Carmella's record-setting run with the Money In The Bank briefcase helped transfer her from heel irritant to blue brand pet project in a year that wasn't without challenges for the relatively inexperienced NXT graduate.
Her run arguably peaked at the beginning thanks to a Money In The Bank do-over that was one of the best and most important contests from the SmackDown Live era. Making good on a hugely divisive finish to the pay-per-view version weeks earlier, the rematch was free of James Ellsworth's effective interference and loaded with ultra-dangerous spots that justified the overdue women's variant of the match.
Outlasting Enzo and Cass en route to eventually winning the Women's Title from Charlotte Flair before moving in a brand new direction with R-Truth, Carmella's spell atop the division was a case of on-the-job training done right.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
