Hello Reader! Let’s get into week 20 of my 52-week project. Rollins is still absent, but Cargill finally has some big in-ring action.
Jade Cargill
SmackDown
In the commentary team’s preview of the Sunday Night’s Main Event six-woman tag team match between Cargill/B-Fab/Michin and Flair/Bliss/Paxley, the commentators suggest the numbers game of Cargill/B-Fab/Michin could be neutralised. This re-establishes the narrative thread running through Cargill’s actions since aligning with B-Fab and Michin, and offers some stakes for the bout.
Later, after Flair and Paxley win a tag-team match, Cargill and friends enact their first post-match beatdown in a few weeks. Cargill is back to directing orders, and punctuates the work of B-Fab and Michin with her own finishing move. This reasserts her physical dominance – which has been lacking the previous weeks – and her leadership of her group. Perhaps I was too quick to gesture towards democracy among The Baddies last week. Let’s see whether this continues into the six-woman tag at Sunday Night’s Main Event – maybe Cargill’s personal feud with Flair will be reignited.
Sunday Night’s Main Event
This show is an exercise in the old creative writing classic – showing versus telling. During The Baddies’ entrance, we are offered an instant visual signal for their synchronicity via costume choice – all chrome, bikini tops over baggy pants. This is supplemented by the commentary team promoting their teamwork (‘tight unit’) by telling us that they have never lost a six-woman tag. The commentary team also describes Cargill as ‘wise’ to team with these two discarded and frustrated women, Michin and B-Fab. This suggests some development in the strategic component of Cargill’s character – something that has only rarely been mentioned in previous weeks. So here, we’re shown the values at play via costume, but mostly we’re being told how we should interpret the narrative.
As the match goes on, the commentary team tells us that Cargill’s got an issue with Flair, after losing to her a few weeks back on SmackDown. We’re told that Cargill is “highly irritated”, “doesn’t like losing to anyone”. The problem is, we’re being told rather than shown this. During the past few weeks, we’ve seen little sign of Cargill’s frustration, as she’s only appeared in backstage interviews or skits. Her character rarely appears ruffled in these segments. And we’ve been denied the action-based side of her character due to a lack of in-ring action.
But, after pinning Flair, Cargill’s aggression comes out in her celebration. Finally, once again, we are shown her value of competition and dominance, which has been muted in the past few weeks. Now, as a viewer/reader, we’re looking for possible narrative tension between Cargill/Flair to be followed up. And, I believe, we’re looking for Cargill to once again chase championship gold.
Seth Rollins – Raw
Still no Rollins. I recommend reading my Q1 breakdown, which offers a summary of Rollins’ characterisation leading into his absence.
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