Jade Cargill defeated Tatum Paxley on the Halloween edition of WWE SmackDown, but between the fabulous costumes, questionable moments and a rather entertaining ringside scrap, there was more to enjoy than the result alone.
Jade Cargill defeated Tatum Paxley in nine minutes on Friday night’s Halloween edition of WWE SmackDown.
It was a fairly predictable result, if we’re being reasonable about things. Jade is being presented as a formidable heel, while Tatum has spent the previous week looking for revenge after losing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
However, the result was arguably the least interesting part of this particular contest. We had a Poison Ivy costume, a demented clown, some questionable wrestling, a rather wonderful sequence of kicks and enough interference to make you wonder whether the referee had actually bothered turning up.
And, rather unexpectedly, I came away feeling increasingly positive about Jade Cargill.
But first, Batman.
Batman Forever, Poison Ivy and the Art of Looking Fabulous
As Jade Cargill made her entrance, Corey Graves offered an observation that I thought was rather excellent.
“I suddenly have the urge to watch Batman Forever.”
Quite right, Corey.
Jade had gone all out for Halloween, appearing in a fabulous ivy-green outfit inspired by Poison Ivy. With her striking platinum blonde hair, extraordinary physique and a costume that seemed considerably closer to elaborate lingerie than conventional wrestling attire, she looked magnificent.
A small correction for the Batman enthusiasts: Poison Ivy actually appeared in Batman & Robin rather than Batman Forever. Both belong to that wonderfully ridiculous period of Batman cinema when subtlety was apparently considered a criminal offence.
Back to wrestling.
Opposite Cargill stood Tatum Paxley, a woman who arguably celebrates Halloween every week of the year.
This time, Paxley had embraced the occasion by dressing as a demented clown, complete with her usual unsettling presentation. Her dark hair and peculiar energy made her a wonderful visual contrast to Cargill.
On one side, we had the glamorous supervillain, proudly announcing that she was dangerous, beautiful and perfectly aware of both.
On the other, we had somebody who looked as though she might emerge from underneath your bed at three in the morning.
Trick or treat, presented as two entirely different wrestling philosophies.
Aesthetically, this was brilliant.
Perhaps I’ve Been Too Harsh on Jade Cargill
I should make something clear before we get too far into the match.
I wasn’t particularly fond of Jade Cargill’s time as world champion.
There was always an obvious appeal to her presentation. She possesses an almost ridiculous physical presence, carries herself with enormous confidence and looks every inch the superstar WWE wants her to become.
However, I felt she had been pushed towards the very top of the company before her in-ring development had quite caught up with the expectations.
Her championship reign didn’t feature enough meaningful defences for my liking, and there were occasions when her performances suggested somebody still learning the finer details of professional wrestling while being expected to operate at its highest level.
That’s a difficult position for anybody.
Wrestling fans can be impatient, myself included, but there is a difference between having the appearance of a main-event performer and possessing the experience to make every match feel like a main event.
And yet, watching Cargill now, I find myself warming to her considerably.
As a powerful upper-midcard heel, accompanied by Michin and B-Fab, she makes much more sense to me.
There’s something wonderfully unpleasant about the three of them together. They look intimidating, they interfere in matches and they appear entirely comfortable making other people’s lives difficult.
Cargill’s promos have improved, her character feels more natural and her social media presence suggests somebody who genuinely enjoys embracing that intimidating persona.
She also remains built like a Greek goddess. Those shoulders and biceps are quite extraordinary.
Perhaps the difference is that WWE no longer needs every appearance to justify why she belongs at the very summit of the division.
Instead, she can simply be Jade Cargill.
And that might be considerably more effective.
A Sneaky Clown and a Slightly Awkward Beginning
Tatum Paxley wasn’t interested in waiting for the opening bell.
Before the match could officially begin, she jumped Cargill from behind and latched onto her with a sleeper-style hold, forcing the considerably larger wrestler to use her strength to escape.
A sneaky clown.
Which, considering the costume, seems entirely appropriate.
There was a good reason for Paxley’s aggression. Seven days earlier, on the 23 October edition of SmackDown, Cargill had interfered behind the referee’s back, helping Michin and B-Fab defeat Paxley and Alexa Bliss for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Paxley had lost her title, and Cargill had played a significant part in making that happen.
So there was no reason for pleasantries.
Once the match began, however, we encountered a slightly uncomfortable moment.
Paxley hit the ropes and charged towards Cargill, who appeared ready to catch her and demonstrate that familiar physical dominance. Instead, the exchange looked rather awkward, with Paxley dropping down before the movement had properly developed.
Yikes.
I’ve just spent several paragraphs explaining how much Cargill has improved, and suddenly we’re watching something that looks as though the two competitors have slightly different ideas about what’s supposed to happen next.
Never mind.
These things happen.
And, importantly, the match recovered.
Cargill began imposing herself through a succession of stern strikes, shoulder tackles and powerful attacks in the corner.
She drove Paxley backwards, used her considerable size advantage and started making the contest feel distinctly uncomfortable for the former tag team champion.
There was a heavy sliding lariat, too, which reinforced the point.
When Cargill’s offence looks convincing, it really does look convincing.
She has the sort of physical presence that allows relatively simple wrestling movements to carry tremendous weight.
A shoulder tackle doesn’t need to be particularly elaborate when the person delivering it looks capable of knocking down a small building.
And then, naturally, there were those biceps again.
Fabulous.
Tatum Paxley Reminds Everybody That She’s Rather Good
For all the attention Cargill attracts, I thought Paxley produced some of the most enjoyable wrestling of the match.
She’s a peculiar performer, and I mean that affectionately.
Her character is strange, her movements can be unpredictable and there’s something almost unsettling about the way she transitions between expressions and bursts of athletic offence.
Yet underneath all the theatrical weirdness is a genuinely capable wrestler.
Paxley began finding opportunities through her agility, using diving attacks and quick changes of direction to disrupt Cargill’s attempts to control the contest.
There were running crossbodies into the turnbuckles, a dropkick and a clever face smash onto her knee.
She also attempted a rolling crucifix pin, which was a nice reminder that the smaller wrestler didn’t necessarily need to overpower Cargill to threaten her.
She needed to catch her.
The action eventually spilled outside, where Paxley launched herself towards Cargill with an attack that resembled a spear.
Lovely commitment.
However, Cargill wasn’t particularly interested in being overwhelmed.
After Paxley missed a moonsault attempt from the apron, Jade responded with a filthy superkick and followed it with a vicious knee attack.
Suddenly, Paxley was taking quite a beating.
And here’s where I think the match began to work more effectively.
Cargill’s advantage was obvious. She was stronger, physically imposing and capable of ending exchanges with one substantial strike.
Paxley, meanwhile, had to find openings through speed, unpredictability and a willingness to throw herself into situations that probably weren’t especially sensible.
The contrast was simple, but effective.
And then Tatum started kicking.
A Bicycle Kick, an Enzuigiri and a Little Bit of Rob Van Dam
There was a lovely period during the latter stages when Paxley appeared to discover an entirely new supply of energy.
A step-up enzuigiri caught Cargill, followed by more aggressive striking as the smaller wrestler began building momentum.
Then came one of my favourite moments of the contest.
With Paxley positioned outside the ring, she launched a spectacular bicycle-kick-style attack towards Cargill’s head.
It looked tremendous.
The combination of timing, elevation and sheer audacity made it one of those movements that immediately demands your attention.
For a moment, Cargill’s considerable physical advantage didn’t seem quite so important.
Paxley followed with another wonderfully athletic rolling kick, a movement that reminded me somewhat of Rob Van Dam and his famous Rolling Thunder.
Now, I’m not suggesting Paxley had suddenly transformed into the Whole F’n Show.
But there was something about that rolling momentum and the way she used her body to generate an unexpected attack that brought RVD to mind.
And that’s certainly not a bad comparison to inspire.
This was all Tatum now.
After spending much of the match absorbing Cargill’s offence, she was suddenly dictating the pace, forcing Jade to react and giving the Charleston crowd something to become excited about.
It’s worth remembering that Paxley had already been through the emotional frustration of losing her championship the previous week.
Here was an opportunity to prove that she could stand opposite somebody as physically imposing as Cargill and still create genuine problems.
For a few minutes, she did exactly that.
Unfortunately, professional wrestling has a habit of introducing complications just when things are getting interesting.
Especially when there are approximately half a dozen people standing around the ring.
Everybody Gets Involved, Because Of Course They Do
Paxley climbed towards the top rope.
Cargill was down.
Something substantial appeared to be coming.
And then B-Fab decided that perhaps it wasn’t a particularly good idea to allow Paxley to continue.
With the referee distracted, B-Fab interfered and pulled Paxley down, disrupting the momentum she had worked so hard to establish.
Naturally, Alexa Bliss wasn’t going to stand around and admire the situation.
Bliss launched herself from the steel steps with a flying crossbody onto B-Fab, which was a thoroughly enjoyable piece of ringside retaliation.
Michin then joined the festivities, catching Bliss with a dropkick.
Paxley responded by kicking Michin on the outside.
At this point, everybody seemed to be attacking everybody else.
Wonderful.
It was chaotic, slightly ridiculous and entirely consistent with the circumstances surrounding the match.
After all, this wasn’t merely a contest between Cargill and Paxley.
It was an extension of the previous week’s championship change, with Michin and B-Fab now holding the titles that Paxley and Bliss wanted back.
There was also the wider collection of personalities at ringside, including Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid, adding to the sense that this particular rivalry had become rather crowded.
I don’t necessarily mind that.
WWE’s women’s tag team division benefits from having several performers involved in the same storyline, particularly when those interactions create opportunities for characters who might otherwise struggle to find consistent television time.
However, there is a delicate balance.
Interference can make a match feel more important, but it can also interrupt the rhythm of two wrestlers who have just started producing their best work.
And that was arguably what happened here.
Paxley had built some lovely momentum, only for the match to become distracted by everything happening around it.
Still, there was one final problem waiting for her.
A rather large one.
One Pump Kick, One Jaded, and That’s That
After dealing with Michin on the outside, Paxley returned to the ring.
Unfortunately, she returned directly into the path of Jade Cargill.
A massive pump kick greeted her.
Then came Jaded.
One.
Two.
Three.
Goodnight, Tatum.
Cargill had won in exactly nine minutes, securing another victory while Michin and B-Fab continued enjoying their newly acquired championship status.
Was it predictable?
Absolutely.
Did I particularly mind?
Not really.
There was always a strong possibility that Cargill would win this match, especially given the direction of her character and her association with the new champions.
Paxley was given enough offence to look competitive, while the interference provided a convenient explanation for why her comeback ultimately collapsed.
There were moments when the timing seemed slightly off, and having part of the action occur during a commercial break didn’t help the overall flow.
Yet I still found myself enjoying it.
The costumes were fabulous, Paxley delivered some genuinely exciting offence and Cargill looked convincing whenever she was allowed to concentrate on being the physically dominant antagonist.
More importantly, I think WWE has found a presentation for Cargill that suits her considerably better than the one I previously struggled to embrace.
Jade Cargill Doesn’t Need to Be World Champion to Feel Important
There’s something interesting about watching a wrestler become more enjoyable once the expectations surrounding them change.
Cargill doesn’t suddenly need to produce a technical masterpiece every Friday night.
She doesn’t need to carry an entire championship division on her shoulders.
She can be an intimidating heel, supported by two unpleasant associates, occasionally interfering in other people’s business and using her considerable strength to punish anybody foolish enough to confront her.
That feels like a perfectly reasonable place for her.
Paxley, meanwhile, deserves credit for making the contest entertaining beyond its inevitable conclusion.
But wrestling isn’t exclusively about who wins.
Sometimes it’s about which performers make you want to watch them again.
And I would happily watch both of these women in another match, preferably with fewer people interfering and a little more time for Paxley to demonstrate her abilities.
For now, Cargill has another victory, Michin and B-Fab remain the champions, and Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley have another reason to be thoroughly irritated.
The Halloween costumes will disappear, although I suspect Paxley’s wardrobe won’t change quite as dramatically as everybody else’s.
As for Jade Cargill, I’m beginning to wonder whether the version of her I wanted to see all along was never the world champion standing above everybody else.
Perhaps it was the glamorous, arrogant and physically terrifying villain standing alongside two equally unpleasant friends.
If WWE continues in this direction, there might be considerably more to enjoy.
And if Tatum Paxley gets another opportunity to kick her in the head?
Well, I certainly wouldn’t complain.
