back at WrestleMania 31.
What's next?
We'll have to see how this plays out on television but if Talking Smack is anything to go by, it seems as if the two feuds between these four women will indeed continue to intertwine. Some people thought a multi-woman match for the Championship would be the way to go, but this may be a way to protect Naomi before having her defend the title post-Mania.
Sportskeeda's take
The whole decision to put the title on Naomi seems like a bit of a PR stunt to us, especially when you consider that Orlando is her hometown. Bliss was doing well as Champion and it seemed as if there was more money in several challengers chasing after her for the belt, but maybe Naomi can surprise us as champion.
She has indeed paid her dues in the company but that doesn't necessarily mean she should've been given the title. Her entrance is great and her character work is slowly starting to improve, but this all feels incredibly rushed.
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