Opinion
The Exposed Turnbuckle: Carmella is Awful(ly Good)

by: Mike Neon
I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant at first when the IIconics debuted on Smackdown Live, pummeled Charlotte Flair, and Carmella ran down to cash in the “Money In The Bank” briefcase. If you read this column on a regular basis, you know that treachery is my “drug of choice”, but I couldn’t help but wonder how Carmella who mostly seemed like a “background player” to me would handle the biggest spotlight in the women’s division on one of the biggest stages in professional wrestling.
Now, as we head into Summer Slam, after multiple successful title defenses and months of shining in the spotlight, I have never been more sure of the fact that “Mella is Money.” The “Staten Island Princess” has taken her “moonwalking, trash talking,” act to a whole new level, that even I had not anticipated.
She is a like a Lodi Valley Cabernet-Zinfandel circa 2013 (which was just a prime year for red wines from northern California) a perfect blend. The best parts of “old school” heel and “new age” Internet troll, coming together in a way that makes modern day sports entertainment so enjoyable for a great many fans. If you aren’t following her on social media (@CarmellaWWE on twitter) you are missing half of the magic.

Like it or not, in this new era of sports entertainment, social media savvy is becoming an increasingly important skill for wrestlers at every level of the industry. Twitter, Youtube, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitch, and Facebook have very much changed the ability for wrestlers to “put themselves out there”, sell merchandise, interact with their fan bases and even enhance their finances.
Social Media also allows a place for wrestlers to fill in their storylines, develop their characters, and escalate their feuds, which is extremely smart in such a competitive industry, overflowing with much more talent than available screen time.
I was fortunate enough this week to actually have an opportunity to prove my hypothesis, as I have a friend from work who is extremely into all forms and promotions of professional wrestling, but also completely abhors and refuses to take part in any form of social media.
He told me that he couldn’t stand Carmella. I told him “good”, that’s how you should react initially. “Now, let’s take a moment to examine the nuances of her performance.”
He agreed that she plays the role of “the heel” and generates “heat” in a proficient manner in the amount of screen time she receives during weekly episodes of Smackdown Live and Pay-Per-View events, and then I exposed him to her work on twitter.

I showed him various tweets and her quick witted and hilarious responses to haters. Mella is Money, but she’s also Teflon. She’s a technician of snark, and the “excellence of execution” when it comes to analyzing, reversing and locking her “haters” into submission, which usually results in the author deleting their posts.
After seeing these examples, It clicked for him. “So she’s doing the old school “Honkey Tonk Man“, paper champion angle, but with a new twist of being an “Internet troll”, instead of an “Elvis impersonator” he asked.
“Yes, that’s the beauty of it.”
“When you get in an online argument with someone else, the stereotypical (and comforting) thought is to imagine them as a “basement dwelling neckbeard” who lives in their parents basement. Except in this case, the M. Knight Shyamalan twist is that, the “keyboard warrior” you would try to dismiss, by insulting their appearance, social status or occupation, is a beautiful, fashionable and extremely athletic woman, who is in one of the top spots in the top promotion in the world.
Carmella has used this time in the spotlight efficiently, to build her brand and move her merchandise. If you don’t believe me, follow her on social media and look at all the fans sending pictures of them wearing her gear from the WWE store. She is very good at being supportive and grateful to those fans who truly enjoy her, and quick to take the “haters” down a notch or two.

Social Media interaction is relatively new to the wrestling business, but now and in the future, it’s incredibly important and “The princess of Staten Island” has proved that she is one of the best when it comes to capitalizing on this, and is building a bright future for herself.
There is no falsehood when she says “Mella is Money” because her stock is rising fast, due to the time and effort she puts in with the WWE universe.

Follow Mike Neon: @TheRealMikeNeon
and @neoncolossem to see art and opinions
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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