WWE SmackDown 5 Takeaways: The Era of Carmella to Continue?

1.  Women’s Money in the Bank Match Scheduled

So it initially seemed like Daniel Bryan would shirk from his responsibilities as GM upon his return, and I was worried that his character would be made to look weak. Instead, after hearing the likes of Becky plead their case, he decided to force Carmella to return the briefcase. While I can only hope that the charismatic “Princess of Staten Island” wins it back next week, I appreciate the promo and gesture from Bryan.

I was among those upset (well, “enraged” is more appropriate) that the WWE hyped up this first women’s Money in the Bank ladder match as being historic, yet they allowed a man to win it. The history books will forever have it etched that Ellsworth won the first women’s Money in the Bank match, and it’s hard to get past that.

However, they did allow Carmella to draw heat, which will help her character work in the future. It gives us more of a reason to keep an eye on her, and that’s the most important thing about advancing women’s wrestling. The accolades are nice, but it’s more about the stories being told. You know, because that’s at the core of wrestling. It’s also why SmackDown‘s women’s division is so much better than Raw’s; they actually use their women to tell compelling stories and treat them like superstars with individual characters that the crowd can understand. Now, we have a better understanding of Carmella’s character.

We also didn’t get completely robbed of watching these women go to work in a real match, and there could even be a cash-in next week with Naomi and Lana set to square off in a championship re-match from Money in the Bank.

I liked that Bryan was made to look strong as the GM, and it was great to see that he made the noble decision. His promo relayed some of the emotions that the fans have been feeling, so that was a positive.

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That said, the fact that a man unhooked the briefcase in the first ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match cannot be undone from the history books, and that’s something we shouldn’t forget. I’m willing to avoid dwelling on it, though, because, again, it’s about the storylines that emanate from this incident going forward. I’m not completely sold nor satisfied, but at least there are possible silver linings. When it comes to the WWE, that’s all I can ask for, as sad as that is to admit.