WWE SummerSlam 2018 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Mia Horton Friendships were tested Sunday night as Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch challenged Carmella for the SmackDown Women's Championship in a Triple Threat match. Would the leaders of the Women's Revolution regain the gold, or would the modern-day diva find a way to retain her title?
Carmella moonwalked at the bell and paid for it, the recipient of an onslaught by her challengers.
Looking to turn the tide in her favor, Carmella pitted Lynch and Flair against each other. The challengers bought it and waged war, the Lass Kicker delivering a few arm-drags and trying for the Dis-arm-her. At ringside, Carmella grabbed Lynch and sent her into the ring steps before mocking the famous Flair strut.
Back inside, she seized control of the bout, applying a headlock to Flair.
Carmella continued to taunt her opponents while staving off defeat, even dodging a Flair boot and sending her into Lynch. Flair recovered and unloaded with a series of chops to the chest of the champion. A belly-to-back suplex had Flair rolling before a double dropkick by Lynch sparked her comeback.
With Flair deposited at ringside, Lynch unloaded on the champion. A Bexploder suplex was countered by a grab of the hair, and Flair exploded with a spear, laying out both women.
Flair applied a figure four to Carmella and Lynch dropped a leg from the top rope, saving the match and title.
Recovered, Carmella delivered a suicide dive to Lynch, and Flair followed with a twisting moonsault that left both lying. Back inside, Lynch countered Natural Selection with the Dis-arm-her, but Carmella broke it up.
Lynch applied the Dis-arm-her to Carmella, but the champ made the ropes. Moments later, Lynch reapplied the hold but ate Natural Selection from Flair, who covered to win the match and the title.
After the match, a frustrated Lynch turned heel, attacking Flair and pummeling her out of the squared circle. She sent Flair into the barricade and then over the announce table.
Flair defeated Lynch and Carmella
The match itself was excellent. It used elements of the previous high-profile Triple Threat match featuring Charlotte and Lynch from WrestleMania 32 while playing to the strengths of each performer. Carmella was not in the way, Lynch and Charlotte delivered their typical in-ring goodness and the result was an entertaining match that never felt like it overstayed its welcome.
The heel turn from Lynch was everything fans wanted out of the Sasha Banks-Bayley storyline earlier this summer but were robbed of. Lynch, frustrated that Charlotte waltzed back to SmackDown and was essentially gifted an opportunity to compete at SummerSlam, took her frustrations out on Charlotte and set up a series of matches in the coming months that will epitomize what the Women's Revolution is all about.
Great booking, a better-than-expected match and a hot crowd helped earn this one its grade.