SK Exclusive: Naomi set to keep the WWE SmackDown Live Women's Championship throughout 2017

What's the story?

As reported by The Dirty Sheets via our "DS Breaking News" show on YouTube and iTunes, Naomi is set to remain the SmackDown Women's Champion throughout 2017.

You can watch the video by clicking the YouTube link, below.

In case you didn't know...

Naomi won the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando by taking the title from Alexa Bliss.

The heart of the matter

The WWE is currently planning to keep Naomi as Champion for the remainder of 2017. After defeating Natalya at SummerSlam, she's pencilled in to have a program with Tamina.

The WWE is keen to market Naomi's new SmackDown Women's Championship belt but may face a significant wait. The company was hoping to have the new belts on sale by Christmas and for WrestleMania season but was informed by Mattel that the belts would not be available by Christmas.

What's next?

Naomi will defend her SmackDown Women's Championship against Natalya at SummerSlam in Brooklyn on August 20, 2017.

Author's take

Naomi vs Charlotte seems to be the marquee women's match on the SmackDown brand. It was originally slated for SummerSlam, but plans were changed to Natalya at the last minute. It's likely that the Charlotte match will now take place at next year's Royal Rumble or WrestleMania. It will be interesting to see how Carmella's Money in the Bank contract factors into the company's plans.

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