The Princess of Staten Island is due to face off against the Queen of Black Harts tonight. Will this be the right time to capitalize on the prize? Or will it be time for the champ to make a statement? Let’s see what happens.
At the beginning of the show, Carmella and James Ellsworth are in the middle of the ring. Ellsworth begins to introduce ‘Mella, but the entrance from Kevin Owens disrupts him. Owens states that he will be the guest referee for the upcoming Singles contest, but Shane McMahon has something to say about that. Long story short, Owens disses McMahon’s kids and gets beaten up by the SmackDown Live Commissioner. Later on, Shane is suspended for fighting Owens, a move initiated on behalf of his father. Drama!
So now back to the women. Once Carmella is back in the ring, Natalya struts her way in there with her. We also see Naomi backstage watching the match – she seems intrigued, I guess.
Either woman holds her own throughout the match, but Carmella stays close to her heel/cowardly tactics. At one point – after dashing out of the ring for safety – Carmella is told that she’s a “coward” by her angry opponent. Tough words, champ.
We see some impressive work in the match; Carmella inserts a great Hurricanrana and some tight submissions, whilst Natalya reverses a submission into a bodyslam. Later on, as Carmella looks to be putting Natalya away, Ellsworth gets a little too excited… The man jumps on the side of the ring, dropping the briefcase inside by mistake. The referee then sees this as a cash-in attempt, but Carmella quickly screams loud enough for him to get the message that she had no part in this. The Princess of Staten Island then yells at Ellsworth for messing with her chances, but soon finds herself in a roll-up… And, as expected, Natalya gets the three count!
Miss Money In The Bank is enraged! She grabs the microphone and tells Ellsworth that he is the “sorriest excuse of a human being [she’s] ever met.” She states how she doesn’t need a “genetic defect” like him to succeed. And after ripping into him again and again, she dumps him. Yikes!
Whilst an upset Ellsworth is left alone for the majority of the night, he confronts Carmella, expressing how sorry he is. He states that everything she said was right, but he still wants to be by her side. Eventually, he stops talking. And somehow Carmella sees it within herself to make out with him – and then slap him across the face. Why? I’m really not sure…
Thoughts: This episode was all about Miss Money In The Bank! She’s really being taken seriously, and even though that kiss was kind of … unexpected, this whole episode was necessary.
Carmella, despite her strong personality, hasn’t been the one to lead the relationship with Ellsworth. She’s been speaking and working her matches, but Ellsworth is the one that’s been getting all of the reactions. So now it’s time for ‘Mella to take charge. And although it may have come a little later than needed (that month long vacation was a good time), but it’s happening. Carmella runs the relationship even more now, and she was able to make the crowd react purely because of her. Ellsworth still plays a huge part. He just now plays a different part. Instead of the crowd booing Carmella because of their hatred for Ellsworth, they’re going to boo her because of their adoration for Ellsworth. He seems to be going on a slight face run now, and that will make her treatment of him even better for her heel heat.
The Princess of Staten Island needs to make a statement as the first ever Miss Money In The Bank. So as she parades around the venues holding up her briefcase, she’ll be getting heat for hurting somebody that the crowd loves, rather than hurting somebody that the crowd hates.
For next week, it would have been nice for Naomi to have gotten involved in the match somehow. Whether it were to be on commentary, a walk-in at the end or anything else other than just watching from backstage, it would’ve helped.
However, if this is a way to make us underestimate the power of Naomi, then it may be working. She is currently just seen as getting her rematch clause out of the way. So if we’re not seeing her involved in the actual storyline, then it may surprise us if she picks up the win.
To end this off, I do want to express how great Carmella and Natalya’s work is. Their chemistry is great and although this isn’t really a “feud”, the storytelling is working wonderfully. Carmella is intimidating and Natalya is over-confident, whilst clearly showing insecurities. The writing team is doing a great job at showcasing this, and the women are doing just as wonderfully.
Now, where was that Ravishing Revolution…?
What did you think of tonight’s events? Will Naomi regain her title next week? When will Carmella cash in? And what are your thoughts on that kiss? Let us know your views in the comments below!
