What we learned from the WWE this week: 5th June, 2017

#4 The WWE should have known Lana was going to receive a positive reaction

Why is she a heel?

For a good few weeks, Smackdown Live have been teasing the debut of the re-packaged Lana. The former advocate for Rusev has had a strange relationship with the WWE Universe over the span of her short career. Initially being a very effective heat magnet, fans used to love booing everything she said and turned her into the ultimate target for the ‘USA, USA, USA’ chants.

She then won over a lot of people, seeing her slowly transition into a babyface, teaming up with Dolph Ziggler, which didn’t exactly go well. She then went back to being a heel, although this time as Rusev’s wife, as well as manager. All the while, however, a lot of fans have had a soft spot for her, maybe owing to how fantastic she manages to look everytime she walks down to the ring, or more likely her ability to talk on the mic and work off different kinds of crowd reactions.

It’s safe to say her debut this week was pretty well received by the Smackdown audience. She was initially cheered, and when we learnt that she wasn’t going to be inserted into the MITB women’s match at the next PPV, fans began chanting ‘We want Lana’. All of this was nice to see from Lana’s own perspective, but was it short sighted of the WWE not to just bring her in as a babyface?

Surely they knew fans would be excited to see her, and after such a long time off TV, audiences across the country are going to be excited when she comes out, at least for the next few weeks and months. In fact, it is a little dangerous for someone like Naomi to be involved in a feud with her right now. The dynamics of this rivalry is going to be a little off. As well liked as the champion is, her popularity feels a little unstable.

Fans cheer for Naomi because they have no reason to boo her, as opposed to genuinely liking her more than the other women. Lana will be going into this match at MITB as an awkward heel, receiving most of the fans’ adulation and love. If there’s one thing the WWE don’t need right now, it’s more awkward heels.