WWE Money In The Bank 2018: Star Ratings For All 10 Matches

4. Carmella Vs. Asuka - SmackDown Women's Title Match

Jinder Mahal STAR RATING 1
WWE.com

Asuka used to be great in the pro wrestling context of NXT. What a depressing sentence that is to write. What a depressing, inevitable sentence that is to write.

Presented as an elite, unbeatable athlete, she became that rarest of things: a superstar able to uphold suspension of disbelief in the most unique and absorbing manner imaginable.

In the sports entertainment context of WWE, Asuka is just another loser susceptible to the deadening distraction finish. Bafflingly, despite this James Ellsworth trash, WWE didn't even do Asuka the service of letting her kick Carmella's face off. Not that it would have mattered - the message meant so much more than the match - but the incongruous notion of Carmella controlling Asuka just killed the aura of the Empress to such an extent that she is hardly worth referring to as the Empress anymore. The very foundation of the Asuka character was excavated as Carmella simply danced around and avoided her once awe-inspiring rope work. She looked less than ineffective at times; she looked hopeless.

That finish - Asuka sold for her "doppelgänger" very poorly, but Braun Strowman couldn't even get that over - was all in service of putting heat on Carmella. But what is the point of that, when WWE cannot even do right by Asuka? No babyfaces are worth getting behind, and this wasn't even good heel work because who wants to see the comeuppances?

The matches are dreadful.

Star Rating: 1/2*

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!