SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair proved, undoubtedly, that she was ready for Asuka this past Sunday night when she made The Empress of Tomorrow tap out on The Grandest Stage of Them All to end her streak. Flair, humbled by the encounter with Asuka even in victory, reflected on her magical WrestleMania moment briefly, but then wondered who would step up to her next… and she quickly got her answer.
NXT standouts Billie Kay and Peyton Royce arrived on the blue brand and wasted no time making it clear that one of them could absolutely dethrone The Queen for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Kay and Royce urged Charlotte to stop focusing on the past and instead start looking toward her very “Iconic” future. From there, with it clearly looking like Kay and Royce were gearing up to pounce, Flair took the fight to them. She was able to fend them off for a bit before the dastardly duo took her down. Kay & Royce double-team assaulted The Queen, going as far as toppling her over the announce table, ramming her into the steel ring steps and administering a double powerbomb onto the floor.
The IIconics, ecstatic with their handy work, then dragged Charlotte’s lifeless body back into the ring and stood over The Queen, making it clear that a new day had dawned in the SmackDown LIVE Women’s division. However, that new dawn quickly turned F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S when Carmella raced down to the ring with her Money in the Bank contract in hand, urging one of the referees who was there to check on Charlotte’s condition to ring the bell so she could officially cash in. After some hesitancy due to The Queen’s clearly impaired condition, Charlotte slowly rose to her feet, and the bell was rung.
From there, Carmella connected with a kick straight to Charlotte’s dome, and because of the unbelievable beating Charlotte had already sustained, that was all it took for a new champion to be crowned.
Carmella’s had many nicknames —The Princess of Staten Island and Ms. Money in the Bank to name a few. But now, the moonwalking and trash-talking Superstar has one primary moniker — SmackDown Women’s Champion.