WWE Smackdown Live December 6th: Analysing and grading each segment

Carmella vs. Natalya:

Why was Natalya treated as a babyface here?

Grade: 7/10

This was a decent segment, which capitalised on Carmella’s claim at TLC, that Natalya was the woman who attacked Nikki Bella at Survivor Series. Carmella continues to get better as a heel, with her promo work improving week by week. She may be heavily involved in this story for the next few weeks, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It gives the Princess of Staten Island something to work with, after two losses on PPV to Bella, as well as putting her in the position of antagonist which should work well. However, why is Natalya being portrayed as a babyface? She has been a heel since the brand split, but now she is pleading with Bella to trust her, playing innocent?

If Bella’s accused attacker were Naomi, for example, it would be a much stronger story, considering her babyface status. Hopefully, that will be cleared up in the next few weeks, but besides that, this story between Bella and Natalya has potential.

Carmella portrayed the Queen of Harts as jealous of Bella, which could be an interesting aspect of Natalya’s persona moving forward. With both women’s ability, the Bella/Natalya feud has potential, and it is off to a decent start with this segment involving Carmella.