WWE: Ranking The Top 10 Breakout Stars Of 2018

8. Carmella, SmackDown Live

Thanks to the IIconics, Carmella became the first woman to successfully cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase, despite rumors that she’d be unable to pry the title away from Charlotte Flair. Her ensuing feuds with Charlotte and Asuka were forgettable inside of the ring, but her reign as a whole was memorable due to her work outside of the squared circle.

Carmella, who cut her teeth in the Performance Center before making her SmackDown Live debut as the very last pick in the 2016 WWE Draft, has always been “extra”. Her me-first attitude became quite clear during her under-appreciated feud with Nikki Bella, and she did a great job of keeping herself on television during her segments with valet [redacted].

As a champion, Carmella was almost universally despised, showing poise beyond her years in the wrestling business. Few have acquitted themselves as well as a heel champion, and Carmella could get fans riled up with basically anything she said or tweeted. Heck, she even got Jim Ross to make a comment about how Carmella went into business for herself, just based on some self-congratulating she did on a PPV post-show.

I mean, that’s an accomplishment even entrenched heels like The Miz haven’t been able to achieve.

And sure, it helped that fans didn’t like the way Carmella wrestled or that they were upset with how creative handled Asuka, but plenty of credit should go to ‘Mella for soaking up every minute of it.

As a babyface, she’s been fantastic, too, creating memorable segments on SmackDown Live and in the Mixed Match Challenge with R-Truth. Carmella is up there with the most versatile entertainers in wrestling.