Almost every Money in the Bank contract holder has a championship reign in his or her future. Here’s why “The Princess of Staten Island” should end up on the shortlist of those that don’t.
As we inch closer to WrestleMania 34, we are also inching closer to Carmella’s Money in the Bank cash-in expiration date. Since winning the coveted gold and white Halliburton at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view last June (and re-winning it a week later), “The Princess of Staten Island” has wallowed in the morass known as SmackDown’s Women’s division. WWE hasn’t featured her in any high profile matches since Money in the Bank (not counting the women’s Royal Rumble) and she hasn’t taken part in a meaningful feud since her no-disqualification match against Nikki Bella in December of 2016. Basically, WWE has done nothing with the first Ms. Money in the Bank.
Due to the parameters of the contract, a Carmella cash-in is inevitable. But given the stagnation of her character and her lack of in-ring success, the time might not be right for a successful cash-in. Doing so would theoretically crater the prestige of the SmackDown (or RAW) Women’s Championship.
While most Money in the Bank contract holders should win the title to maintain the aura of the briefcase, there can be exceptions to the rule. Unfortunately, Carmella is one of them. There are several reasons why Carmella should lose her Money in the Bank cash-in, most of which falls at the feet of WWE’s uneven booking.
3. She’s still green in the ring
Look, I realize that wrestling ability isn’t the primary prerequisite for holding a title in WWE. Alexa Bliss, Jinder Mahal, and The Miz’s respective championship runs have more than proven that. In Vince McMahon’s mind, the perception of skill and a superstar’s marketability mean more in the grand scheme of things. If the person they pick doesn’t measure up in the ring, then the company has a stable of quality workers to make him or her look good. This makes some sense.
Here’s the problem, the standard for wrestling is so much higher than it was even 10 years ago, especially for the women. The ladies have worked their way out of “bathroom break” purgatory and have gotten to the point where writers are legitimately advocating for one of the distaff title matches to headline WWE’s equivalent of the Super Bowl. This long-overdue change in perception is thanks to the efforts of the talented women who turned in classic match after classic match and showed that they could wrestle just as well, if not better, than their male colleagues.
While she’s improved leaps and bounds from her NXT days, Carmella isn’t at that level yet. As I noted in a piece last week, she reminds me of Bliss in the ring (and characterwise). She takes bumps well and is usually in the right positions in her matches. However, she still has a limited moveset and relies too much on the same rope chokes and rest holds that bog down Bliss’ bouts. She’s not the worst wrestler on the planet, but she still has a ways to go before she has consistently good matches with everybody, not just with more experienced talent or in garbage matches.
2. She lacks in-ring credibility
Carmella’s less than stellar workrate has bled into her in-ring credibility. While the second-generation wrestler was never booked as a world beater, even dating back to her time in NXT, WWE has exacerbated this problem.
Carmella’s won-loss record isn’t reflective of a future World Champion. Since winning Money in the Bank, she has earned four victories, and only half of those came in singles matches (both pinfall wins over Naomi). When she clashes with the better pushed female wrestlers, she often looks like an overmatched pushover. Carmella’s lack of experience likely plays a role in the match layouts, but it’s probably best to not make a possible Women’s Champion look like a chump whenever she wrestles on TV.
I know that WWE has historically made Money in the Bank winners look weak to give cash-ins some additional shock value. I also understand that Carmella will probably use her title shot like most heel (and babyface) Money in the Bank winners do, meaning she would be positioned as a vulnerable, Honky Tonk Man-esque champion. That scenario would be fun for a few weeks, but is it worth sacrificing a lengthy Charlotte Flair title reign or *gulp* Asuka’s undefeated streak? Probably not.
1. The Time Isn’t Right
WWE should have pulled the trigger on a brief Carmella title run last summer instead of going with Natalya. With James Ellsworth there as a buttress, she could have carried the belt for a couple of months, lost it to Flair before Survivor Series and then kicked Ellsworth to the curb. That way, you get a couple months of Carmella squeaking by superior competition through nefarious means before finally getting put in her place (in this scenario, Flair can still have that great title match in Charlotte with Natalya).
With Asuka’s arrival and the emergence of The Riott Squad, Carmella feels lost in the shuffle. Well, even more lost in the shuffle than she was last summer. An out-of-the-blue title run won’t change that. She would have the same problems if she moved to RAW, unless Nia Jax’s projected run as babyface champion doesn’t work out as planned. That’s the only scenario where I see Carmella cashing in successfully, and even that seems pretty flimsy.
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With Asuka and Charlotte set to anchor the SmackDown women’s division in 2018 and the abundance of quality workers on the RAW side, Carmella doesn’t appear to fit anywhere at the top of the card. A title win wouldn’t boost her status, it would devalue the belt, whichever one she chooses to pursue.