5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE SmackDown Live (9 Aug)

3. Loser: Carmella

Carmella Natalya
WWE.com

Sometimes, NXT call-ups just don’t work out. The Ascension were a near-unstoppable monster heel tandem down at Full Sail University, but they’re no more than awkward jobbers on SmackDown. Tyler Breeze, meanwhile, has gone from TakeOver-headliner to complete afterthought, and the less said about Adam Rose and Bo Dallas, the better.

Sadly, Carmella appears to be heading the same way. Her trademark ring entrance just isn’t connecting with the crowd, and for a third week in a row, The Princess of Staten Island’s arrival was met with cricket chirps. It’s become glaringly apparent just how important Enzo & Big Cass were to her act, and she’s dying without them. At this point, fans don’t even know which parts of the entrance they’re supposed to sing along with, and WWE have done very little to build any kind of investment or emotional attachment to the character.

Carmella is floating downstream without a paddle, and while she defeated Natalya this week, she’s really struggling to get over. The vast majority of the match saw Natalya beating on the rookie in an attempt to build babyface sympathy, but nobody was interested. WWE are doing all they can to establish her in the division but her act just isn’t working on the main roster, and it’s likely going to take a significant reboot to make her a SmackDown success.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.