Even on date night with Mrs. G0MEZ, I made sure to keep up with what was going on in wrestling.
When I checked our website, I saw my colleagues Geno Mrosko and Jon Velez-Jackson lamenting Giulia’s loss to Lash Legend on SmackDown. Their takeaway was that Giulia, once an international superstar, got squashed.
Immediately, I had to find out what all the fuss was about. So when I got home, I went straight to that match.
Respectfully, that’s not what I saw.
What I saw was a competitive sprint. Giulia peppered
Lash with strikes and used her quickness to outwrestle a larger opponent. But while Giulia was piling up singles, Lash was clearing the bases with big shots.
After getting caught in an octopus, Lash bounced Giulia’s head between the ropes several times before dropping her with a side slam. Later, she muscled out of a standing guillotine, then cracked Giulia with a headbutt before hitting the Lash Extension for the win.
In under three minutes, Giulia gave Lash a run for her money before the size advantage proved to be too much to overcome.
Despite her success in Japan, Giulia hasn’t translated with WWE’s audience. Is it her fault? Creative’s fault?
I don’t know.
What I do know is that despite winning the Women’s U.S. title and having had a mouthpiece in Kiana James, Giulia still hasn’t connected with fans.
In fairness, Legend hasn’t caught on either. But she also hasn’t had the same opportunities as Giulia as a singles star.
Now, it’s her turn. Picking up a dominant win over a former NXT Women’s and U.S. Champion is what Lash needed heading into SummerSlam and the ladder match for the Interim Women’s Championship, where she’s bound to run into fellow powerhouse Jade Cargill.
Having two lady hosses in Sunday’s match breaks up the field that includes lighter, more athletic stars Tiffany Stratton, Charlotte Flair, and the always-entertaining Chelsea Green. It also creates an in-match storyline where Lash and Cargill throw everyone else around before coming face-to-face.
Before they even touch, the staredown alone will likely draw a huge reaction.
Why? Because fans love to see strong forces collide. Last year on SmackDown, fans in the arena got excited for a confrontation between Talla Tonga and Erick Rowan, two big men in the middle of the card.
Ultimately, WWE got this one right. And while fans and pundits might not be happy with the outcome, Giulia isn’t asking for sympathy.
“Don’t fucking worry about me,” she wrote after the show on X. “I’m stubborn as hell. I don’t fucking quit. I’m tough as nails.”
