Below are a couple of top WWE news stories of the day, featuring Naomi, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Cody Rhodes.
• On Friday’s SmackDown, Bianca Belair called out Naomi and asked if she attacked Jade Cargill. Naomi said she thinks Jade has been piggybacking off of Bianca. Bianca said is it a yes or a no. Naomi said:
“I did it. I did it for you. I did it for us.”
Bianca told her they’re done as a tag team and left the ring, which led to Naomi calling Bianca an ungrateful b*tch, thus officially turning heel. Cargill came out and took out Naomi.
According to Fightful Select, this segment received widespread praise within WWE. The emotional promo between Belair and Naomi, written by Ioannis Fillippides and produced by TJ Wilson, was lauded for its substance and execution.
Naomi was particularly highlighted for her strong performance, with Bianca also receiving commendation for her reactions.
The segment’s camera work and Cargill’s arrival were also praised by employees, with multiple sources highlighting the overall quality of the production. There were no reported issues with Jade Cargill during the show.
• On the post-Elimination Chamber episode of SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes delivered a promo addressing John Cena’s betrayal.
While internal run sheets also indicated a planned backstage segment for Cody with R-Truth, this interaction was ultimately cut, according to Fightful Select.
While the reason wasn’t definitively stated, backstage speculation suggests the segment was removed to maintain the intensity and impact of Rhodes’ preceding promo.
This decision was made despite the previous week’s well-received backstage interaction between Rhodes and Truth.
