WWE SmackDown: Has Carmella’s reintroduction fallen flat?

Carmella made her return on WWE SmackDown with a new gimmick and set her sights on Sasha Banks. But could the promotion be doing more with her?

There’s nothing quite like the buzz around a wrestler returning with a new gimmick. For weeks on WWE SmackDown, we saw vignettes of a mystery woman in fancy clothes, and fans quickly guessed that Carmella was in line for a gimmick change as the Blue Brand’s new “Untouchable” woman.

It was indeed Mella, and it didn’t take long for her to go right after the SmackDown Women’s Championship. She attacked Sasha Banks on the ramp after the Boss successfully retained the championship against Bayley, proving that she could hold onto a title.

The next week, Carmella attacked Sasha, courtesy of an assist from Bayley. Just as Sasha was addressing Mella after already speaking about her win over Bayley the previous week, the Role Model’s music hit, and then Mella got in a superkick and an X-Factor.

So there’s a lot to like here. Carmella is getting a title feud with her new gimmick, which means she’s immediately relevant. It also seems like we’re getting Baymella, so she is working with Bayley, someone with credibility and someone who can enhance her new character.

But some fans are concerned that WWE aren’t doing enough with Carmella. I can see that side of it as well.

For starters, what made Mella a SmackDown Women’s Champion and a successful heel on SmackDown a few years ago was her promo work. She is one of WWE’s best talkers, and she can really show that side of her game off as a villain. We haven’t heard her talk yet, beyond an appearance on Talking Smack. But, in all honestly, Talking Smack doesn’t count for much right now. If the promo doesn’t happen on television, most people don’t care.

Perhaps WWE are doing this on purpose, holding off on Carmella explaining her motivations for a big moment and want to build anticipation to a noted talker’s first heel promo in a while. But at the same time, it’s been a couple of weeks now. It’s better to hear from her sooner than later; it does no good to wait on that.

Carmella is a legitimate challenger for Sasha Banks, because she is a former SmackDown Women’s Champion and Money in the Bank winner. But Sasha should not lose the title for a long time. This should be a long, GOAT-establishing title reign for the Mandalorian star. So Carmella isn’t winning, and that’s the expectation here.

Therefore, the Sasha vs. Carmella feud needs to be all about establishing Carmella’s new character and using the star power of Sasha – and Bayley, since it seems she will be involved – to help in that regard. So in that sense, I can see the disappointment. People expect more for Mella and more from WWE in showcasing her new character.

But I always like to preach patience. There’s serious potential here with all the moving parts, and I think taking it slower is usually better when WWE is involved. More could have been done to make Carmella’s return a priority on WWE SmackDown, but I don’t think there’s a need to be overly critical about what we are seeing. Once this rivalry starts going and we get some serious promo battles, it’s going to be a whole lot of fun and will help the Untouchable star significantly.