First, I see some fans groaning that a woman that has failed to get a good reaction since debuting is suddenly getting a big push and made history. I have seen one person point out that the first man to win the briefcase was Edge, a legend and Hall-of-Famer. And Carmella being the first woman to accomplish a similar feat is just not the same. Yes, she will likely not get the storied career Edge had.
Something I have brought up in the past is that there are three scenarios where a person should be booked to win a major piece of history. They are either really over and deserve it, are already getting a legendary career, in which case this accolade will fit right in with their resume, or the company plans to build them to be something big, in which case this accolade is a launching point for that big career.
Carmella does not seem to fit into any of those categories. And yet, I don't have a problem with her winning. The Smackdown women's division is in a certain situation right now. They don't have any fresh, young heels to be a top credible jobber right now. Lana is not good in the ring. Tamina is neither young nor fresh. Natalya is a veteran. Carmella was just the best bet right now. They could have given Charlotte the win and turned her heel, but she just turned face a few months ago. It is too soon for her to turn again. You could also bring up Becky Lynch winning it and eventually turning heel by cashing in on a face. Whatever you want to bring up, Carmella was just the easiest option available without having to turn anyone.
And I don't even mind if she had to win in some shady way. Again, Edge won his first briefcase in a more respectable manner than Carmella did. But there is nothing wrong with a heel winning in a shady way.
Problem is, and this is the second complaint from fans, Ellsworth was the one that grabbed the briefcase and helped Carmella win it. Carmella may possibly not even keep the briefcase, but ignore that point for right now. Just stick with Ellsworth getting involved. Having Carmella win in a controversial fashion is one thing, but what do I make of James Ellsworth getting involved like this?
I think it is terrible. In an era where the WWE is trying to treat women's wrestling with more respect, this is not the kind of thing they should be doing, especially when the women's revolution has not been smooth at all and I would say is not at a truly successful place. If things were working out better, maybe then you would let some of this stuff go.
Look at TNA. They have established respectability in their women's division. They might sometimes have little things that go against that, like Velvet Sky, Maria Kanellis, and Eric Young, but these momentary angles and individuals have not strayed them from their main course. That is why it is important to establish that identity before you think about straying from it. Even if you stray, you know who you are.
The WWE has not established that identity for the women's revolution era. That identity was really still in limbo and needed a lot of work. You have had sloppiness from the writers and bookers that have hurt feuds and the development of characters. There have been some terrible botches and sloppy spots from the women last year that would make you wonder if the WWE should keep giving women so much freedom. The overall tone was sour and not entertaining. For all the fans that wanted a women's revolution and the women treated with more respect, terrible things like I just mentioned just sent many fans into the waiting arms of women like Lana and Alexa Bliss, women known for their looks and characters, not for being great wrestlers. And I see fans pointing out that Ellsworth got cheered last night, as if that justifies what the WWE did. No. Do it for the women. Help them get over and get cheered.
Something that I frequently say is that the women should be working more alongside the men in their angles. Even today, that can really help freshen things up. Moreover, the WWE can do angles there that go beyond comedy. Lita being with various men throughout her career was not just comedy angles. Same with Chyna. But when a man gets involved in the women's division, it usually is comedy. Remember Harvey Wippleman? He won the Women's Championship during the first dark age of the diva era. Remember Santino Marella? He dressed up in drag and won the Ms. Wrestlemania battle royal a couple years ago as the division was declining, stealing an honor that could have gone to a woman. There is precedence for what the WWE just did, even though Ellsworth did not actually win the briefcase. He sure got in the way and took the spotlight. Is this really the time that the WWE should be bringing men into the women's spotlight for the sake of comic relief? It was just a really stupid, crass idea.
How could the WWE have done it differently? Have Ellsworth pull Becky Lynch off the ladder. Have Becky suplex him, which she has done before. Then have Carmella take out Becky Lynch, then grab the briefcase. Ellsworth still does something out there, but the spotlight is at least more on Carmella than a man when the match ends.
I spoke before about the identity of the women's division. In a way, the problem is that the WWE cannot move away from their previous identity, the diva era. They may seem to stray from that with all this talk and hype about women's wrestling, but you still have divas around, you still have a diva being pushed as centerpiece on Raw, you have a man hurting the respectability of the division, and it just feels like a lot of the respectability is going away fast, especially on Raw. Smackdown has always had the weaker of the two women's divisions since the brand split came back. I shouldn't be too surprised by the stupid way they handled the women's ladder match last night. I heard the title match involving Lana was also not something to get women's wrestling fans excited. If the WWE had properly established a new identity that works, then these little things might be overlooked. But old habits die hard for this company. This is more than just a storyline getting in the way of respectability. This is the WWE showing more signs that they are not heading in the right direction with their women.
Lastly, what do you do with Ellsworth? Everyone was fine when Becky Lynch was knocking him around all over the place. When he takes the attention away from the women with the controversial finish, a lot of these same fans are annoyed. And there is no good place to put him. He was a hindrance in the main-event scene. Only thing he was good for was getting squashed by AJ Styles. Creative has not had anything for him since. Sticking him with Carmella just put him out of the way. But he is now in the way of women's angles, and at a time when the WWE needs to improve how these women are being handled. He becomes a distraction. If they cannot find a way to push him in the midcard in the men's division, he should be released. Sadly, the WWE does not typically do mass releases anymore, and you cannot expect him to do anything that will get him fired. He will continue to be in the way somewhere.
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