Carmella Wins SmackDown Women's Title After MITB Briefcase Cash-In on Charlotte

Carmella cashed in her Money in the Bank contract Tuesday and defeated Charlotte Flair to become the SmackDown women's champion for the first time.

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay made Carmella's job easier, though. The Iconic Duo debuted on the main roster and attacked Flair to make their presence felt on their opening night.

That left The Queen in no position to defend her title, and Carmella needed to deliver only one kick to the head of Flair to knock the champion out and claim the belt:

Carmella initially captured the briefcase by winning the first-ever women's Money in the Bank ladder match at the MITB pay-per-view June 18.

The Princess of Staten Island prevailed in controversial fashion, however, as James Ellsworth scaled the ladder, unhooked the briefcase and dropped it to her.

That didn't sit well with a large portion of the WWE Universe, and then-SmackDown Live general manager Daniel Bryan refused to let the result stand.

To make up for the finish, Bryan stripped Carmella of the contract and put it back on the line in a Money in the Bank rematch also featuring Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya and Tamina.

Ellsworth once again got involved despite being thrown out of the building, but Lynch made him pay by pushing him off a ladder.

Even so, Carmella was able to take advantage by winning for the second consecutive time and officially establishing herself as Ms. Money in the Bank.

The win was huge for Carmella's burgeoning career, as it put her back in the spotlight after several months of being relegated to a lesser role.

Carmella gained a huge following in NXT alongside Enzo Amore and Big Cass, but WWE made the decision to put her on SmackDown Live as a solo act as part of the brand split.

Early returns on that decision were good, as she feuded with Nikki Bella and turned in some impressive performances, especially from a mic work perspective.

Carmella was then paired with Ellsworth, and although that resulted in her falling down the pecking order, she bounced back in a big way by winning MITB.

The odds were in her favor to become SmackDown women's champion due to her ability to cash in at any time, and she used that to her advantage.

Carmella has shown herself to be a calculating and vindictive Superstar during her time on the main roster, which made her the perfect holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Now that Carmella is champion, she has a golden opportunity to build up her credibility and become a mainstay in the title scene much like Alexa Bliss did after her initial championship win.

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