No DQ Singles Match
Here's a rivalry that's based almost entirely on things that have happened outside of the ring. Seems like an appropriate time to make that kind of stuff legal, no? Despite rumors they'd give us the first women's no disqualification match, this one is booked under the usual rules. Will that be enough to end a feud that's been simmering from the early days of the brand split?
The Road to No Mercy
Carmella's gimmick was built, from the time she was introduced on television in NXT, on her relationship with Enzo Amore & Big Cass. So, of course, they put her on a different show than her "boys".
SmackDown audiences had no idea what to make of the "Princess of Staten Island". Here she was just moonwalking around and trying to high-five kids in her leopard print get-ups. You could practically hear the crickets during her entrance.
Given that, they decided to try a heel turn. And they did it by aiming her at the biggest star on the roster in Nikki Bella.
When a serious neck injury caused Nikki to leave WWE, she herself was a villain. But sympathy for her journey, and widespread knowledge of her personal relationships via her E! 'reality' shows, made the decision to cast her as a hero pretty easy. Having Carm respond to being pinned in a six-woman tag by jealously assaulting her at every turn cemented Bella in her new role.
This program has wound it's way through one pay-per-view (PPV) already when Nikki retaliated by attacking Carmella after she was eliminated from the Six-Pack title match and harassed by the self-proclaimed Hottest Chick in the Ring at Backlash. Carm's also picked up a pinfall against Nik in tag action...
... all while the pair jaw at one another about who's fake, or stealing the other person's schtick. They both have good points. But who will get the last word?
What's at stake?
As a non-title women's feud getting time on a WWE event, this is pretty historic in its own right. Is it the end of the line for this feud, or are they saving something else for later (say, the six weeks they have until the next PPV)?
Has Carmella made enough of a name for herself with her actions thus far, or does she need a win - even an underhanded one - on a big show like No Mercy to really cement her as a meaningful player? Is even such a victory enough for her detractors?
Bella is a made-woman either way, but she's still likely coming out on top to end the program, because that's how WWE books their superheroes. Will they push that moment now, just after Total Bellas premiered, or wait?
Say, this is interesting - and fun! Maybe WWE could have multiple women's stories going all the time?
Find out how this one plays out, Sunday night in Sacramento - and right here at Cageside Seats!