>The story isn't over cause as we all know it never is.
>There's a million ways they can go with it and if we agree
>that Asuka/Ronda/Charlotte all look strong and if most people
>were entertained by the Carmella cash-in then I don't see the
>problem.

one problem (as i see it obviously) is that if Charlotte is moving to RAW after this, then its sending the message that even SHE doesnt care about the belt she lost. why would anyone care what happens to Carmella if even Charlotte doesnt want righteous retaliation? this is the problem with a total abandonment of kayfabe. the title holder was always perceived as being able to have a *better life* due to the wealth and prestige of having the title. this in turn presented the title as the absolute basis of every wrestler's ambition.

>I don't believe this will be a long title run for Carmella,
>but even if it is I'll wait to see how it's booked before I
>judge it. She's not the best character, but she is pretty
>well-developed (especially by Smackdown standards) and I think
>she's very fun and decent in-ring.

all that could be so, but a short run that hands the belt to anyone other than Charlotte or Asuka makes the whole thing even worse imo.

>
>by that same token though: as great as Charlotte, her staying
>on the same show with the same belt beating everyone as a face
>could get very stagnant and boring. Whose to say the next
>thing they do won't be more entertaining than that?

it wont be more entertaining than a belt trading trilogy with Asuka. it just wont.

>and then what? lose her MITB cash-in or let it expire? this
>was the end of a year-long storyline and the beginning of a
>new one. let's see where it goes.

this is a legitmate question, but has everyone who has ever had a MITB cash-in used it successfully? follow-up, what is the success rate of MITB cash-ins turning into credible champions? these questions are what made me call it "debug mode".

>you're not giving the audience's suspension of disbelief
>enough credit. people tend to boo the heels and cheer the
>faces even though they know it's all a work. that's not a
>problem unless a character is too boring or not worthy of
>their push. Carmella has heat cause she brags about things
>that aren't even that impressive (e.g. she won the briefcase
>and the title "by herself" which is an absolute lie)

thats a heel archetype tho. if thats why she has heat, then its theoretocally possible for anyone to have the heat that WWE decrees they should have. it needs to be about *her*, not the archetype they assign to her. lots of bad guys do all the right things and generate no heat because no one cares about who they really are. ive known wrestling was a work since like i was like 10 years old, but i still hated the bad guys who made their personalities hateable. i didnt have to suspend my disbelief much to hate Ric Flair and Hollywood Hogan and Kevin Sullivan and Michael Hayes and even the Honky Tonk Man because they made it REALLY easy for me to believe that they were really that way as human beings. if modern audiences are willing to suspend their disbelief and boo someone strictly because they are checking the boxes off the list of heelish things to do...thats markish in every negative connotation of the word.

>against Charlotte? then you'd complain Charlotte lost. if they
>won a match against the other babyfaces it wouldn't give them
>much heat. i've been a big critic of Smackdown's booking in
>recent months, but this was a perfect debut for the duo and a
>fine cash-in for Carmella (not "perfect" just cause of the
>dumb ref spot).

no, not against Charlotte. against enough other wrestlers to give people a reason to think she *belongs*. even without watching, I knew who Asuka, Charlotte, Bliss, and Nia were, as well as a couple others. now, the day after the best women's wrestling match ive ever seen, the title is now on someone ive never heard of. its the belt thats suffering here, not any of the wrestlers...yet.

>There's many ways to build or continue the prestige of a belt
>and a sneaky heel getting cheap wins over really good faces
>counts in my book.

they cant go Honky Tonk Man with a world title. Ric Flair was cheap and dirty, but when it was time to wrestle Sting, or Lex Luger, or Ricky Steamboat he showed that he didnt NEED to be that way to be the champion. in fact, him being a credible enough wrestler thay he could have won WITHOUT cheating, is what made the cheating so hatable. he didnt *have* to, he *wanted* to. now it seems like they are kinda painted in a corner to:
A) have Asuka beat the everliving piss out of Carmella, which will harm that character, but would allow them to carry forward with Charlotte-Asuka this year with Asuka carrying "Charlotte's" belt, setting up the rematch we want.

or

B) have Carmella beat Asuka, which would make her 0-2 in title challenges (not great Bob ©)

or

C) keep Charlotte in SD and program it so that getting that title back is cast as something she would actually sell her soul for. unfortunately, everyone already suspects this is out the window.

>I wouldn't mind them keeping this feud going now, and they
>very well could, but I don't see any harm in saying "That was
>a great Chapter 1 in the story, let's wait on Chapter 2 so
>that there's more anticipation."

abandoning a program that could have been huge and then hoping it will still be huge after times passes...is super risky.