Should Carmella Pack Her Briefcase And Head To Raw?

Should Carmella Pack Her Briefcase And Head To Raw?

Last year, Carmella became the first ever women’s Money In The Bank winner… well James Ellsworth technically did but on the following Smackdown Live, Carmella became the real first ever women’s Money In The Bank winner. Good save, WWE… no one noticed.

Since then, however, the ‘Princess of Staten Island’ has fallen way down the pecking order over on the blue brand. A few key wins have begun to spring up with victorious performances at Fastlane and last night’s episode of Smackdown Live, but apart from that, Carmella has barely been featured on television as of late.

Now, with Asuka jumping ship and challenging the WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair for a match at WrestleMania 34, the implications of that shiny white briefcase Carmella has been clutching might no longer be as much of a certainty.

We have previously discussed what ‘Ms. Money in the Bank’ could do if she chooses to stay on Smackdown Live here. What I want to propose, however, is what kind of havoc she could really cause if she packed up her briefcase and strolled on over to Monday Night Raw.

Right now, WWE Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss is tied up in a flourishing storyline with ex-bestie Nia Jax. As Asuka transitions over to the blue brand, however, a spot is opening for someone new to enter Raw‘s title scene.

Picture it, WrestleMania 34 is in full swing, Bliss spends her likely title defense against Jax running away and trying to find a cheap way out. Finally, Jax gets the ‘Goddess’ where she wants her and takes full control, ready to win before someone – let’s say, Mickie James – causes a DQ finish. Bliss retains and Jax goes on a rampage, mauling James and the still WWE Raw Women’s Champion before leaving defeated and enraged.

Suddenly…

“F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S”

The crowd pops huge as Carmella hurtles down the never-ending WrestleMania rampway, cashes in her Money in the Bank briefcase and becomes your new WWE Raw Women’s Champion.

‘Mella has already announced during a promo video on Smackdown Live that she will be entering the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34. With one appearance already in the books, calming the audience’s suspicions, why not have her pull double duty and shock the world? It worked for Seth Rollins…

Leading on from this, just imagine the verbal back and forth the pair could produce on the illustrious post-WrestleMania Raw and beyond. They are both great on the mic and although many fans believe that each of them could do with brushing up their respective in-ring work, they can have brilliant matches given the time.

Bliss so rarely wrestles these days and when she does it’s often as the cowardly heel. This does not require phenomenal technical ability but it does not mean that she can’t go when necessary. Her storytelling is more often than not perfectly fitting and compelling.

The same can be said for Carmella. Her matches are often kept short but as she demonstrated this week on Smackdown Live against Naomi, she can pull off a very entertaining and vicious looking bout. Admittedly there was a little too much hair pulling and slapping for a women’s division match in 2018 but it gave Carmella some credibility as a legitimate contender.

Now listen, I know what you’re thinking. Alexa Bliss and Carmella are both heels so who would cheer for them?

Aside from the fact that this is WWE we’re talking about and that heels generally get cheered more than the babyfaces anyway, it simply doesn’t matter. The fact is that people love – or at least love to hate – these characters. They will pick a side and run with them, no matter which side that turns out to be.

If you’re still not convinced, however, I have another idea that you might just like.

WWE are fond of a good slow-burning storyline. Granted they have been known to just suddenly forget about them from time to time but when they are done right, the powers-at-be have a knack for hitting them well out of the park. So hear me out…

Turn Carmella into a bonafide babyface.

In terms of the WWE main roster women’s division, Alexa Bliss is the heel. Playing with that formula would be a terrible idea right now. Carmella, on the other hand, could be built up slowly as someone who can find the resilience to kick out at two and three quarters when it matters most. Again, emphasis on the word ‘slowly’. Let the crowd grow to love seeing her fight on. I’m not saying making her unbeatable just make it count when she does do ‘the job’.

We’ve already seen how likable she can be throughout her Mixed Match Challenge campaign with the New Day. Their ongoing social media content is hilarious and would go a long way in putting Carmella’s personality over if featured on Raw.

A long and hard-fought reign with the WWE Raw Women’s Championship that has ‘Mella transition from a smarmy skipping heel into a stronger and, crucially, more mature character could turn ‘Staten Island’s Princess’ into a mainstay attraction. Then, when it gets to a point where she needs to be in the chase rather than at the finish line, having a heel cheat her out of the title she has worked so valiantly to keep around her waist would be crushing.

Why not go all out and write her off of TV for a month or so afterward? Let her character settle while others try to take her place only for the new and improved Carmella to return for what would now be a momentous redemption arc. After all, this is the first ever women’s Money In The Bank winner we’re talking about and she deserves a huge push to solidify the importance of the briefcase in the women’s division.

For me, if Carmella stays on Smackdown Live, I will live in constant fear that she will cash-in on Asuka, have her head kicked clean off her shoulders by the ‘Empress of Tomorrow’, and it will have all been for nothing.

Or worse, she’ll ruin Asuka’s streak…

Having ‘Mella take her briefcase over to Raw is the only option. Admittedly, I may have put too much stock in her as one of WWE‘s top babyfaces but if they didn’t want that to happen then they shouldn’t have made her ‘Ms. Money in the Bank’ in the first place now should they!

6 years ago by Wrestle Talk

Trending

Get the latest wrestling news straight to your inbox

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from WrestleTalk