6 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (May 15)

4. A Royal Mellabration

Carmella Mellabration
WWE.com

Carmella is off to a bumpy start as SmackDown Women's Champion. Her Backlash defence was a meandering dud characterised by screeches and screams, not slams and suplexes, showing that she still has a ways to go between the ropes. Character work is her strong suit, but the poor impression left in her last pay-per-view performance will take some undoing.

Segments like last night's Royal Mellabration will go a long way to doing so, as SmackDown's new queen was on fantastic form. She's annoying, but that's the point. When she demands your praise then berates you for not complying, you're supposed to be irritated, not entertained, though it was fun to see her face turn sour when Paige announced Asuka as her next opponent.

The matches will always be a concern, and most of Carmella's improvements have taken place away from the ring. Her skillset will need to become more-rounded if she's to play top heel for a considerable length of time, but for now, the character is working. Her over-the-top gloats leave her completely detached from reality, and she's one of the easiest people on the roster to root against.

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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.