5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE SmackDown Live (23 Aug)

4. Winners: Carmella & Nikki Bella

Nikki Bella returned to a gigantic babyface pop at SummerSlam, but sided with the blue brand’s heels en route to a tag victory over Carmella, Becky Lynch, and Naomi. She was the match’s deciding factor and the fans’ only real reason to show interest in the tie, but her alignment was blurred, and her future direction remained unclear.

Last night saw her and Carmella execute a double-turn. Set to face-off in one-on-one action, Nikki was interviewed by Renee Young before the bell rang, expressing how much it meant to her to be back. Carmella jumped her mid-interview, beat her down, and delivered her sister Brie’s Bella Buster move to add insult to injury, and the alignments were flipped.

It’s the right move for both women. Carmella has been a rank failure as a main roster babyface, and her crowd reactions have been non-existent even during her trademark ring entrance. Nikki, meanwhile, is coming-off a potentially career-threatening injury: she already has the fan’s sympathy on her side, making the turn a natural choice that makes sense on every conceivable level.

Will the turn finally get Carmella over? It’s hard to tell, but it’s a definite step in the right direction.