Asuka Must Maintain Star Power vs. Carmella at Money in the Bank

Asuka and Carmella will face off for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WWE Money in the Bank on Sunday, June 17. It’s Carmella’s biggest test to this point, as Asuka is considered one of the best Superstars in the women’s division.

Indeed, Asuka was undefeated her entire career — until WrestleMania 34, of course. She lost to Charlotte Flair on that night, and many fans believe she just hasn’t been the same since then. But even though she’s not the dominant force she was before, that’s no reason to believe that she is on the decline.

The issue of whether or not her streak should have ended at Mania is still being debated among fans. It did seem like a curious move to many when it happened. Why build Asuka up for that amount of time, only to let her lose the first time she challenged for a major title on the WrestleMania stage?

This is pro wrestling though, where wins and losses perhaps are not as crucial as fans believe. Some talents in the company like Dolph Ziggler have been resigned to 50/50 booking for much of his career. Yet he is still considered one of the best hands in the business. Ziggler always delivers and he always puts on great matches despite who he’s working.

Then there’s talents like Charlotte Flair herself that rise to the top faster than any other woman in recent memory. She is considered the face of women’s wrestling in WWE. But some would argue that she is not the wily ring technician the company paints her as, despite an impressive win-loss record.

The fact is that wins and losses do matter in the long run because they matter to the fans. The company can feature who it wants and can omit anyone it wants. Neither decision could have any real bearing on any future plans.

But if the fans believe a Superstar is failing, then that Superstar is failing. There may not be a need to sound the alarm on Asuka’s main event career right now. However there could be a cause for concern if she loses clean to Carmella at Money in the Bank.

Carmella’s supporters would likely not be happy with that, especially since their favorite worked her way up in the company. Carmella was a sidekick to Big Cass and Enzo Amore in NXT, then became a fast talking arrogant heel on the main roster. Her storyline with James Ellsworth seemed to drag on forever but it did establish her personality and gave her time to grow.

She didn’t debut on TV and rise to title contention the next week. Carmella paid her dues and learned how to get over in the WWE system. When she cashed in her MITB briefcase and became SmackDown Women’s champion, fans celebrated with her. Carmella realized her dream and she did work hard to get it.

So if Asuka walks into Money in the Bank and squashes Carmella, then that dream becomes a nightmare. There’s just no need for it to happen. In fact there’s probably not a need for the title to change hands at all. But if it does, Carmella should definitely put up more of a fight.

Therein lays the most important point for this match. Carmella must look good and Asuka cannot look weak. It’s okay for Carmella to cheat and it’s okay if she cheats to retain. But if she looks like a seasoned veteran and counters Asuka’s every move, then fans will see the difference.

Asuka is indeed a dominant wrestler. Every time an opponent believes she has a way to win, Asuka rallies from behind and wins with authority. John Cena has been referred to as the best “closer” in WWE. The same is true of Asuka.

She did lose to Charlotte of course and that will follow her. But no matter how many criticize Charlotte, the consensus opinion is that she deserves to be on top. She is the gold standard for the women’s division. She has lost her share of matches but each loss meant something. Asuka’s loss to Charlotte meant something as well.

Now Asuka’s opponents have a reason to underestimate her. But that’s the wrong move in storyline terms of course because she continues to be a top performer in the company. One loss won’t ruin her career. But if she does lose at Money in the Bank, it has to be done the right way.