Well here we have it folks, the last Smackdown Live! before Wrestlemania this Sunday! This week’s matchup saw a repeat of what we saw two weeks ago: SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair facing off against her old buddy Natalya in a non-title match.
In that match from two weeks ago, we saw Natalya steal the win over Smackdown Women’s Champion thanks to a distraction by Carmella as she attempted to cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase. This week was no different.
The match itself was like most Natalya versus Flair matches normally go. Both ladies know each other so well, that they know what the others next move is going to be. One of the stand out moments of the match is when Natalya locks Flair into the surfboard to where the Queen of Harts took to Twitter after the match:
The Surfboard is my way of paying homage to my uncle, The British Bulldog. Every time I do it, I think of him. I also love to punish @MsCharlotteWWE … ????? #sdlive pic.twitter.com/adrxUDbESC
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) April 4, 2018
Flair attempts to perform her moonsault from the top rope but Natalya gets her knees up. This leads to both competitors taking each other out with a clothesline. While Flair is laid out in the middle of the ring and Natalya starts rolling under the bottom rope, Carmella’s music hits.
Carmella races down to the ring with her own referee, who took forever to come out by the way and enters the ring. As she hands her briefcase over to the referee, Flair gets up and kicks the contract out of their hands and out of the ring. Carmella does not officially cash-in and winds up with a boot to the face from Flair. Natalya then tries to steal another win with a roll-up, but Flair kicks out. Flair follows up with the Figure Eight and makes her opponent tap out for the victory.
After the win, Asuka‘s music hits and the crowd roars. Asuka comes out and says the same thing she has been saying: She is the Empress and will defeat the Queen. When she goes to say that no one is ready for Asuka, Charlotte declares that Asuka is not ready for her.
Carmella celebrates being the longest reigning Money in the Bank holder in WWE history today after her unsuccessful cash in last night:
History maker. Record breaker. ? pic.twitter.com/6I1j5rHY6g
— MS Money in the BANK (@CarmellaWWE) April 4, 2018
Thoughts: Well, well, well, we made it. The last Smackdown Live! before Wrestlemania. Sigh. The show before the biggest event of the year and half of the women from the blue brand weren’t even on the show. Becky? No. Naomi? No. Riott Squad? No. Ball was dropped there.
As far as what did happen, I feel like Carmella went from not being on the card every week to randomly, and awkwardly trying to cash in all the time. Humor me for a moment, Carmella could have been guest commentary or at least at ringside taunting Flair during the match. If they still wanted her to attempt to cash in, then she could of at least fight some. She is constantly not showing any offense against Flair at all.
Two things need to happen at Wrestlemania:
- Carmella cashes in.
- Asuka’s streak is broken.
I will be attending Wrestlemania this year (my first one ever), and I am excited to see what happens with these strong women. Everyone have a great Wrestlemania! Enjoy!
Will Carmella cash in at Wrestlemania? Will Asuka’s streak break? Will Flair retain her title? Will we finally see some new women on the roster from NXT? Sound off in the comments below!!!
