WWE SummerSlam 2018: Star Ratings For All 13 Matches
7. Carmella Vs. Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair - SmackDown Women's Title Match
A very well-told story that nonetheless undermined itself at key moments, it was still the best thing Carmella has ever done, and for that, it was received favourably.
Until the finish, anyway.
We wrote in our Match Quality Predictions article that "the idea of Carmella applying a boring double headlock is satire". We were instead treated to something worse; Carmella applied two consecutive chin locks to each of her opponents in a middle stretch that sagged horribly. Prior to and after it, though, this was very good, if very sloppy. As was the intention, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair created much anticipation for their singles encounter when Carmella was removed from the action, particularly when the Lass-Kicker smoothly evaded Charlotte's own smooth mat work in a sportsmanlike tête-à-tête. That smoothness was atypical of a match that was downright ugly elsewhere, and not in a gritty, unvarnished sort of way, either. The narrative pivoted on the idea that Flair and Lynch are vastly superior technicians than Carmella, so it's just as well that Carmella is as irredeemable as she is.
The finish was excellent, which accounts for the rating. Much like she slimed her way into the action - from Becky's POV at least, in a nicely layered storyline - Charlotte stole the win by piggybacking on Becky's hard work.
It's troubling that WWE sought sympathy on Charlotte's behalf following Becky's fire turn/beat-down, but for now, this was (almost) the best version of itself.
Star Rating: ***1/2