Tatum Paxley made her main roster debut on SmackDown earlier this summer alongside Alexa Bliss to even the odds in Charlexa’s ongoing battle with Jade Cargill and her baddies. While Charlotte Flair undoubtedly appreciated the help, she’s spent the last few weeks keeping her new ally at arm’s length. Meanwhile, Alexa and Tatum have tried their damnedest to get the 14-time champ to warm up to Miss Paxley.
A week after winning her SmackDown in-ring debut against Michin, Tatum pinch-hit for Alexa in tag
team action against Fatal Influence this past Friday and picked up the pinfall win. After being a bit blindsided that she’d be teaming with Paxley and not Bliss, Flair gave her partner some props post-match and seemed to be warming up to her.
That led to the new trio’s biggest (and baddest) test yet tonight on Sunday Night’s Main Event when they took on Jade Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab. Jade and her baddies came to the ring dressed like TLC, which led to Michael Cole revealing his favorite TLC song to be “Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls”.
It’s just “Waterfalls”, Cole, but I digress.
The team I’ve started affectionately calling Charlexley fought from underneath for most of the match, until Charlotte got the hot tag and went on a roll.
That is when things started breaking down a bit. Flair picked up a near fall after hitting a picturesque moonsault on Jade and Michin, but it wasn’t enough. After Alexa was sent crashing into the ring steps, Tatum reemerged to help Charlotte fend off a two-on-one, but when they tried to put Jade and B-Fab in dueling Figure 8’s, they had a meeting of the minds, allowing Jade to escape and eventually hit Charlotte with Jaded for the win.
Jade and company pick up a big win and Charlexley’s got some soul-searching to do.
What do you think comes next for these two teams, Cagesiders?
