Carmella has broken her silence for the first time since the unceremonious end of her 12-year run with WWE earlier this month.
The former Women’s Champion posted a short video on Instagram thanking fans who have reached out and shown their appreciation since the news broke. She also mentioned how there’s a lot of uncertainty around her future. The female star noted that she has ‘a lot’ to say and promised to jump on a podcast this week to address her WWE departure in more detail:
“Hi guys. I am aware I’ve been MIA for the last week. If you can’t tell I’m so sick. I’ve been sick for over a week now. There’s also obviously been a lot happening. Some news broke last week and I just wanted to let you know that I’ve seen all of your texts and tweets and messages and DMs and like oh my god, you guys are just the best.
I’m so grateful for you and everything that you’ve been saying about Carmella and my career and I’m so blessed. So thank you. I know there’s a lot of questions and uncertainty around everything. I will be going on a podcast later this week, answering some of those questions and telling my side because I have a lot to say about the situation. So yes, stay tuned, I’ll give you the details later when I can and I can’t wait to fill you guys in.”
The news of Carmella’s WWE deal expiring first broke out earlier last week. The company then moved her to the alumni section of their website. The former champion herself also changed her name on various social platforms to essentially confirm that the two parties were no longer working together.
The Staten Island Princess had not been active in the ring since March 2023, when she took maternity leave from the company. She gave birth to a son in November 2023, but health complications arising from childbirth have prevented the wrestling veteran from making an in ring return.
Former WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella is no longer under contract with WWE following the expiration of her deal, marking the end of her 12-year tenure with the company. The 37-year-old wrestler had been inactive since March 2023 due to severe medical complications after childbirth, which ultimately prevented her from making a return to the ring.
Medical Challenges Hindered Comeback
Carmella, whose real name is Leah Van Dale, faced significant health issues following the birth of her first child with WWE commentator Corey Graves in November 2023. She suffered from nerve damage and foot-related complications that made an in-ring return impossible.
In a recent update, she shared that she had been consulting with neurologists and spine specialists in hopes of recovering. However, despite more than 14 months of rehabilitation, she was unable to compete again before her contract expired.
During her time with WWE, Carmella achieved several major milestones. She became the first-ever Ms. Money in the Bank, held the SmackDown Women’s Championship for 131 days, and captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Queen Zelina. Her last active period in WWE was in 2022 before taking maternity leave.
Posted February 21st, 2025 in WWE. Tagged: Carmella.
Tiffany Stratton has at long last cashed in her Money in the Bank contract and waited until the first three-hour edition of WWE SmackDown to do so. Stratton toppled Nia Jax to capture the WWE Women’s Championship but is hardly the first Superstar to cash in on the Blue Brand:
2007: Edge (May 8, 2007)
Mr. Kennedy claimed he’d wait a whole year to cash in Money in the Bank, but would in fact lose the briefcase to Edge in May 2007. Not wanting to make the same mistake as Kennedy, Edge cashed in days after winning the briefcase to win the World Heavyweight Title from The Undertaker.
2010: Jack Swagger (April 2, 2010)
After winning the Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania 26, Jack Swagger attempted to cash in on the following Raw. When that didn’t work out, Swagger took advantage of a downed Chris Jericho, who had just taken a spear by Edge, to win the World Heavyweight Championship on SmackDown.
2017: Baron Corbin (August 15, 2017)
The only failed cash-in to take place on SmackDown, Baron Corbin tried to claim the WWE Championship that was held by Jinder Mahal at the time. The interference of John Cena (ironically the first man to fail a Money in the Bank cash-in) ended the match in a DQ and Corbin would never hold World Championship gold in WWE.
2018: Carmella (April 10, 2018)
The first-ever Miss. Money in the Bank, Carmella had to win her briefcase a second time on the June 27 episode of SmackDown, due to James Ellsworth’s interference. After waiting 287 days, the Staten Island Princess cashed in on April 10, 2018, SmackDown to win the SmackDown Women’s Title from Charlotte Flair.
2025: Tiffany Stratton (January 3, 2025)
After months of being dismissed and put down by her ‘friend,’ Tiffany Stratton got her revenge by cashing in Money in the Bank on Nia Jax. This win marks Stratton’s first title on the main roster, and the end of Jax’s reign as Women’s Champion that had begun at SummerSlam 2024.
Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Tiffany Stratton and her reign as the brand-new WWE Women’s Champion.
Former WWE Women’s Champion Carmella has shared an emotional update on her health and life since stepping away from the spotlight. During a candid Instagram Live chat with fellow WWE star Bayley, Carmella opened up about the challenges of recovering from a nerve injury sustained during childbirth, her joy in motherhood, and her hopes of returning to the ring.
While she embraces her new role as a mom, the road to recovery has been a test of patience and determination. Read on as Carmella shares her journey of resilience and her longing to once again perform as the larger-than-life persona fans adore.
Becoming a Mother
In November 2023, Carmella and her husband, WWE commentator Corey Graves, welcomed their first child, Dimitri. Reflecting on this monumental life change, Carmella said during the live stream, “I love being a mom. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done ever, in my whole entire life.”
Motherhood has brought immense joy to the former WWE Superstar, but her delivery also marked the beginning of an unexpected health battle.
Health Challenges: Battling Drop Foot
During labor, Carmella experienced nerve damage resulting in a condition called drop foot, which impairs the ability to lift the front part of the foot. This condition, caused by damage to the peroneal nerve, can be particularly debilitating for an athlete.
In her conversation with Bayley, Carmella acknowledged the challenges of adapting to this condition. “This is the first major injury I’ve had in my entire career,” she shared, emphasizing the contrast to her injury-free decade-long wrestling tenure.
Working Towards Recovery
Carmella is actively addressing her condition with a combination of physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, and MRIs to monitor her progress. Recovery has been slow, but her determination remains steadfast. “Nerves do take a lot of time to heal, but eventually, we’ll get back to it,” she told Bayley during their chat.
Missing the WWE Ring
Though her recovery requires focus and time, Carmella admits to deeply missing her WWE persona and performing in front of fans. “Of course, I miss WWE. Of course, I miss everyone. I miss being Carmella. I miss performing. I miss it so much,” she confessed during the Instagram Live session.
Her connection to her fans and the adrenaline of performing continues to motivate her recovery journey, and she remains optimistic about returning to the ring.
Looking Ahead
Carmella’s candid conversation with Bayley revealed her determination to overcome this setback, embrace motherhood, and find her way back to WWE. With a strong support system and unwavering resilience, she is determined to write the next chapter of her remarkable journey. Fans eagerly await her return, confident she will step back into the ring stronger than ever.
Posted December 18th, 2024 in WWE. Tagged: Carmella.
Vince Russo has been critical of Carmella in the past and recently criticized a booking decision made by WWE involving her, something the WWE star didn’t appreciate so she put him on blast.
This past Monday night on Raw, Carmella defeated Piper Niven, “Michin” Mia Yim, and Candice LeRae to win the last Elimination Chamber qualifier.
While speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Legion of Raw, Russo noted that he thought Niven should have been the one to qualify for the Elimination Chamber Match.
“Listen, we have gone through the well with Carmella a million times. To me, I am going with Piper Niven. Do you know why? At the end of the day, here’s the deal bro. If they get Rhea Ripley if she beats Charlotte Flair. Who do you think would be a better opponent for her? Carmella or Piper Niven? Carmella is not even in the same conversation, why are you going there?”
Carmella Fires Back
Carmella responded on Twitter by demanding the former WWE/WCW/TNA creative writer give her the respect she has earned:
“Lololol not in that same conversation?? Allow me to list the women I have wins over: Charlotte, Asuka, Becky, Bayley, Sasha, Bianca, Liv, Alexa. The list goes on and on. I have more charisma in my pinky finger than both of these jabronies COMBINED. PUT SOME DAMN RESPECT ON MY NAME!!!”
Asuka, Carmella, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya, and Nikki Cross will be featured in the Women’s Chamber bout. The winner will earn a shot to challenge Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39.
Several top WWE stars have filmed for the famous ‘Wheel of Fortune’ game show. Filmed at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair alongside the New Day led a star-studded episode of the popular game show.
Joining the trio of champions was Big E, Bayley, Liv Morgan, Maryse, Natalya, and Carmella. The WWE stars were paired off with select fans over the duration of the taping.
Photos and Videos of WWE Invading Wheel of Fortune
Liv Morgan and Natalya also gave fans a peak behind the curtain of the show’s tapings.
In late 2022, WWE unveiled that fans could apply to be part of the company’s involvement with Wheel of Fortune. WWE announced that fans would compete alongside their favorite stars with a chance to win various prizes.
The company officially stated:
“Winning teams will secure fabulous rewards such as a trip to WrestleManiaand other exclusive WWE prize packages.”
Wheel of Fortune History
Wheel of Fortune first aired in January 1975 and has recorded over 7,000 episodes. Spin-offs of the show, including a celebrity edition have been aired due to the show’s massive success. Several WWE stars and personalities have appeared on the show over the years including The Miz, Maria Menounos, Snoop Dogg, and Drew Carey.
While not having an official airdate, it’s been reported that the episode is set to air sometime in March.
SEScoops will provide any updates on a possible airdate as it becomes available.
WWE star Carmella is likely dealing with a concussion after a recent injury suffered at a live event.
Earlier this month, the former SmackDown Women’s Champion suffered an injury during a live event that surfaced on Twitter. She seemingly hit her head while Bianca Belair was doing a flip off the top turnbuckle. Carmella dropped to the canvas and rolled out of the ring.
Fans in attendance say that the referee threw up the “X” symbol, and Carmella was helped out of the arena, but was able to walk on her own.
To make things even more interesting, her husband, Corey Graves, apparently found out about his wife’s injury from Twitter.
He posted the following before quickly deleting it.
Now, in an update, PWInsider reports that Carmella likely suffered a concussion during the match. The injury occurred several weeks ago at this point, and the report suggests Carmella’s return is “within sight.”
Carmella is said to be expected back on the road with WWE next month. She was recently asked about returning from a fan on Twitter, and admitted she’s not entirely sure when she’ll be back yet, but is hoping it’s soon.
“I’m not sure yet.. still recovering. Hopefully soon! I miss y’all.”
I’m not sure yet.. still recovering. Hopefully soon! ??
It appears that former SmackDown women’s champion Carmella suffered an injury during the most recent WWE Live Event from North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, SC.
The event that took place Saturday night featured a triple threat match involving The Staten Island Princess, The Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair and Asuka.
Early in the match, Carmella got out of the ring and wouldn’t get back in. Her opponents started calling her chicken and the audience started chanting it too.
However, when Bianca tried to do a backflip over her, the WWE star appears to have hit her head in the corner and suffered a legitimate injury.
she got up on her own to walk away which is good, but they were like shielding her eyes from the bright lights #WWENorthCharleston
The referee threw the x sign and medical staff arrived to check on the female star. The good news is that she was able to walk back on her own, though the staff was shielding her eyes from bright lights:
Carmella’s husband and WWE announcer Corey Graves wasn’t happy that he found out about the injury via Twitter. He made a post about it, though it was deleted quickly:
Bianca Belair went on to win the match and she celebrated with the fans. There is no word yet on if Carmella’s injury is anything serious but we’ll keep you posted on her status.
Natalia Markova spoke to Steve Fall of SEScoops about her claims of Carmella stealing her catchphrase.
The History
On July 18, Natalia Markova sent out a tweet addressing WWE superstar Carmella. On Monday Night Raw, Carmella had just labeled herself as “A Bad Ass with a Great Ass” while cutting a promo.
NWA’s Natalia Markova had been branding herself under that title for some time, and even has had t-shirts with the title printed. The catchphrase is also in her bio.
Many fans on Twitter began to call out Carmella for using the catchphrase.
This is not the first time Carmella has been called out for using someone else’s gimmick as Jersey Shore star Angelina Pivarnick also publicly called out Carmella and accused her of gimmick infringement.
Carmella just called herself "A Bad Ass with a Great Ass"
Carmella is still using the title, and recently sent out a tweet with the caption, “A badass with a great ass??” Natalia responded to the tweet with a quote tweet asking, “I mean…. Who did it better? Let her know?”
Natalia Markova sat down with Steve Fall of SEScoops to talk about these claims and her feelings on them.
Natalia said:
“Well, it’s similar to this Walmart [getting her purse stolen from her] situation. Somebody’s just stealing my stuff. And I don’t think it matters if it’s intellectual property or physical properties, still stealing.
“So, that’s how I look at that. And obviously, those people they know that it’s my catchphrase, the wrestling world is small. You know, everybody knows everything. And the way I feel about it, I think it’s wrong.”
Natalia Markova on Carmella allegedly stealing her line
“Like, if you said once, like the first time it said it last week, and I was like, ‘okay, whatever.’ I guess they just didn’t know, somehow, maybe, I don’t know.
“But then people were tagging like crazy amounts of people were tweeting, like, ‘Oh, my God, come on, that’s Natalia. That’s her catchphrase. Everybody knows that.’
“It’s actually one of my fans, like this supporter at FN wrestling podcast came up with this phrase for me. And I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just use it. It’s amazing.’ So that was my thing.
“Everybody knew that people tweeted on them and showed them. I mean, I feel like it’s a little disrespectful. But I’m not really mad about it. I just think it’s wrong. You know, when somebody steals, it’s not good. I don’t approve of that, you know?”
“A Bad Ass with a Great Ass” Branding
The NWA wrestler continued and talked more about how the catchphrase has become a part of her branding.
She said:
“I actually have T-shirts, my fans, were buying those T-shirts, they have those T-shirts is like a brand catchphrase. And so I know that I mean, I’m not like trying to talk law right now. But I know that if you have an item for sale with this, that means that belongs to you.
“So and again, some people would be like, ‘Oh, you know, she’s way more popular.’ So? Why are you saying that?
“But again, so it’s trying to tell me if some rich person will steal from a poor poor person, for example, that makes it not a crime. That’s still the same crime. I’m for equal rights. I think it doesn’t matter.
“If you have a million followers or you have 40,000 followers on Twitter, you’re still the same person, and it’s your property and that property got stolen. That’s the same level of crime.
“That’s how I see that. So I feel like still stealing because I have a T-shirt that says that it’s not just me at home, saying, ‘Hey, I’m a badass with a great ass. This is my T-shirt. I wear it at home.’ No, that’s an actual product that people buy.
“Everybody knows me for that and I am in wrestling. I’m on NWA. I’m actually on WWE Network, my matches are on there. I’ve done AEW, I’ve wrestled in over 20 countries all over the world.
“I’m about to go to AAA this week. I’m not just you know, like some I’m not known wrestler; I’m a known wrestler. And people know that and it was so many tweets.
“I want to actually thank you guys, It was nice to see your support. Everybody was like, ‘Come on, don’t do this. It’s just not good. It’s not nice.’ And why would you do that? We’re all wrestlers who do the same thing. Come up with your own stuff. It’s not that hard. Come up with your own.”
Was it WWE or Carmella?
Steve Fall then asked Markova who she believed came up with the idea to use the phrase.
“Well, obviously, I don’t know how it works in WWE, or how they do that. And again, I mean, I know that it can be either somebody gave her the phrase, and she’d be like, ‘Whatever. That’s my job. I do my job.’ Either those people stole it or maybe she came up with the idea and told people and they’re like, ‘Okay, let’s do that.’
“But whoever, I think doesn’t really matter who came up with the idea. It’s still stealing because it’s on TV and her saying that. So it doesn’t really change the results, who’s guilty, you know,” Markova responded.
Natalia is currently performing in the NWA regularly, but she is also working many independent dates. In the rest of the interview, Markova talks about her story of coming from Moscow, training in Japan, her match with Mickie James, and so much more.
Watch Natalia Markova’s interview with Steve Fall for SEScoops:
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair has expressed frustration about having opponent changes during her title reigns.
The champion is currently in a feud with Carmella, who stepped in as a replacement for Rhea Ripley. WWE wanted Ripley to challenge Belair at Money in the Bank on July 2.
However, she suffered an injury, and the company gave Carmella the opportunity. A similar situation happened last year when Carmella had to step in to replace Bayley due to injury to face Belair for the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship.
In an interview with The Corner Podcast’s Andreas Hale and Kel Dansby, Belair shared that dealing with opponent changes can be frustrating. She doesn’t blame anyone, but she expressed disappointment that feuds haven’t gone as planned.
“…It’s difficult, and it gets frustrating with me sometimes. I felt like even with my Smackdown title reign, I wasn’t able to live up to the full potential of Smackdown Women’s Champion, just with how short the reign was and also with my title feuds,” said Belair. She mentioned how Carmella replaced Bayley last year and that she misses her.
“…Bayley getting injured and then have Carmella having to step in at Summerslam and I feel like not being able to have these amazing matches with that I could have had in my title reign and being able to go up against other great competitors to prove that I’m a champion and then getting cut short and fast forward now it’s like deja vu. It’s happening all over again.”
Although it can be difficult, Belair believes that it’s making her a better competitor and that she is dependable.
Will Bianca Belair Continue her Feud with Carmella for Summerslam?
The feud between Belair and Carmella is still ongoing, but it’s unclear has changed their mind. Belair defeated Carmella at Money in the Bank, which could’ve ended the feud.
Carmella’s win should set up another match against Belair, but before the match, Lynch demanded that she gets to challenge the champion at Summerslam on July 30.
Belair finds herself in the same situation she faced last year, with the same potential opponents going into Summerslam as champion.
It’s unclear what plans the company has for Belair or who she will defend her title against. Hopefully, for Belair, she doesn’t lose her championship again at Summerslam.
Jersey Shore star Angelina Pivarnick has publicly called out Carmella and accused her of gimmick infringement.
Last last week’s episode of WWE Raw saw Carmella interrupt a segment exclaiming ‘umm hello?’, a catchphrase famously used by Angelina in the first and second seasons of the hit MTV reality series.
Angelina took to Twitter to call Carmella out: “Hey @CarmellaWWE you’re using my line !!! Wtf. Sooo you’re from Staten and you’re using ummmm hello too Hmmmmm #weird #comeupwithyourowns**t.”
Carmella replied to Angelina’s tweet with a Mariah Carey ‘I don’t know her’ GIF.
Angelina claimed that Carmella had based her whole gimmick on her in this tweet: “Bitch please. You know exactly who I am and your whole gimmick is based off of me and Staten Island lollllll @WWE @CarmellaWWE Please take several seats girl. Lol. Get your own s**t and cut the crap already. We spoke years ago when u first started with wwe lolllll. Bye.”
Carmella fired back with another GIF of Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino calling Angelina a ‘dirty little hamster’ on the reality show.
Angelina added that she’d be willing to fight Carmella for free: “I will fight her for free. F**k the money. Shows how serious I am. I’m sick of her trying to be me with the umhello catchphrase! Catch these hands for free. Everyone thinks I’m starting s**t which I’m not. She starts all the time with me then pretends she doesn’t know who I am.”
The reality star went off at Kayla Braxton, who had attempted to defend Carmella:
“Well I’m sure the two sides are organizing a civil debate as we speak… Probably…”
Carmella & Natalya lost to Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair & SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan on last week’s Raw.
Tonight, WWE will host their annual Money in the Bank Premium Live Event which will feature two of the show’s titular ladder matches.
Since 2005, 26 Superstars have cashed in the briefcase, with 22 of those attempts being successful, giving the Money in the Bank contract holder an impressive 84.6% chance of becoming champion.
During this week’s SmackDown, the build continued towards Money in the Bank, but one Superstar tried to rewrite history.
The A-Lister’s Comments
During a segment last night, Raw’s very own The Miz made a trip to SmackDown and had some choice words about the Money in the Bank Ladder match.
In a backstage segment with Happy Corbin, Ezekiel, and Madcap Moss along with WWE Official Adam Pearce, The Miz claimed to be the only two-time winner of the Money in the Bank briefcase.
While The Miz is a two-time winner, capturing the briefcase in 2010 in a ladder match, and again in 2020 by defeating Otis, he isn’t the only double-winner.
Rewriting History
In addition to The Miz, there have been other two-time winners, including AEW World Champion CM Punk.
Punk won back-to-back ladder matches at WrestleManias 24 and 25, and cashed in both times successfully, defeating Edge and Jeff Hardy in 2008 and 2009 respectively to become World Heavyweight Champion.
Given that The Miz included his non-ladder match briefcase win over Otis, then it stands that Edge is also a two-time briefcase winner.
Edge won the inaugural MITB Ladder match in 2005 and defeated Mr. Kennedy during a 2007 Raw to win the latter’s briefcase.
There is also the argument that Carmella is a two-time winner, having won the first Women’s MITB Ladder match in 2017.
After James Ellsworth helped her win the match, the Briefcase was defended in a ladder match on the following SmackDown which Carmella also won.
Britt Baker recently praised WWE’s Carmella on social media for being able to overcome adversity and booking decisions.
On Tuesday, Carmella took to Twitter where she listed all the WWE booking decisions that she has overcome ahead of her scheduled match at Money In The Bank this Saturday where she is slated to challenge Raw Women’s Champion against Bianca Belair.
The former SmackDown Women’s Champion wrote, “You can make me a manager, give me a guy without a chin, a dance break mid-match, change my character, have me wear a mask, be a last-minute replacement and I’m ALWAYS going to show up and show out. I rise to every occasion and you can’t take that away from me.”
Baker responded to that post by sharing a clapping hands emoji to support what Carmella had written.
On Monday’s episode of Raw, there was some crossover between WWE and AEW as Bryan Danielson, Paul Wight, and Chris Jericho appeared on the broadcast to show their support for John Cena, who was celebrating the 20th anniversary of his main roster in-ring debut in 2002.
The three AEW stars congratulated Cena on the 20-year anniversary of his WWE debut.
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— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) June 28, 2022
WWE superstars Corey Graves and Carmella have confirmed their engagement. The longtime couple revealed the news via a post on Twitter.
The female star shared a photo of herself kissing Corey Graves while showing off her engagement ring. In the caption of the tweet made on her birthday October 23, she wrote “Best birthday ever,”
Carmella, real name Leah Van Dale began her relationship with the former NXT star back in 2019. She has been dating Graves, real name Matthew Polinsky ever since.
These two aren’t the only wrestling couple to get engaged recently. SmackDown star Toni Storm announced her engagement to NJPW’s Juice Robinson earlier this month.
The duo of Scarlett Bordeaux & Karrion Kross also made a similar announcement just last month. Scarlett confirmed her engagement via Twitter as well.
Corey Graves has been working as a commentator on the main roster since 2016. He is currently part of both SmackDown and Raw’s broadcasting teams.
Carmella on the other hand had only been part of the SmackDown roster since the brand split returned in 2016. However, she was moved to the Raw brand for the first time since then during the recently concluded draft.
SEScoops would like to congratulate the couple on their engagement.
WWE superstar Carmella has said that the ‘hate and threats’ she receives on social media are at an all-time high and it’s quite disturbing for her.
The former SmackDown women’s champion recently posted a no make-up selfie on her Instagram. In the caption, she discussed the negative environment of social media:
“Being on Instagram and Twitter recently has been hard. The hate and the threats are at an all time high, it’s quite disturbing actually.” wrote Carmella, “I usually just try to post and leave it alone, but it’s hard to NOT read the negativity sometimes.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CU5OdmFASqb/
The female star continued saying that she luckily knows who she is. So she won’t let the haters get to her. She just wanted to post this message as a reminder to not believe in everything you read.
Carmella was drafted to the Raw roster last week, for the first time since the brand extension returned in 2016. Though the roster changes do not take effect until the Crown Jewel PPV. She has continued competing on SmackDown in the meantime.
Last Friday’s episode of the show saw her picking up a victory over Liv Morgan in a first-round Queen’s Crown tournament match. Their match was not given a lot of time and talents are said to be frustrated with this.
It appears that WWE had to edit the script for this week’s SmackDown on the fly and they nixed a women’s tag team match originally planned for the show.
According to reports from Fightful select, there were plans for a tag team match to take place on the show which would have seen Carmella teaming up with Zelina Vega.
The duo were expected to go against Liv Morgan and a partner whose name was not mentioned. The match was apparently cut from SmackDown due to time restraints.
The stars who were expected to compete in the bout reacted to this change on Twitter later on. Zelina Vega even posted photos of the gear she had prepared for tonight:
On a related note, the storyline with Naomi and Sonya Deville also appears to have been cut from this week’s SmackDown. There was no mention of the former SmackDown women’s champion on the show.
While it’s not confirmed, it’s likely that Naomi was expected to make her in-ring return at the show this week as the partner for Liv Morgan.
Since the officials made the decision to cut the tag team match from the show, they also had to nix any planned segments for Naomi as well.
Carmella has almost exclusively been a SmackDown star since the return of WWE brand extension back in 2016, though she is open to a move to the Raw roster in the upcoming drafts.
The former SmackDown women’s champion recently had an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling where she talked about things such as why she wants to face Toni Storm and more.
Discussing a potential move to Monday nights in the upcoming drafts, Carmella admitted that she sometimes feels as if she has done everything she could do on the SmackDown roster:
“Sometimes I feel like I kind of have done everything I could do on SmackDown, That’s why I do get excited when new girls come up because it’s like okay, opportunity for fresh matchups and fresh stories.
Because I don’t ever want to ever get to a point where it’s like, okay we’ve seen this a million times, I don’t wanna do this anymore.”
Though according to the SmackDown star, the blue brand will forever have a special place in her heart whether she gets drafted to Raw or not:
“So if it happens, if this is the year, cool. If not, then maybe I’ll just bleed blue forever. I have no idea. But no matter what, SmackDown will have such a place in my heart because this is Carmella. Carmella is SmackDown.”
Latest reports suggest that WWE has moved the planned dates for the drafts a bit further. It’s currently expected to take place sometime in early October.
WWE SmackDown Superstar Carmella recently appeared on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin. ‘Mella discussed a number of topics on the show, specifically her two Money In The Bank briefcase wins, including in the first ever MITB Women’s match in history.
“I was super excited. At that point in my career, I had never won a title and thought it was something that would solidify me as making history” Carmella began, discussing how she won the first ever Women’s MITB match.
“Even though I wasn’t the one grabbing the briefcase and I knew that would be very controversial, but I thought even better that it’s controversial because people would be talking about it” Carmella revealed. “It was trending on Twitter for a few days because people were so upset.”
Carmella on Vince McMahon
In the first ever MITB match for the Women’s division, Carmella was joined ringside by James Ellsworth. Ellsworth would actually grab the briefcase and throw it to Carmella, meaning that the first person to ever grab the Women’s briefcase…was a man.
Carmella would then reveal that Vince McMahon was quick to praise her once she started cutting promos following her big MITB win. “The SmackDown after winning, I cut a promo and I going out there and going, ‘This is my opportunity. Let me go out there and kill it.’”
“I came back through the curtain and Vince was so complimentary to me about my promo that night and was like, ‘Some of my top guys can’t even cut a promo like that’” Carmella revealed. “So I was just so excited and it ended up hat I won it again. I think it really propelled my career.”
WWE SmackDown Superstar Carmella appeared on this week’s episode of The Bellas Podcast. Carmella discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the recent WWE releases of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce.
Carmella seemed as shocked as anyone that the former IIconics were sent packing just a couple of weeks ago from WWE. Billie Kay in particular seemed to have carved a perfect niche for herself in a comedy role on SmackDown; Kay had begun teaming with Carmella before getting released in April.
“I think everyone was,” Carmella began on the podcast, saying how the release of the two IIconics shocked the WWE locker room. “I don’t know what the right or wrong thing to say is. All I can speak from is my experience and we were super excited for this story.”
Carmella Rocked By Their Release
“I felt like ‘I’m done with this whole sexy gimmick they want me to do or try to be sexy’” Carmella added. “Which is fine and it’s fun to be sexy, but I wanted to show my personality more. I wanted to show a little bit more of a fun side.”
“And I was really looking forward to doing that with Billie [Kay]” Carmella continued. “Our entrance alone, she was cracking me up. She was so funny. I was really looking forward to where that was going to go. And obviously, unfortunately, we can’t do that any more.”
“Those two were some of my closest friends since I’ve been here, since they got here,” Carmella noted. “So this was the first time I was like really rocked by a release. I was like ‘wow. These are my friends. They’re not just my co-workers.”
Where do you think Billie Kay and Peyton Royce will end up next? Let us know in the comments
WWE has announced a total of 12 matches for WrestleMania 37 so far. However, only two of them are women’s matches and Carmella is not happy about this.
The former SmackDown women’s champion appeared on the latest episode of The Bump where she talked about things such as who would be a good tag team partner for her and more.
While talking about the upcoming big event, Carmella mentioned how there are only two women’s matches that have been announced for the show. She said that she wants more women to be featured on the event:
“As of right now there’s only two women’s matches announced. I want there to be another women’s matches, I think there should be more women on the show. The women are where it’s at. We are taking over.
As happy as I am for Asuka and Rhea and Bianca and Sasha; I’m very excited for Sasha and Bianca. But I just, I feel there should be more women involved. We’ve worked very hard. And we didn’t come just to only come this far. Even if it’s not myself. I’d love to be involved in WrestleMania. But either way, I want to see more women on this show.”
WWE does have plan for two more women’s matches to be added to the WrestleMania card. According to reports, they plan to hold a #1 contenders match for the women’s tag team titles on night one of the show. The winners will then challenge the champions on night two of the event.
Apart from Carmella, the episode of The Bump also featured stars such as The New Day, Trish Stratus and Mick Foley. You can check out the full episode on YouTube.
Former Money in the Bank winner Carmella has reflected on her historic victory during a recent appearance on WWE show The Bump. She also remembered being to finally get rid of the Money in the Bank briefcase after cashing it in.
Carmella admitted she was nervous about her win. She looked back on how she was the smallest competitor in the match and stressed how the ladders were “huge and scary.” According to her, she had “never done any big crazy moves off the ropes, let alone a ladder. I was scared, but I knew what I had to do.”
As far as she was concerned, she was committed to making history. This mindset came from the fact that her MITB match was the first-ever women’s version of the popular ladder match and that “everyone is going to remember the first ‘Miss Money In The Bank,’ and here I am.”
Carmella Cashes In
Carmella would go on to hold the briefcase for almost 287 days. She finally cashed in her championship opportunity against Charlotte Flair on the SmackDown following WrestleMania 34. Carmella would successfully win the SmackDown Women’s Championship. She was more than happy swapping out the briefcase for the championship.
“I was so glad to get rid of that thing [the briefcase],” Carmella joked. “The story that I told the old people that would ask me at baggage claim at airports, they’d say, ‘Oh, what is that? Are you a banker?’ I’d be like, ‘No,” and I would make things up because they would never understand the significance of the briefcase and the contract inside. I’d say, ‘There’s a contract in there,’ and they’d say, ‘A contract for what?’ [Then I would reply], ‘Nevermind, I work at Bank of America, it’s part of my uniform.’ It was ridiculous.”
She believes that holding the briefcase for so long worked in her favor. Carmella thinks that, by the time she opted to use her opportunity, fans reacted even more for the cash in. It meant more for her on a personal note, too, as her parents were in attendance for that episode of SmackDown.
WWE is going to return to Saudi Arabia for its second Super ShowDown event in less than two weeks’ time. The last event of the series took place on June 7, 2019.
The company will then have to prepare for their next event, the Elimination Chamber, which will take place just nine days later.
The WWE women’s division will have their second-ever match in Saudi Arabia as the company revealed that the SmackDown Women’s Championship will be defended at the event.
On last night’s WWE SmackDown, we saw SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley announcing that she’ll be defending her title at Super ShowDown. The announcement was made after Bayley successfully defended her title against Carmella on the show.
In the next week’s episode, Carmella will face Naomi in a number one contender’s match. The winner will then face Bayley for the Women’s Championship at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
Prior to last week’s SmackDown, another number one contender’s match had taken place. It was a fatal four-way match between Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Dana Brooke. WWE had advertised that the winner of this bout will face Bayley on Super ShowDown. Carmella won the match, but the company pulled down the advertising and announced that Carmella would instead face Bayley for the title on the next SmackDown, with the Super ShowDown match seemingly nixed.
Looks like plans changed, and Carmella has another opportunity at getting the title shot on next week’s SmackDown from Phoenix.
The Super ShowDown match will the first time that a Women’s title will be defended in Saudi Arabia. This is coming just months after the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia was held at Crown Jewel in October 2019.
WWE Super ShowDown will take place at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 27.
Booker T thinks that Carmella is the “female Miz” of the women’s division.
On last night’s episode of WWE Backstage, the WWE Hall of Famer praised Carmella while discussing the upcoming SmackDown Live Women’s title match between her and Bayley.
Booker T first talked about Bayley and said that while she’s great she is still trying to find herself and going through a transformation.
Coming to Carmella, Booker T said, “…I look at Carmella and what I see is consistency. What I see in Carmella is– she’s the “female Miz” of the women’s division. She’s like a timeless watch man, she takes a lickin’, she keeps on ticking.”
A fan posted a clip of the above segment from the show and tagged Carmella. Carmella seems really happy with Booker’s comments and retweeted the video, saying that Booker T is stating facts.
Carmella joined WWE in 2013 when she signed a contract with the company and was assigned to NXT in Orlando, Florida. In October of 2014, she began a stint on the brand with Enzo Amore and Big Cass.
In July 2016, she made her main roster debut on SmackDown. A year later, she went on to become the winner of the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and subsequently became the first woman to cash in her MITB briefcase in April of 2018. She cashed it against Charlotte Flair and won the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship.
She is also the winner of WrestleMania 35’s Women’s Battle Royal and has most recently won the WWE 24/7 Championship twice.
Corey Graves talked about calling her girlfriend Carmella’s matches when she appeared on his After the Bell podcast along with Otis.
Graves said that he feels weird calling Carmella’s matches on SmackDown Live.
“I was having discussions with the young lady behind the counter about what it’s like to call your matches, which is very strange to me because the members of the WWE Universe who watch Total Divas and follow us on social media know about our personal life to an extent, but the vast majority of the people who watch SmackDown, probably don’t exactly know,” Corey Graves said.
He also added that he wants to cheer for Carmella but it wouldn’t make much sense as he has more of a heel persona and Carmella is a face right now.
“Also, you are more of a good guy these days, whereas I tend to lean toward the villainous side, so there’s a really weird dichotomy, and I want to go, ‘Oh I want to cheer for her, but it doesn’t make sense if I cheer for her,” Corey Graves explained.
Corey Graves and Carmella started dating in 2019, and their relationship has been profiled on Total Divas too. The relationship was full of controversies as Graves’ wife made a post on Instagram in early 2019 accusing both him for cheating on her. She soon deleted her post, but it had become a hot topic online.
Both Carmella and Corey Graves denied the allegations, as it was later revealed that Graves was actually in the process of divorce with his wife for around six months and that he had been living in a different home.
WWE Superstar Carmella recently appeared on the After The Bell podcast alongside her partner and host Corey Graves. During the interview on the show Graves asked Carmella about her upcoming Championship match against Bayley. The match will be taking place next Friday on SmackDown for the brand’s Women’s Title.
“I didn’t know what the hell I was doing”
“I mean Bayley and I’ve only had one match against each other” Carmella began. “That was in NXT and that was for the [NXT Women’s] title. I had only been wrestling at the time for…it was probably less than two years. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, not that I know any more now, but to know where we’re at now?”
“it’s gonna happen on Friday, which I just found out last night!”
Carmella elaborated further, saying “I have been a Champion. I’ve been, you know, Miss Money In The Bank. I’ve done so many things in my career. So, I don’t know, I’m just excited for this opportunity and apparently it’s gonna happen on Friday, which I just found out last night! So, I’m ready. I’m excited, and I’m [going to be] ready to go in time for Smackdown.”
“I was hopefully waiting for a bigger stage” – Carmella
Graves then revealed that Carmella had legitimately not been told about the match until it was confirmed earlier that week. “I was like ‘what the hell!?’ Carmella revealed. “I had no idea that was gonna be this soon. I was hopefully waiting for a bigger stage. Maybe a pay per view? Maybe Super Showdown, maybe WrestleMania? I don’t know, and now it’s gonna be this Friday but I’m really ready for it.”
Do you think that there’s a chance Carmella wins the Championship on Friday? Let us know in the comments
