Triple H has a soft spot for performers who came through NXT and the WWE Developmental system. One of those performers is Carmella, who last week successfully cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated Charlotte Flair.
In two months it will be exactly 5 years since WWE signed Carmella. She signed as a 27-year-old after having worked as a New England Patriots cheerleader for 3 seasons and a Laker Girl for one. She is the daughter of former WWE enhancement talent, Paul Van Dale.
Carmella won the first two women’s Money in the Bank matches last summer. The first match ended when her former valet, James Ellsworth, detached the briefcase and dropped it down to her. After a second match was scheduled, Carmella found a way to win that as well. Now, she’s a World Champion.
Disappointment is often the thing that propels you forward. @CarmellaWWE took every opportunity presented and cashed in on hard work. Ms. Money in the Bank is now Ms. #SDLive Women's Champion. #WeAreNXTpic.twitter.com/B0WrlgswsH
Disappointment is often the thing that propels you forward. @CarmellaWWE took every opportunity presented and cashed in on hard work. Ms. Money in the Bank is now Ms. #SDLive Women’s Champion. #WeAreNXT
the Iiconics: Peyton Royce and Billie Kay
The weeks after WrestleMania is always an important time for call-ups to the main roster. While Carmella may now be a World Champion, other NXT stars are just getting their starts on either Raw or Smackdown.
Two performers from NXT who debuted on the main roster recently are the Iiconics, Peyton Royce & Billie Kay. The duo are former high school friends from Sydney, Australia who both followed the same paths to the company. The team started in NXT in 2015 and made their main roster debuts on the Smackdown after Mania last week. Triple H also posted about their debuts on the main roster.
From their debut in @WWENXT, @WWEPeytonRoyce and @BillieKayWWE have always brought something #IICONIC to the @WWE Universe. Proud to see how far they’ve both come and excited to see how far they will go! – Triple H on the Iiconics
Yesterday Asuka Tweeted out a picture of herself with the caption “Fabulous.” This prompted a response from SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Carmella. She said “Girls just wanna be Carmella.”
The pair then continued to go back and forth a bit. Check out the exchange here:
Currently Asuka and Carmella are on opposite brands, however, tonight marks the beginning of the Superstar Shake-Up. It’s possible a feud between Carmella and Asuka begins if they end up on the same show.
Sting Reunites With Fellow WCW Alumni
WWE Hall Of Famer Sting posted a picture on his Twitter account from WrestleCon during WrestleMania weekend. The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion is pictured reuniting with fellow WCW alumni such as Lex Luger, Mr. Hughes, Mick Foley, and Rick Steiner:
– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, the first since WrestleMania 34, Charlotte Flair came out to the ring to celebrate her victory over Asuka in New Orleans – ending the Japanese star’s undefeated streak of over 900 days.
Just as Flair was cutting her promo, NXT call-ups Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, The Iconic Duo, made their main roster debuts to confront The Queen. They proceeded to make a statement by attacking the then-SmackDown Live Women’s Champion.
Kay took to Twitter to react to she and Royce’s debut, and said she couldn’t be more proud of it:
I’m able to now take a breathe & soak in what happened tonight… The #IIconics have arrived at #SDLive & I couldn’t be more damn proud of us right now ❤️
– Speaking of Kay and Royce’s debut, their beatdown on Flair led to Mrs. Money In The Bank Carmella cashing in her briefcase and winning the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship. This morning Carmella took to Twitter to issue a message to her “haters.”
She seemingly took a shot at those who bought reports that said she was going to have an unsuccessful cash-in at WrestleMania this past Sunday:
Good morning, haters! Remember when y’all said I would fail my cash in, never be champ or have a successful career? Well, EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT! MELLA IS MONEY, BABY! 💋 pic.twitter.com/O92PIyMm5F
– WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey had a great weekend in New Orleans. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion made her professional wrestling debut in a Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34, teaming up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
The Rowdy One completely blew fans’ expectations for her wrestling ability out of the water. With all that now behind her, Rousey is now set to make an appearance on E!’s “Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry” tonight at 9pm EST. Here’s the official statement:
Ronda Rousey to appear on E!’s “Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry”
Following her memorable in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34, The Baddest Woman on the Planet, Ronda Rousey, will appear on E!’s “Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry.”
Rousey’s enlightening experience with the renowned Tyler Henry airs Wednesday, April 11, at 9/8 C.
– New SmackDown Live General Manager Paige took to Twitter to react to a big first day on the job. NXT call-ups The Iconic Duo, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, made their main roster debut by attacking Charlotte Flair.
Soon after, Ms. Money In The Bank Carmella cashed in her briefcase and became the new SmackDown Live Women’s Champion by pinning The Queen. Here’s what Paige had to say about the two events:
Last night on Smackdown, Carmella finally cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase. She pinned Charlotte Flair after a beatdown from the Iconic Duo and won her first ever Smackdown Women’s Championship.
James Ellsworth, who played a key role in Carmella winning the MITB briefcase, had this to say about her victory last night:
Carmella is your new SmackDown Women’s Champion after cashing in her Money in the Bank contract on Charlotte Flair, who had just been attacked by a debuting Peyton Royce and Billie Kay.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte came down to the ring and thanked Asuka for making her worker than she ever has before at WrestleMania 34. Charlotte boasted about still being the champ and stated that Sunday was special and magical. Flair then asked who is she going to make magic with next?
The Iconic Duo, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay interrupted and made their way down the entrance ramp. The crowd chanted “NXT!” as Royce and Kay claimed that one of them can make Charlotte’s disappear. Billie Kay said that Charlotte’s match at WrestleMania was good, but it just wasn’t iconic.
Peyton and Kay got into the ring and did an impression of Charlotte thanking Asuka and everybody she has every met in her life. The crowd chanted “Iconic!” as Royce told Charlotte to stop living in the past, when right now she is looking at the future.
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce attacked Charlotte in the ring. Charlotte battled back and threw Royce to the outside, but turned around into a boot to the face from Billie Kay. They then launched Charlotte over the announce table. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce slammed Charlotte into the ring post and laughed at her as Flair slowly tried to get up.
They then launched her shoulder-first into the steel steps and the SmackDown Women’s Champion screamed in pain. Royce and Billie Kay followed that up with a Powerbomb to the floor and then picked her up once again and dragged her into the ring. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce stood over Charlotte in the ring as WWE referees came down to the ring to attend to Flair.
Carmella then ran down to the ring with the MITB briefcase and started shouting at the referee to ring the bell. The referee took forever to actually start the match, but eventually called for the opening bell.
— seiya suzuki enthusiast ? (@Cantguardzach) April 11, 2018
Carmella quickly charged at Charlotte and delivered a boot to the face to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship. This marks the first title reign for the Staten Island native.
– Ring Of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) stars The Young Bucks – Nick and Matt Jackson – noted on Twitter that they want to have a match with SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions The Usos. Nick Jackson actually revealed that they faced The Usos in an impromptu match 7-8 years ago, which The Usos won:
Yes we wrestled @WWEUsos once literally on the fly. William Regal called us into the ring before a show and the match started right there. https://t.co/8YuOwuGexX
– WWE recently noted that Ms. Money In The Bank Carmella has held her briefcase for 277 days. At a recent live event, Carmella cut a promo on SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair telling her to watch her back.
Former WWE Superstar James Ellsworth was recently interviewed by Andy Malnoske of Wrestling Inc. to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Ellsworth first talked about fans probably being uncomfortable with him being presented as Carmella’s ‘pet’ on WWE TV during their time together on SmackDown Live:
“I was OK with doing it, who wouldn’t? It’s Carmella,” Ellsworth said. “But to me, I thought the fans thought it was weird, so I’m glad it didn’t last long. But again, I personally didn’t mind it but I think it was weird for people to watch.”
Ellsworth was released from his WWE deal back in November and has been working the independent circuit ever since. He has since established an Intergender Championship that he plans on defending. When asked who he’d like to defend the belt against, Ellsworth named former WWE Superstar Tenille Dashwood (a.k.a. Emma):
“I’m wrestling Emma next month who’s also in the indies, she goes by Tenille Dashwood now. I think on the independent scene she’s probably the biggest name that’s a girl,” he said. “I would love to wrestle Carmella for it, that would be cool, I think people would love that. But yeah, as far as the indies go I can’t wait to get in the ring with Emma next month, I think that will get a lot of people talking.”
He was then asked about his thoughts on WWE bringing in former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Ellsworth said he believes the relationship will be mutually beneficial for both WWE and Rousey, and thinks Rousey will surprise some people with how good she’ll be in the ring:
“I mean, she’s one of the biggest stars in the world. As far as star power, she’s great for WWE. It’s good for both, it’s good for her and WWE, I think it’s a good relationship with them too,” he said. “I think both parties will make a lot of money off of her being there. She’s awesome and she’s been working hard in the ring and I think she’s gonna surprise a lot of people and be a really, really good wrestler.”
You can read Ellsworth’s full interview with Wrestling Inc. by clicking this link here.
– As we’ve reported, WrestleMania 35 will be going down from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 2019. Wrestle Votes is reporting on Twitter that because of this it’s likely SummerSlam will be moved out of the Brooklyn region:
SummerSlam, and the surrounding weekend events, are moving on from Brooklyn after this upcoming year. Location still TBD, but high probability of SummerSlam being held at a stadium venue. Likely a MLB stadium.
– Dean Ambrose has been forced to pull out of several autograph signing appearances at World Of Wheels this weekend. It’s unknown why Ambrose was forced to pull, but it should be noted he’s currently recovering from a surgery back in December to repair a torn tricep. He was given a return timeframe of around 9 months, meaning he won’t be back in the ring until around August or September:
– As we’ve previously reported, the site Bodyslam.net has reported that “Ms. Money In The Bank” Carmella is likely to cash-in her briefcase in a losing effort at WrestleMania 34 next month. Carmella caught wind of these rumors on Twitter and responded to them sarcastically:
Some of the top female superstars under contract with the WWE are slated to take on some GLOW actors on an upcoming TV show.
Squared Circle Sirens is reporting that TBS will be filming an episode of “Drop The Mic” that will feature a WWE vs. GLOW theme on March 18. Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Carmella, and Alicia Fox will represent WWE while Kate Nash, Jackie Tohn, Sunita Mani, and Britney Young will appear on behalf of the GLOW Netflix series.
GLOW is inspired by the short-lived but beloved show from the 80s. Netflix has already renewed the series for a second season.
– It’s been quite some time since Carmella won the first-ever Women’s Money In The Bank briefcase. Many fans have been wondering when “The Princess Of Staton Island” could be cashing in her Women’s Title opportunity. Brad Shepard of BodySlam.net is reporting that he has heard rumblings of Carmella cashing-in at WrestleMania 34 unsuccessfully.
Given that Charlotte Flair will likely take on Asuka at “The Show Of Shows,” and assuming the former NXT Women’s Champ’s streak continues on, it’s unlikely Carmella breaks the streak with her cash-in:
“Carmella, I’m told could very well cash in her Money in the Bank at WrestleMania and lose.”
“Well apparently from what I heard she’s okay with it. She’s down to do it. She basically knows Asuka is going to be champ and she doesn’t have a chance of winning the championship from her so it’s kinda like, ‘you might as well make the most of losing. Why not WrestleMania?'”
With Alexa Bliss likely defending her RAW Women’s Title against Nia Jax at WrestleMania, perhaps it’s possible Carmella could attempt to swap brands and cash-in on that match’s winner?
– WWE Hall Of Famer Scott Hall recently took to Twitter and issued a controversial statement about Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith. A fan said the following on Twitter:
“Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith were everyone a kid from the 90s wanted as a tag team.”
Hall responded by saying:
“You mean failed single wrestlers.”
Bulldog’s daughter, Georgia Smith, and wife, Diana Hart-Smith, furiously responded to Hall’s Tweet – which he has since deleted:
Fuck you @SCOTTHALLNWO, my Dad was not a failed man in ANY way. Don’t have the fondest memories of you as a child, & haven’t seen much recently that makes me think you’ve changed. 3 of your 5 best matches involved my family, & you didn’t win one of them. @GenuineLexLugerhttps://t.co/UxLzKS1DL8
— Georgia Joyce Smith (@georgiasmith87) March 8, 2018
It’s Tuesday and that means another episode of SmackDown Live is upon us.
Tonight (March 6), the show takes place inside the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. WWE.com has rolled out their preview for tonight’s episode. The show has two matches and one segment set. WWE is also teasing conflict between two female superstars.
The Lowdown
WWE champion AJ Styles is set to take on one of his Fastlane opponents in a non-title bout. He’ll meet Dolph Ziggler, who got a measure of revenge on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn last week. After losing to John Cena, Styles will look to redeem himself on the go-home show.
An old rivalry will be renewed. Randy Orton will do battle with Jinder Mahal. Back in May 2017, Mahal shocked the world when he defeated Orton for the WWE title. That rivalry sparked the return of the Punjabi Prison match. They’ll meet again tonight just five days before Orton challenges Bobby Roode for the United States championship.
Ruby Riott has been a thorn in the side of SmackDown Women’s champion Charlotte. Riott is the last member of the Riott Squad for Charlotte to take out. Before their title match at Fastlane, the two will have a faceoff.
Becky Lynch and Money in The Bank holder Carmella have been at odds on social media. Things got heated enough for Lynch to challenge Carmella to a match tonight. We’ll see how it all plays out tonight on SmackDown Live at 8 p.m. ET.
– Back in August Jeff Hardy won a 15-Man Battle Royal on Monday Night RAW to become the No. 1-contender for the Intercontinental Championship. He failed to win the title the following week on Monday Night RAW. In September he was shelved due to a torn rotator cuff and shoulder labrum. He was given a recovery time of four to six months.
Jeff visited Birmingham, Alabama last Tuesday to have his shoulder examined and is now back to training for his in-ring return. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that Hardy could be back “anytime soon”:
“Jeff is back training, he should be back anytime soon,” Meltzer revealed.
It was speculated that when Jeff does return he could realign with his brother Matt in the “Woken” character and challenge for the RAW Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 34.
– Following a backstage segment on SmackDown Live last night, “Ms. Money In The Bank” Carmella will go one-on-one with Becky Lynch on next Tuesday’s episode. Check out the segment here:
– “Ms. Money In The Bank” Carmella recently answered a question from a fan on Twitter asking her where she got the idea for her moonwalk entrance. Michael Hayes jumped in and claimed that Carmella has stolen “everything I ever did”:
Hi @CarmellaWWE where did you come up with the moon walking idea, Only wrestler i can remember doing it was @MichaelPSHayes1
@CarmellaWWE__ has stolen everything i ever did!!! Where do U think she came up with Fabulous??? Let me guess, next she will write her own theme song!!! Bahahaha
– WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz is one of seven men that will be involved in this weekend’s Elimination Chamber match. He took to Twitter and listed out each of his adversaries’ gimmicks, claiming to be the only ‘real’ thing involved in the match:
– WWE NXT Superstar Chad Lail recently took to Instagram to show off a nasty injury he suffered while training. His pinky finer seems to have bent the wrong way. Lail said in the caption of the photo:
– WWE recently posted another video on their YouTube channel as part of their “WWE Now” series in which they feature Carmella’s recent documentation on Instagram of getting stuck in her hotel room. Check it out:
After almost squandering an attempt to cash-in her Money In The Bank contract against Charlotte this past Tuesday on SmackDown Live, Carmella may want to review her situation and work out her next steps.
In response to the attempted cash-in on Charlotte, Carmella released the video below, explaining how it was all part of her plan:
Miss Money In The Bank will no doubt be hoping that she doesn’t join the likes of Baron Corbin in failing to win the championship title when she does actually cash in. The Lone Wolf has lost all momentum in recent months, with a bleak mid-card future in his sights instead of what could have been a WWE Championship reign.
Since Carmella won her Money In The Bank contract, Naomi, Natalya, and Charlotte have been the SmackDown Live Women’s Champion. While Naomi and Natalya are by no means weak champions, Charlotte represents the strongest and biggest challenge on the SmackDown Live roster for any other member of the locker room.
Charlotte has had 7 different championship reigns:
NXT Women’s Championship (1)
WWE Diva’s Chamionship (1)
WWE RAW Women’s Championship (4 times)
WWE SmackDown Live Women’s Championship (1)
In total, so far, Charlotte’s reigns amount to 776 days as a champion. Which, when compared to Carmella, is quite a daunting prospect. Therefore it makes perfect sense for WWE to use the Money In The Bank strategy to elevate Carmella into a Champion’s position.
In the last year, Carmella is one of the superstars who has been able to carve their own unique path in WWE. With the help of James Ellsworth, The Princess of Staten Island has developed her persona and position on SmackDown Live into one of great potential.
Unfortunately the current SmackDown Live Women’s Champion has been presented as a dominant competitor, so any cash-ins against Charlotte could result in Carmella losing the title at the next given opportunity.
If you also take into consideration the fact that Carmella was later defeated by Becky Lynch via submission, it seems as though her win:loss ratio isn’t where it should be for that of a potential champion.
To view Carmella’s position from a different perspective and context, we can look at the WWE 2k18 ratings:
Asuka 87
Charlotte 85
Alexa Bliss 85
Nikki Bella 85
Naomi 85
Sasha Banks 85
Nia Jax 83
Natalya 83
Becky Lynch 83
Bayley 83
Mickie James 80
Carmella 79
Dana Brooke 75
Alicia Fox 74
Maryse 73
It’s only a video game, but it’s supposed to be based on reality. Even if they are dated, the figures do not look good for Carmella who is positioned 12 out how the whole of the Women’s division (not taking into account those who have joined more recently from NXT).
The addition of Ronda Rousey, makes Carmella’s chances of making a significant impact on the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship even more slim. Therefore it is now even more imperative that Carmella evaluates her position and time carefully to ensure that her title reign is not short-lived.
Before Charlotte became SmackDown Live Women’s Champion, Natalya had the title, but her heel persona never gave Carmella the window needed to take advantage. While Carmella would make her presence known, Natalya often won matches with other opponents via submission, or was defeated by disqualification. This meant that there were very few times that Natalya was situated in the traditional “ready-to-pin” position in the ring.
One key aspect that potentially held Carmella back was having to share the spot light with James Ellsworth. Before joining up with Carmella, Ellsworth had successful feuds with AJ Styles and became a household name in a very short space of time. The Princess of Staten Island was then able to work with Ellsworth and increase her popularity and interest among fans before parting ways, turning on him in front of the rest of the locker room. It could be argued that without Ellsworth, Carmella wouldn’t be where she is; however Carmella might have been SmackDown Live Women’s Champion by now if she had left James Ellsworth sooner.
The other main aspect that hasn’t gone Carmella’s way is the sheer lack of genuine opportunities.
In terms of matches at PPVs that Carmella could have targeted, there haven’t been that many. In fact the only real opportunity would have been at Survivor Series, where many speculated that she would betray her team. There were even theories about Carmella cashing-in on Alexa Bliss and switching brands. However nothing came from it. Perhaps the heavy speculation from the WWE Universe put the creatives off a cash-in at Survivor Series.
Carmella’s best opportunity to cash-in her contract on SmackDown Live came on August 22nd where Naomi & Becky Lynch took on Natalya (c) & Carmella. Although the prospect was teased by James Ellsworth, the tease became more of a reveal when he couldn’t control his mouth, resulting in a detailed explanation of the whole plan in a promo before the match (notice the focus on James Ellsworth, not Carmella).
When it comes to future events, Carmella has 3 PPV events before her Money In The Bank contract expires, as well as 1 key SmackDown Live episode:
Fastlane (March 11th)
WrestleMania (April 8th)
SmackDown Live After WrestleMania (April 10th)
Payback (May 27th)
It seems unlikely that Charlotte will drop the title before WrestleMania, as WWE would want to build and develop her to make a match in April against Ronda Rousey as big as possible; much like Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar.
So where does this leave The Princess of Staten Island?
In a very difficult situation to be honest. Carmella needs to focus on what she will become after her time of being Miss Money In The Bank is over. Whether she’s champion or not, losing the title, that she uses as her Twitter name, will be a blow to her in-ring persona because she’s owned the role and built herself up around it. Carmella needs to make sure that when she no longer has the briefcase, there’s something else to hold on to and keep her relevant; it would be too easy, and a great shame, for her to get lost in a growing and developing division.
– During an interview at a Make-A-Wish event last Monday at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City, Stephanie McMahon said she would love to return to the ring.
“I would love to do it,” Stephanie said when asked if she would like to return to the ring. “I think anytime I have the opportunity to be physical in the ring, it’s a privilege for me. So if, you know, the storyline and our audience demands it, then, of course, I’m going to give it to them.”
The Commissioner of Monday Night Raw also discussed tonight’s Royal Rumble event, her match with Brie Bella at SummerSlam 2014, Raw 25, Ronda Rousey and more.
– Natalya, Carmella, and Bayley are guests on the latest edition of Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia as they discuss the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match. Becky Lynch is also on the show as Lilian Garcia’s co-host. You can listen to the interview on PodcastOne or iTunes.
Ms. Money in the Bank, Carmella, is disputing Asuka’s claim to an undefeated streak. Carmella won a battle royal on July 1st, 2016 which Asuka was also in.
I’m just gonna leave this here… I have a history of winning battle royals AND a history of defeating Asuka…. 🤭 this week I will make history again, TWICE!! 😝😝 pic.twitter.com/NbfqjQmoxK
Asuka and Carmella will both be in the 1st ever women’s Royal Rumble match on Sunday. Their teams face each other in the MMC Challenge tonight.
Asuka and Goldberg’s Undefeated Streak
To be completely accurate, Asuka also wrestled in multiple fatal 4-way matches on NXT house shows in 2016 that she didn’t win either. She was never pinned or submitted, however, and has never lost a singles match.
A little-known fact regarding Goldberg’s undefeated streak is that he actually lost a non-televised match to a wrestler named Chad Fortune on July 24th, 1997. The story goes WCW wanted to see how he would react to being asked to lose.
“Ms. Money In The Bank” Carmella recently did an interview with Rolling Stone to promote WWE’s Mixed Match Challenge. “The Princess Of Statin Island” talked about several professional wrestling topics such as the message sent to young kids watching men and women team together in the MMC, joining Total Divas on E!, and managing Enzo Amore & Big Cass in NXT. Here are the highlights:
A lot of the WWE’s audience are kids. What kind of message do you think can be taken away from seeing male and female superstars fighting in the same match?
“It’s super important for little girls to see what the women have done with the ‘Women’s Revolution’ and now being able to be a part of this Mixed Match Challenge. It’s different, it’s fun and it’s exciting. Nowadays, women are looked at as equal to the men when it comes to competing and I think that’s a really cool message to send to little girls and show them that whatever they want to do, they can set their mind to it and make it happen. And right now, this is a super exciting time for women in the WWE with all the firsts. We have the first women’s Royal Rumble match coming up and we had the first women’s Money in the Bank ladder match [in July 2017], so the sky is really the limit for the women right now.”
You also joined Total Divas this year, which adds a lot to your plate. What has that transition been like?
“It’s super exciting to be a part of a reality show in the midst of this ‘Women’s Revolution.’ One of the things documented on the show was the Money in the Bank ladder match, so it’s been exciting and different. It’s not something I ever thought I would do, being a part of a reality show. It was a super fun experience and being able to see it all play out on TV and for fans to be able to get to know me a little bit more has been cool.”
You’ve been wrestling on your own for a few months now. Are you excited to be paired up with someone again or do you feel more comfortable alone now?
“I like doing my own thing and I like being partnered with somebody. Anytime you’re partnered with a guy in wrestling, it’s exciting and different. Having James Ellsworth by my side for a while, that got people talking. Being a manager for Enzo and Cass in NXT was great. I got a lot of experience with doing that. And now this is something different as well, so I’m excited to be a part of it.”
You can ready Carmella’s full interview with Rolling Stone by clicking this link here.
Carmella and Big Cass have been in a long term relationship since their time working together in NXT. They recently featured in Total Divas and have been looking to move to LA.
Here is the moment that Big Cass was introduced on the show:
Unfortunately they both have different ideas as to where they want to live their lives. Big Cass is set on New York, while Carmella is pushing for a move to LA.
The relationship seems to have come to a stop though as Carmella removed all mention of Big Cass from her instagram account, as well as unfollowing the 7-foot superstar on Twitter. While nothing has been confirmed, these are not good signs for their relationship.
It’s understandable that this isn’t ‘Wrestling News’, however it might be worth considering how a break-up could impact their careers and trajectories moving forward.
With Big Cass injured, he had potential to re-invent himself and move over to the SmackDown Live brand as a new competitor, rather than returning to RAW. This move would have been extremely positive, as he could join Carmella on Team Blue. But if it is true that they are no longer together, a move to SmackDown Live could cause friction backstage. But at the same time: return to RAW may remind fans of his not-so-popular heel turn before becoming injured.
Carmella may not be as worried since she holds the Money In The Bank contract which means that she will always be close behind the SmackDown Live Women’s Champion, and a key part of the title scene moving forward.
– Sasha Banks’ hair ended up for sale on Ebay after a fan purchased a Conor’s Cure shirt she wore and found two strands of purple hair on it. The fan said that after discovering the hairs he decided to put them up for sale on Ebay and ended up getting $39.99. Here’s the description of the item and the posting can be found at this link:
“*This auction is for the Sasha Banks 2 hair strands only, does not include signed tshirt these hair pieces were found enbedded in.
“This auction includes two stands of purple hair from WWE superstar Sasha Banks. I found these strands weaved into the connors cure tshirt I purchased on WWE auction. I pulled them out and placed in a bag. These are from the 9/18/17 Raw episode when Sasha comes out to block Alexa Bliss from leaving the match against Nia Jacks.
“This auction is for the hair strands only, not the signed ring worn tshirt.
“I promise all pieces were pulled from shirt after inspection upon opening. I assure the strands belonged to Sasha Banks on raw 9/18 when she worn this shirt which can be proven by watching or viewing the authenticity of the ring worn tshirt by WWE.
“Any questions feel free to ask. ”
– Big E posted a video of himself and his fellow New Day members trying to recruit “Ms. Money In The Bank” Carmella for the Mixed Match Challenge. The trio ordered a referee over to Carmella to deliver some pancakes that read “Will you be our partner?” Carmella was flattered by the gesture but noted that it’s up to the WWE Universe to vote on the teams for the tournament:
– During last night’s SmackDown Live Women’s Championship Lumberjack match between Charlotte Flair and Natalya, Ms. Money In The Bank Carmella teased cashing-in her briefcase. Carmella was attacked by the other lumberjacks, however, and was unable to cash-in. Carmella took to Twitter to comment on the tease after the show:
Psyche!! Y’all stay watching my every move. I wasn’t REALLY trying to cash in… I’m not ready to part with Frankie, just yet! 🤑🤑🤑 #WWEClash
SmackDown Live Superstar Carmella recently had an interview with Uproxx where she talked about her controversial Money In The bank win and more. Below are some highlights from her interview:
The backlash on her Money In The Bank victory:
“Gosh, the fans always have something to say. They’re never happy with anything. I could’ve won it the way I won it the second time the first time, and I feel like they still would’ve been upset with it. So, I personally loved it. I loved the controversy. I never like to do anything little. Everything I do, I need it to be big and above and beyond. And it caused such a controversy and such a stir. And it had people talking, and at the end of the day, that’s all we can ask for; people are talking about the pay-per-view, they’re talking about the match. I loved every minute of it.”
On being separated from Enzo and Cass and being picked up last in the drafts:
“Yeah, I mean being on SmackDown was a whole different ballgame than being in NXT. Everything that I did in NXT was just washed away once I came up here. So, being a manager for most of my career, I didn’t really even have that many matches under my belt. I had maybe 10 on TV, if that. I don’t even think I had 10. So I don’t think people even realized that. So, being the last draft pick and then debuting on the main roster, I feel like people had no expectations, and I think that that’s even the best way to go about it. If they did have expectations, they would’ve been there saying, ‘Oh, Carmella is terrible. She’s the last draft pick. She can’t do this, that or whatever.’ And I love that. I want to be underestimated. I want people to think nothing of me, and then let me prove them wrong. Because, look at me now. I’m the two time Miss Money in the Bank, making history, and it’s all just a matter of time. I think you put in the work, you put in the effort. I know that I have something to offer this division. And finally, I feel like things are starting to blossom for me. I can only imagine with the future holds. I’m super motivated. I like when people tell me I can’t do something, and I’m gonna show you, yes I can. I can do it even better than you would ever dream of. I haven’t even been wrestling for four years. So, to be where I’m at, I think that’s pretty damn good.”
The recent match between James Ellsworth and Becky Lynch:
“Well, I thought it was a long time coming. I thought it was gonna happen after the Ladder Match. But sometimes things don’t go as we planned. So, it was cool. I mean, you never get to see a girl wrestle a guy. So it was really cool. And I think this opportunity for Becky was awesome. She has obviously a lot of pent-up anger with him. And I thought it was just a really entertaining segment.”
– WWE has a new poll asking fans which WWE NXT Superstar has the better top rope elbow drop. As of this writing, 69% voted for Kairi Sane’s Insane Elbow while the rest voted for The Velveteen Dream’s Purple Rainmaker.
– RAW Tag Team Champion Cesaro and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos tweeted the following as The Usos prepare to face The Bar at tonight’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view:
Tag Team Championships. We’ve always been about it. The Usos usually only care about two colors: money green and title gold.
hUCEton you have a problem… tomorrow at #SurvivorSeries you’re facing the best tag team in the ? BAR none. Sincerely, the A Team from the A show. We are #TheBar#BleedRed#RAW
On August 21st Big Cass was injured during a Street Fight with Enzo Amore; he tore his ACL and will be sidelines until after Wrestlemania 34.
The video underneath shows the moment that Big Cass tore his ACL on RAW as he went over the ropes and landed awkwardly outside the ring….
Since the injury, Big Cass has had surgery and is attending rigorous rehabilitation to repair his knee, but hasn’t made many promotional appearances for WWE. However this recently changed as he attended an interview with the Sun Herald to promote WrestleMania 34.
In the interview Big Cass explained his relationship with the fans of WWE and how he felt he was doing within the company.
“It’s very disappointing. I was on quite a roll at the time. The night I got hurt, during a commercial break, I cut a promo and loaded up to the fans. It felt good to have the fans boo me.”
Big Cass also appears on tonight’s episode of Total Divas as the 7 foot tall superstar is dating Carmella, who features in the latest season of the WWE TV show on E! along with Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax. Here is a preview of Big Cass’s introduction by Carmella:
As filming began for season 7 in June 2017, the timing suggests that Total Divas could cover aspects of Big Cass’s injury, from Carmella’s point of view. I doubt she’ll be flaunting the Money In The Bank briefcase as much while Big Cass sits sidelined for 6 months.
An important aspect of this is the possibility of an insight behind Big Cass’s in-ring persona. Since breaking away from Enzo Amore, he has turned heel and consistently booed by the crowd. This may give fans the opportunity to see a more realistic aspect of Big Cass that has been hidden behind strong characters and gimmicks throughout his WWE career. His initial introduction to Total Divas comes across as extremely shy and uncomfortable in the preview, but this is probably due to have cameras following him and his girlfriend around all the time.
