Carmella vs. Bayley

Smackdown February 14: Smackdown Championship Match

Over the last two Smackdown episodes, Michael Cole has announced that Bayley holds the record for longest reign as Smackdown Champion.

At the three minute mark, Bayley went for a cross body from the top rope and Carmella evaded. This gave Mella the advantage and she connected with a suicide dive before climbing the ropes and hit Bayley with a cross body. When Bayley rolled to the outside, Carmella chased and Bayley slammed her into the table as Smackdown went to commercial.

Back from commercial, Bayley had Carmella in a headlock and Mella countered with a jaw jacker. With Bayley in the corner, Mella hit the bronco buster. Carmella hit Bayley with three running forearms, but Bayley grabbed Carmella running for a fourth and hit the Bayley to belly suplex for a two count.

Carmella caught Bayley on the top rope and followed up with a top rope hurricanrana for a near fall. After a number of roll up attempts, Mella caught Bayley with a super kick. Before Carmella could get a pin, Bayley rolled to the outside and threw Carmella into the post. Back in the ring, Carmella locked in her submission hold, but Bayley was able to secure a pin by using the ropes for leverage.

A much better match than expected.

Match Ratings

Six dimensions combine to make up the overall rating. Matches score ratings of 1-10 only if the match lasts for a minimum of 5 minutes.

1. Match Quality– Was the match well wrestled or sloppy?
2. Audience Engagement– Did the live audience care about the match?
3. Competitiveness– Was the match competitive or one-sided?
4. Stakes – Did the match matter?
5. Finish– Did the match end in a satisfying manner?
6. Performance: (1) Poor (2) Below Average (3) Average (4) Above Average (5) Excellent