4 Ups And 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 9)

2. Carmella Beats Natalya At Her Own Game

Carmella Natalya
WWE.com

Since turning heel some months ago, Natalya has turned into more of a grizzled veteran in the women's division. She's the type that doesn't really need to be in the mix for the WWE Women's Title, the Canadian is much more effective when working with newer characters and helping them bed onto the main roster.

Whilst Carmella's loudmouth entrance (one that apes Enzo Amore, albeit with less interest from fans) still isn't clicking, she came out of her match with Natalya shining nicely. There was a clear emphasis on submissions in the bout, Natalya punishing the newcomer with abdominal stretches and other holds.

Eventually, this came back to bite her. Carmella locked on the Code Of Silence, a modified version of a head scissors hold, one during which he pulls on her own foot to increase the pressure. That was all she wrote for Natalya, and it was the right result to have Carmella fight back.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.