Worst in the World: Carmella vs Asuka: How to Destroy an Aura

Throughout the entire history of the WWE, we've never seen, and probably will never see again, a woman booked as strong as Asuka was to start her run. Coming into WWE in 2015 with over a decade of experience wrestling in her native Japan as Kana, Asuka was immediately treated like a huge deal. Hell, even from the first time we saw her on a WWE broadcast, she was seated in the crowd of NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn next to two Hall of Famers in Ric Flair & Sgt. Slaughter. Officially debuting in October 2015, Asuka would go her entire NXT career, nearly two full years, without being pinned or submitted. She was booked so strong, in fact, that instead of dropping the NXT Women's Championship in what would be her last match in NXT at the time to Ember Moon (even after sustaining an injury), an act that is almost always the case for champions leaving NXT for the main roster, Asuka retained and later vacated the title, keeping her streak intact. For a company that is more than willing to forego NXT's continuity a lot of the time, the fact they kept Asuka's streak going on the main roster suggests they had big plans for her. However, the longer the streak went, there was always going to be one question that lingered; what do they do after it ends. After all, she can't just be undefeated forever. Eventually, she has to lose a match, but losing eventually isn't the end of a wrestler's mystique & presence...necessarily.

Asuka suffered her first definitive loss in WWE at WrestleMania 34, losing to Charlotte Flair in a SmackDown Women's Championship match. Did Charlotte, quite literally the only woman on the main roster at the time that was booked consistently strong & above every other woman on the roster, need the rub that came with beating Asuka? Not really, but Charlotte winning matches she doesn't need to is pretty standard in WWE at this point, so her ending Asuka's streak seemed all too likely. And since Charlotte was by far considered the top woman on the main roster at the time, that loss didn't damage Asuka too much. It's the feud afterward that tanked her credibility for the long run. The night after WrestleMania, Carmella became the SmackDown Women's Champion, cashing in her Money in the Bank contract (despite Mike Chioda's confusion) on Charlotte after an IIconics beatdown. After Carmella retained the title against Charlotte at Backlash, she & Asuka square off in two pay-per-view matches. Unlike Charlotte, Carmella was presented as an obnoxious, borderline comedy heel not meant to be taken as serious or credible (as evidenced by her admittedly very funny cash-in), so Asuka coming up short in this feud would do a lot more damage to her aura. And she did come up short, and it did damage her aura. Following this feud, Asuka was essentially a non-factor in WWE for several months, and while there have been moments where she's returned to the top of the women's division since, she's never been able to reach the same heights she started at. So, let's take a look at this feud.

Match #1: Money in the Bank

We start this post by looking at Asuka & Carmella's match from Money in the Bank 2018. This match was requested by a frequent contributor to the suggestions Otter Empire. This match came about after SmackDown General Manager Paige made the match...that's it...This match got a one-and-a-half star rating from Dave Meltzer, and currently sits at a 2.00 out of 10 on Cagematch.net. 

Asuka comes down to the ring in her normal entrance robe & mask.

Normally I wouldn't mention an entrance attire if it's the same thing they wear all the time, but trust me, it's important for later. The two lock up to start, with Asuka forcing Carmella into the ropes. Carmella shoves Asuka away before ducking a clothesline and moonwalking. Asuka responds by trying to hit two spinning backfists, but Carmella dodges both and retreats into the ropes. More taunting & moonwalking from Carmella before she tries to kick Asuka. Asuka catches the kick, but Carmella catches her with a slap. Asuka responds with a jumping hip attack, followed by three hip attacks while Carmella is on the mat. Carmella tries to throw Asuka into the turnbuckles, but Asuka blocks it and strikes away at Carmella in the corner. Asuka throws Carmella onto the ring apron and kicks away at her before knocking her to the ground with another jumping hip attack. Carmella demands her title belt and starts to leave, only for Asuka to go on the apron and hit her with a sliding knee. Asuka throws Carmella back into the ring and climbs on the apron, only for Carmella to slide back out onto the apron, where she throws Asuka into the ring post. Carmella throws Asuka back into the ring and makes the cover, but Asuka kicks out at two.

Carmella locks in a double chicken-wing on Asuka, but Asuka nearly turns it into a pinfall, getting a two-count. Asuka tries to lock in the Asuka Lock (a crossface chickenwing), but Carmella blocks it with an elbow. Asuka tries to respond with another back fist attempt, but Carmella ducks it and kicks Asuka's knee out from under her. Carmella follows up with a superkick and makes the cover, but Asuka kicks out. Carmella locks in a chinlock/armbar combo, later transitioning to a front facelock when Asuka tries to fight out. Asuka tries to fight out, but Carmella shuts down the comeback with a knee to the gut. Carmella slaps Asuka on the back of the head and whips her towards the corner, but Asuka leaps up on the top rope. Carmella goes for a headscissor takedown, but Asuka blocks it and goes for a missile dropkick. Carmella dodges, however, and goes for a roundhouse kick, but Asuka catches her and locks in a kneebar. Carmella quickly breaks the hold by grabbing the ropes and floors Asuka with a back elbow. Carmella taunts Asuka, only for Asuka to catch her with a pop-up knee lift followed by a dropkick.

Asuka kicks away at Carmella until she catches her fourth kick. Carmella goes for a clothesline, but Asuka ducks it and hits a German suplex. Asuka follows up with a running hip attack and makes the cover for a two-count. Asuka goes for the Asuka Lock again, but Asuka avoids it by getting to the ropes. Asuka strikes away at Carmella and goes for a crossbody, but Carmella dodges it and sends Asuka flying out of the ring. Asuka gets back up on the apron, but Carmella yanks her head down into the ropes and kicks her down, causing Asuka to take a nasty flat back bump to the outside. Carmella follows up with a suicide dive, throws Asuka back into the ring, and makes the cover, but Asuka kicks out. Carmella goes for the superkick, but Asuka blocks it, hits two spinning backfists, and goes for another German suplex. Carmella blocks it, however, and goes for a roll-up, but Asuka counters and turns it into a pinfall of her own, but Carmella kicks out. Asuka follows up with a sliding kick when suddenly, someone wearing Asuka's robe & mask comes out from under the ring and gets up on the apron.

Both women look confused, just kind of staring at the mystery person for a good 40 seconds before Carmella tries to roll up Asuka. Asuka kicks out, however, and hits another pop-up knee strike, which leads to more staring & confusion. The masked person finally reveals themselves as...

...James Ellsworth. The enhancement talent with two hands, a fighting chance, and no chin turned joke WWE Championship contender turned lackey for Carmella is back. The distraction allows Carmella to hit Asuka with a superkick, get the three, and the win to retain her title.

The Verdict

There are a couple of nice little moments, but overall, it's a pretty lackluster match that's not really worth watching. It was Asuka's worst match, but as you'll see, that wouldn't be the case for even a full month.

The Rankings (Best to Worst)

1. Sgt. Slaughter vs Colonel DeBeers-AWA SuperClash III
2. Tommy Dreamer vs Bully Ray-Victory Road 2011
3. Corporal Cajun & Lt. Loco vs The Perfect Event-Halloween Havoc 2000
4. Triple H vs Kevin Nash-TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2011
5. Wrath vs Glacier-World War 3 1998
6. The Rock's 25th Anniversary Battle Royal-Survivor Series 2021
7. Wendi Richter & The Top Gunns vs The Diamond Exchange-AWA SuperClash III
8. Wahoo McDaniel vs Manny Fernandez-AWA SuperClash III
9. Rick Rude vs Jake Roberts-WrestleMania IV
10. Too Much vs Al Snow & Head-King of the Ring 1998
11. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns-Greatest Royal Rumble
12. Ernest Miller vs Norman Smiley-Fall Brawl 1998
13. The Concrete Crypt Match-The Great American Bash 2004
14. Shane McMahon vs Eric Bischoff-SummerSlam 2003
15. Mordecai vs Hardcore Holly-The Great American Bash 2004
16. Luther Reigns vs Charlie Haas-The Great American Bash 2004
17. The Tag Team Gauntlet-Extreme Rules 2010
18. The Gimmick Battle Royal-WrestleMania X-Seven
19. Hernandez vs Matt Morgan-Victory Road 2011
20. Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt-WrestleMania 33
21. Vampiro vs Sting-Great American Bash 2000
22. T&A vs Head Cheese-WrestleMania 2000
23. David Arquette & Diamond Dallas Page vs Jeff Jarrett & Eric Bischoff-WCW Thunder (4/26/2000)
24. Tyson Fury vs Braun Strowman-Crown Jewel 2019
25. The Women's Tag Team Turmoil-WrestleMania 37 (Night 1)
26. Triple H vs Sgt. Slaughter-D-Generation X: In Your House
27. Konnan vs One Man Gang-SuperBrawl VI
28. Ultimate Warrior vs Hercules-WrestleMania IV
29. Candice LeRae vs Christina Von Eerie-PWG DIO!
30. Rick Rude vs Hawk-Clash of the Champions XXV
31. The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs The Stud Stable-AWA SuperClash III
32. Shelton Benjamin vs Viscera-New Year's Revolution 2006
33. Carmella vs Asuka-Money in the Bank 2018
34. Steve McMichael vs Reggie White-Slamboree 1997
35. General Rection vs Lance Storm & Jim Duggan-Halloween Havoc 2000
36. Chyna vs Ivory-WrestleMania X-Seven
37. Lars Sullivan vs Lucha House Party-Super Showdown 2019
38. The Last Rites Match-Destination X 2007
39. Alexa Bliss vs Bayley-Extreme Rules 2017
40. The Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match-WrestleMania 13
41. The Barbed Wire Christmas Tree Match-TNA iMPACT (12/20/2007)
42. Gunner vs Garett Bischoff-Against All Odds 2012
43. Tag Team Battle Royal-WrestleMania XIV
44. EVIL vs Tomohiro Ishii-Wrestle Kingdom 16 (Day 1)
45. The Chamber of Horrors-Halloween Havoc 1991
46. Toru Yano vs Great O-Khan-New Japan Cup 2021 (Day 6)
47. Glacier vs Wrath-The Great American Bash 1997
48. The Natural Disasters vs Money Inc.-WrestleMania VIII
49. Ivan Koloff vs Paul Jones-Clash of the Champions IV
50. ODB, Taylor Wilde, and Roxxi vs The Kongtourage-Genesis 2009
51. Rachel Evers vs Marti Belle-Mae Young Classic (Episode 2)
52. Kazushi Sakuraba & Yuji Nagata vs Daniel & Rolles Gracie-Wrestle Kingdom 8
53. Ivory vs Tori-SummerSlam 1999
54. Giant Baba vs Bulldog Bob Brown-AWA WrestleRock
55. The Reverse Battle Royal-Impact! (10/26/2006)
56. The Undertaker vs King Mabel-In Your House 5: Season's Beatings
57. Savio Vega vs Rocky Maivia-In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker
58. Jerry Blackwell vs Boris Zhukov-SuperClash II
59. Nikita Koloff vs Bobby Eaton-Bunkhouse Stampede
60. Alex Wright vs Steve McMichael-Halloween Havoc 1997
61. The Great Khali vs Kane-WrestleMania 23
62. Savio Vega vs Crush vs Faarooq-Ground Zero: In Your House
63. The Shockmaster vs Awesome/King Kong-Starrcade 1993
64. Greg Gagne vs Ron Garvin-AWA SuperClash III
65. Total Divas vs Other Divas-Survivor Series 2013
66. The Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber-Elimination Chamber 2015
67. The Oddities vs Kaientai-SummerSlam 1998
68. Team RAW vs Team SmackDown Men's Elimination Match-Survivor Series 2017
69. Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice-WrestleMania VIII
70. Paul Ellering vs Teddy Long-Capital Combat
71. Dusty Rhodes vs Big Boss Man-Saturday Night's Main Event (10/31/1989)
72. The First Blood DNA Match-Halloween Havoc 2000
73. Konnan vs Scott Hall-Fall Brawl 1998
74. Damian Priest vs The Miz-WrestleMania Backlash
75. Tyson Tomko vs Stevie Richards-Unforgiven 2004
76. Kane vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2009
77. The 2022 Women's Royal Rumble
78. Rick Steiner vs Scott Steiner-Fall Brawl 1998
79. The Extreme Elimination Chamber-December to Dismember 2006
80. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Hog Wild
81. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Souled Out 1997
82. Dustin Rhodes & King Kong vs Awesome Kong & The Equalizer-Battlebowl
83. Finlay & Little Bastard vs The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman-No Way Out 2007
84. Mr. Anderson vs Rob Van Dam-Victory Road 2011
85. Jake Roberts vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania V
86. El Gigante vs Nailz-G1 Climax 1994 (Day 1)
87. Yokozuna vs King Mabel-In Your House 4
88. Dusty Rhodes vs The Honky Tonk Man-SummerSlam 1989
89. Sting & Hawk vs Meng & Kurasawa-Clash of the Champions XXXI
90. The Hurt Business vs RETRIBUTION-WWE Monday Night RAW (10/26/2020)
91. Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage-Uncensored 1998
92. Santino Marella vs Heath Slater-WWE Friday Night SmackDown (9/27/2013)
93. Al Snow vs Big Boss Man-Unforgiven 1999
94. Vince Russo vs Ric Flair-WCW Monday Nitro (6/5/2000)
95. Allie vs Leva Bates-Fyter Fest 2019
96. Mickie James vs Ashley-Royal Rumble 2006
97. Antonio Inoki vs The Great Antonio-NJPW Sumo Hall Show (12/8/1977)
98. Christy Hemme vs Big Fat Oily Guy-Against All Odds 2007
99. Kenzo Suzuki vs Billy Gunn-The Great American Bash 2004
100. The Big Show vs Erick Rowan-TLC: Tables, Ladders, Chairs 2014
101. British Bulldog & Jim Neidhart vs The Dancing Fools-Fall Brawl 1998
102. Stevie Ray vs Konnan-World War 3 1998
103. Vampiro vs The KISS Demon-Bash at the Beach 2000
104. Team WCW vs nWo Wolfpac vs nWo Hollywood-Fall Brawl 1998
105. Vampiro vs Oklahoma-Starrcade 1999
106. Diesel vs King Mabel-SummerSlam 1995
107. Big Swole vs Penelope Ford, Rebel, and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.-AEW Dynamite (8/27/2020)
108. Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania III
109. Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton-Battleground 2017
110. Van Hammer vs Terrance Taylor-Clash of the Champions XVI
111. Goldberg vs KroniK-Halloween Havoc 2000
112. Junkyard Dog vs Moondog Spot-Wrestling Classic
113. The New Blood Gauntlet-WCW Monday Nitro (6/5/2000)
114. Chris Jericho vs "Goldberg"-Fall Brawl 1998
115. Jimmy Valiant vs Wayne Bloom-AWA SuperClash III
116. Hulk Hogan vs Kevin Nash-WCW Monday Nitro (1/4/1999)
117. Sting vs Hulk Hogan-Halloween Havoc 1999
118. Hulk Hogan vs Jeff Jarrett-Bash at the Beach 2000
119. Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs EVIL & Dick Togo-The New Beginning in Hiroshima 2021 (Day 2)
120. Glacier vs Mortis-Slamboree 1997
121. Michael Nakazawa vs Alex Jebailey-Fyter Fest 2019
122. The 1997 World War 3 Match
123. The 2022 Men's Royal Rumble
124. Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker-WrestleMania 33
125. Konnan vs Stevie Ray-Slamboree 1999
126. The 1998 World War 3
127. The Undertaker vs Goldberg-Super ShowDown 2019
128. Hiroshi Wajima vs Tom Magee-All Japan Pro Wrestling 1988
129. Jim Duggan vs Big Boss Man-Royal Rumble 1990
130. Meng vs Jim Duggan-Uncensored 1995
131. Jim Steele vs The Equalizer-SuperBrawl IV
132. The Golden Truth vs Breezango-Money in the Bank 2016
133. The Undertaker vs Giant González-WrestleMania IX
134. Sting vs Tony Palmore-Battle 7
135. D-Generation X vs Brothers of Destruction-Crown Jewel
136. Wendi Richter vs Leilani Kai-WrestleMania
137. Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar-WrestleMania XX
138. Hornswoggle vs Chavo Guerrero-WWE Monday Night Raw (7/20/2009)
139. Edge vs Triple H vs Vladimir Kozlov-Survivor Series 2008
140. Rosita & Sarita vs Angelina Love & Winter-Victory Road 2011
141. Kevin Sullivan vs Dave Sullivan-SuperBrawl V
142. Steve McMichael vs Brian Adams-Road Wild 1998
143. Scott Hall vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl IX
144. Boris Zhukov vs Paul Samson-Beach Brawl
145. Roddy Piper vs Hollywood Hogan-Halloween Havoc 1997
146. Kane vs The Great Khali-Breaking Point
147. Hollywood Hogan & Dennis Rodman vs Diamond Dallas Page & Karl Malone-Bash at the Beach 1998
148. PN News & Bobby Eaton vs Steve Austin & Terrance Taylor-Great American Bash 1991
149. Scott Steiner vs Sid Vicious vs Jeff Jarrett vs Road Warrior Animal-Sin
150. Hollywood Hogan vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl 1997
151. The 2015 Royal Rumble Match
152. Kazuchika Okada vs Gedo-New Japan Cup 2020 (Day 2)
153. Batista vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2007
154. Sting vs Hollywood Hogan-Starrcade 1997
155.  Sable vs Tori-WrestleMania XV
156. Super Invader vs Todd Champion-WrestleWar 1992
157. Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez-Crown Jewel 2019
158. King Kong Bundy & Jim Neidhart vs Yokozuna & Jake Roberts-Heroes of Wrestling
159. Sid Vicious vs The Nightstalker-Clash of the Champions XIII
160. Mabel vs Savio Vega-King of the Ring 1995
161. Monty Brown vs Trytan-Destination X 2005
162. The 8-Divas Tag Match-Survivor Series 1999
163. The Fabulous Freebirds vs The Renegade Warriors-Halloween Havoc 1990
164. The Knockouts Gauntlet-One Night Only: Live! 2016
165. AJ Styles vs Frank Trigg-No Surrender 2008
166. Rick Rude vs Masahiro Chono-Halloween Havoc 1992
167. Mike Awesome vs Vampiro-Halloween Havoc 2000
168. Bray Wyatt vs John Cena-Extreme Rules 2014
169. Brothers of Destruction vs KroniK-Unforgiven 2001
170. The Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal-WrestleMania 25
171. Mabel vs The Undertaker-King of the Ring 1995
172. Wendi Richter vs The Fabulous Moolah-The Brawl to End it All
173. David Flair vs Kimberly Page-Mayhem 1999
174. The Truth Commission vs The Disciples of Apocolypse-Survivor Series 1997
175. Daffney vs Miss Hancock-Bash at the Beach 2000
176. The Bushwhacker vs The Fabulous Rougeaus-WrestleMania V
177. Randy Orton vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-WrestleMania 37 (Night 2)
178. Lex Luger vs Sting-WWA The Retribution
179. The Beverly Brothers vs The Bushwhackers-Royal Rumble 1992
180. Savio Vega vs Rocky Maivia-WWF Monday Night Raw (4/14/1997)
181. Teddy Long vs Eric Bischoff-Survivor Series 2005
182. Mike Sanders vs Ernest Miller-Halloween Havoc 2000
183. Savio Vega vs Rocky Maivia-WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (1/25/1997)
184. Greg Valentine vs George Steele-Heroes of Wrestling
185. Abdullah the Butcher vs One Man Gang-Heroes of Wrestling
186. Major Gunns vs Miss Hancock-New Blood Rising
187. Vince Russo vs Booker T-WCW Monday Nitro (9/25/2000)
188. Bradshaw & Trish Stratus vs Christopher Nowinski & Jackie Gayda-WWE Monday Night RAW (7/8/2002)
189. The Countdown to Armageddon Match-WCW Thunder (10/18/2000)
190. Triple H vs Scott Steiner-Royal Rumble 2003
191. Goldberg vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-Super ShowDown 2020
192. Mr. McMahon vs Pat McAfee-WrestleMania 38 (Night 2)
193. Santina Marella vs Vickie & Chavo Guerrero-Extreme Rules 2009
194. Kevin Nash vs Scott Steiner vs Goldberg-New Blood Rising
195. Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker-WrestleMania XXX
196. Hollywood Hogan vs The Warrior-Halloween Havoc 1998
197. Mr. T vs Roddy Piper-WrestleMania 2
198. The Royal Family vs Clowns R' Us-Survivor Series 1994
199. The House of Horrors Match-Payback 2017
200. The Blacktop Bully vs Dustin Rhodes-Uncensored 1995
201. Team Dos Caras vs Team El Canek-Leyendas Mexicanas 2017
202. Pat Patterson vs Gerald Brisco-King of the Ring 2000
203. The Wyatt Swamp Fight-The Horror Show at Extreme Rules
204. The Four Doinks vs Team Bigelow-Survivor Series 1993
205. Sting vs Jeff Hardy-Victory Road 2011
206. Bret Hart vs Mr. McMahon-WrestleMania XVI
207. WarGames 2000: Russo's Revenge-WCW Monday Nitro (9/4/2000)
208. Oz vs Tim Parker-SuperBrawl
209. Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman-Crown Jewel 2018
210. Brock Lesnar vs Ricochet-Super ShowDown 2020
211. Toru Yano vs KENTA-G1 Climax 2021 (Day 1)
212. Konnan & Tygress vs Shane Douglas & Torrie Wilson-Halloween Havoc 2000
213. The Fabulous Moolah vs Ivory-No Mercy 1999
214. New Jack vs Vic Grimes-Living Dangerously 2000
215. The Mighty Maccabee vs The Iron Sheik-Maccabiah Mania II: Shekel Slam
216. Van Hammer vs Doug Somers-Halloween Havoc 1991
217. Eddy Steinblock vs One Warrior Nation-DWA Wrestling Legends Tour 2010 (Day 2)
218. Ultimate Warrior vs Andre the Giant-Saturday Night's Main Event (11/25/1989)
219. Jeff Jarrett vs Sting-Halloween Havoc 2000
220. The Doomsday Cage Match-Uncensored 1996
221. "Donald Trump" vs "Rosie O'Donnell"-WWE Monday Night RAW (1/8/2007)
222. Kane vs The Undertaker-Judgement Day 1998
223. Toru Yano vs Jado-New Japan Cup 2020 (Day 1)
224. Rebel vs Shelly Martinez-One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown
225. Sable vs Torrie Wilson-The Great American Bash 2004
226. The Evening Gown Pool Match-Armageddon 1999
227. Kaitlyn vs Maxine-NXT (10/19/2010)
228. Sabu vs The Sandman-November to Remember 1997
229. The 1996 World War 3 Match
230. Seth Rollins vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-Hell in a Cell 2019
231. Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler-WrestleMania XXVII
232. The Bushwhackers vs Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff-Heroes of Wrestling
233. James Storm vs Chris Harris-Lockdown 2007
234. John Laurinaitis vs John Cena-Over the Limit 2012
235. Hulk Hogan vs The Giant-Halloween Havoc 1995
236. The Shark Cage Match-Big Time Wrestling (1976)
237. Ultimate Warrior vs Goldust-In Your House 7
238. Los Villanos vs Los Psycho Circus-Triplemania XXIII
239. Jenna Morasca vs Sharmell-Victory Road 2009
240. The Lingerie Street Fight Battle Royal-AWA SuperClash III
241. Akira Maeda vs Andre the Giant-NJPW Big Fighter Series 1986 (Day 15)
242. The 1995 World War 3 Match
243. New Jack vs Vic Grimes-XPW Freefall

Match #2: Extreme Rules

After a screwy finish like that, a rematch at the following pay-per-view between Carmella and Asuka was all too likely, and that's just what we got at Extreme Rules that year. This time, however, SmackDown General Manager Paige would try to eliminate the possibility of James Ellsworth interfering by having him suspended above the ring in a shark cage. After a lackluster match at Money in the Bank, would the second encounter be better than the first? Nope. In fact, it actually got worse reviews, earning a one-and-a-quarter-star rating from Dave Meltzer, and currently holds just a 0.68 rating on Cagematch.net, putting it at #32 on the Flop 50 worst-reviewed matches on the site. Let's take a look.

James Ellsworth comes down to the ring with more bandanas tied around his ankles than necessary.

Again, seems insignificant, but remember that for later. Ellsworth gets locked in the cage and raised above the ring before the match starts. Asuka quickly hits a spin kick to the gut (aka, the TNA kick) before hitting Carmella with knee strikes, a snapmare, and a kick to the back. Asuka tries to follow up with a bodyslam, but Carmella slides out and slams her down by her hair. Hey, remember how they said they put Ellsworth in the cage so he couldn't interfere? Time to render that point (and the whole gimmick of the shark cage) moot.

Just over 30 seconds in, Carmella calls for Ellsworth, who drops a chain down into the ring. If the storyline purpose was to keep Ellsworth from interfering, why would Mike Chioda not check to make sure Ellsworth didn't have any foreign objects on him he could give Carmella?  Because if they're not checking him for them, then what was the point of putting him in the cage in the first place? Shark cage matches are dumb, I hate them. Carmella tries to grab the chain, but Asuka gets it before her.  Asuka follows up with a sliding kick for a two-count. Asuka hits two hip strikes before Carmella retreats into the corner, where she hits Asuka with a boot before stomping her in the back. Carmella tries to go grab the chain, but Chioda stops her and discards it. The distraction allows Ellsworth to interfere again, dropping a spray bottle down to Carmella (Ellsworth had sprayed Asuka with it on the SmackDown before this show so Carmella could attack her.) Carmella tries to spray Asuka, but Asuka knocks the bottle out of her hand before striking & kicking her.

Asuka follows up with a dropkick before going for a German suplex. Carmella blocks it and goes for a back elbow, but Asuka ducks it and hits a pop-up knee lift. Asuka follows up with a running hip attack and makes the cover, but Carmella kicks out at two. Asuka works over Carmella's arm before locking in the Asuka Lock, but Carmella is able to get her foot on the ropes. Carmella rolls out of the ring as Ellsworth, somehow and for some reason, has the key to the padlock on the shark cage. What are we doing? Asuka rolls out of the ring, suplexing Carmella on the outside before tossing her into the barricade as Ellsworth opens the door. However, one of his many bandanas gets caught in the cage, causing him to hang upside down.

Even worse, you can also very clearly see the little black harness that's actually keeping Ellsworth suspended. This is where any kind of mystique Asuka has left goes right down the drain.

In the middle of the match, while Carmella is down, Asuka begins striking away at Ellsworth as he dangles in place before hitting him with a dropkick. The ring crew runs into the ring as the cage lowers down to get Ellsworth back in the cage. Asuka then attacks the crew so she can continue kicking away at Ellsworth. As she does, Carmella runs in and shoves Asuka into the steel cage. Carmella makes the cover and gets the three to retain her title. Two and a half years as a borderline final boss kind of wrestler, now losing because she was too distracted by someone who couldn't even interfere anymore. For shame. Asuka tries to get her heat back, beating up the ring crew again after they free Ellsworth. Asuka goes back to striking away at Ellsworth, flooring him with a spin kick before hitting two German suplexes and a roundhouse kick. Asuka finally locks in the Asuka Lock.

The Verdict

What a stupid fucking match. Asuka dominates the entire match, just for her to lose in the dumbest way possible that makes her look as bad as possible. Asuka fends off all the interference, only to get so distracted beating up Ellsworth, who was hanging upside down and couldn't interfere anymore that she gets easily defeated. It took a long time for Asuka to recover from this match (and this feud), and even then, she's never felt as big as she did before. There have been quite a few missteps when booking Asuka (especially around this time), but this match was probably the worst.

The Rankings (Best to Worst)

1. Sgt. Slaughter vs Colonel DeBeers-AWA SuperClash III
2. Tommy Dreamer vs Bully Ray-Victory Road 2011
3. Corporal Cajun & Lt. Loco vs The Perfect Event-Halloween Havoc 2000
4. Triple H vs Kevin Nash-TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2011
5. Wrath vs Glacier-World War 3 1998
6. The Rock's 25th Anniversary Battle Royal-Survivor Series 2021
7. Wendi Richter & The Top Gunns vs The Diamond Exchange-AWA SuperClash III
8. Wahoo McDaniel vs Manny Fernandez-AWA SuperClash III
9. Rick Rude vs Jake Roberts-WrestleMania IV
10. Too Much vs Al Snow & Head-King of the Ring 1998
11. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns-Greatest Royal Rumble
12. Ernest Miller vs Norman Smiley-Fall Brawl 1998
13. The Concrete Crypt Match-The Great American Bash 2004
14. Shane McMahon vs Eric Bischoff-SummerSlam 2003
15. Mordecai vs Hardcore Holly-The Great American Bash 2004
16. Luther Reigns vs Charlie Haas-The Great American Bash 2004
17. The Tag Team Gauntlet-Extreme Rules 2010
18. The Gimmick Battle Royal-WrestleMania X-Seven
19. Hernandez vs Matt Morgan-Victory Road 2011
20. Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt-WrestleMania 33
21. Vampiro vs Sting-Great American Bash 2000
22. T&A vs Head Cheese-WrestleMania 2000
23. David Arquette & Diamond Dallas Page vs Jeff Jarrett & Eric Bischoff-WCW Thunder (4/26/2000)
24. Tyson Fury vs Braun Strowman-Crown Jewel 2019
25. The Women's Tag Team Turmoil-WrestleMania 37 (Night 1)
26. Triple H vs Sgt. Slaughter-D-Generation X: In Your House
27. Konnan vs One Man Gang-SuperBrawl VI
28. Ultimate Warrior vs Hercules-WrestleMania IV
29. Candice LeRae vs Christina Von Eerie-PWG DIO!
30. Rick Rude vs Hawk-Clash of the Champions XXV
31. The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs The Stud Stable-AWA SuperClash III
32. Shelton Benjamin vs Viscera-New Year's Revolution 2006
33. Carmella vs Asuka-Money in the Bank 2018
34. Steve McMichael vs Reggie White-Slamboree 1997
35. General Rection vs Lance Storm & Jim Duggan-Halloween Havoc 2000
36. Chyna vs Ivory-WrestleMania X-Seven
37. Lars Sullivan vs Lucha House Party-Super Showdown 2019
38. The Last Rites Match-Destination X 2007
39. Alexa Bliss vs Bayley-Extreme Rules 2017
40. The Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match-WrestleMania 13
41. The Barbed Wire Christmas Tree Match-TNA iMPACT (12/20/2007)
42. Gunner vs Garett Bischoff-Against All Odds 2012
43. Tag Team Battle Royal-WrestleMania XIV
44. EVIL vs Tomohiro Ishii-Wrestle Kingdom 16 (Day 1)
45. The Chamber of Horrors-Halloween Havoc 1991
46. Toru Yano vs Great O-Khan-New Japan Cup 2021 (Day 6)
47. Glacier vs Wrath-The Great American Bash 1997
48. The Natural Disasters vs Money Inc.-WrestleMania VIII
49. Ivan Koloff vs Paul Jones-Clash of the Champions IV
50. ODB, Taylor Wilde, and Roxxi vs The Kongtourage-Genesis 2009
51. Rachel Evers vs Marti Belle-Mae Young Classic (Episode 2)
52. Kazushi Sakuraba & Yuji Nagata vs Daniel & Rolles Gracie-Wrestle Kingdom 8
53. Ivory vs Tori-SummerSlam 1999
54. Giant Baba vs Bulldog Bob Brown-AWA WrestleRock
55. The Reverse Battle Royal-Impact! (10/26/2006)
56. The Undertaker vs King Mabel-In Your House 5: Season's Beatings
57. Savio Vega vs Rocky Maivia-In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker
58. Jerry Blackwell vs Boris Zhukov-SuperClash II
59. Nikita Koloff vs Bobby Eaton-Bunkhouse Stampede
60. Alex Wright vs Steve McMichael-Halloween Havoc 1997
61. The Great Khali vs Kane-WrestleMania 23
62. Savio Vega vs Crush vs Faarooq-Ground Zero: In Your House
63. The Shockmaster vs Awesome/King Kong-Starrcade 1993
64. Greg Gagne vs Ron Garvin-AWA SuperClash III
65. Total Divas vs Other Divas-Survivor Series 2013
66. The Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber-Elimination Chamber 2015
67. The Oddities vs Kaientai-SummerSlam 1998
68. Team RAW vs Team SmackDown Men's Elimination Match-Survivor Series 2017
69. Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice-WrestleMania VIII
70. Paul Ellering vs Teddy Long-Capital Combat
71. Dusty Rhodes vs Big Boss Man-Saturday Night's Main Event (10/31/1989)
72. The First Blood DNA Match-Halloween Havoc 2000
73. Konnan vs Scott Hall-Fall Brawl 1998
74. Damian Priest vs The Miz-WrestleMania Backlash
75. Tyson Tomko vs Stevie Richards-Unforgiven 2004
76. Kane vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2009
77. The 2022 Women's Royal Rumble
78. Rick Steiner vs Scott Steiner-Fall Brawl 1998
79. The Extreme Elimination Chamber-December to Dismember 2006
80. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Hog Wild
81. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Souled Out 1997
82. Dustin Rhodes & King Kong vs Awesome Kong & The Equalizer-Battlebowl
83. Finlay & Little Bastard vs The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman-No Way Out 2007
84. Mr. Anderson vs Rob Van Dam-Victory Road 2011
85. Jake Roberts vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania V
86. El Gigante vs Nailz-G1 Climax 1994 (Day 1)
87. Yokozuna vs King Mabel-In Your House 4
88. Dusty Rhodes vs The Honky Tonk Man-SummerSlam 1989
89. Sting & Hawk vs Meng & Kurasawa-Clash of the Champions XXXI
90. The Hurt Business vs RETRIBUTION-WWE Monday Night RAW (10/26/2020)
91. Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage-Uncensored 1998
92. Santino Marella vs Heath Slater-WWE Friday Night SmackDown (9/27/2013)
93. Al Snow vs Big Boss Man-Unforgiven 1999
94. Vince Russo vs Ric Flair-WCW Monday Nitro (6/5/2000)
95. Allie vs Leva Bates-Fyter Fest 2019
96. Mickie James vs Ashley-Royal Rumble 2006
97. Antonio Inoki vs The Great Antonio-NJPW Sumo Hall Show (12/8/1977)
98. Christy Hemme vs Big Fat Oily Guy-Against All Odds 2007
99. Kenzo Suzuki vs Billy Gunn-The Great American Bash 2004
100. The Big Show vs Erick Rowan-TLC: Tables, Ladders, Chairs 2014
101. British Bulldog & Jim Neidhart vs The Dancing Fools-Fall Brawl 1998
102. Stevie Ray vs Konnan-World War 3 1998
103. Vampiro vs The KISS Demon-Bash at the Beach 2000
104. Team WCW vs nWo Wolfpac vs nWo Hollywood-Fall Brawl 1998
105. Vampiro vs Oklahoma-Starrcade 1999
106. Diesel vs King Mabel-SummerSlam 1995
107. Big Swole vs Penelope Ford, Rebel, and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.-AEW Dynamite (8/27/2020)
108. Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania III
109. Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton-Battleground 2017
110. Van Hammer vs Terrance Taylor-Clash of the Champions XVI
111. Goldberg vs KroniK-Halloween Havoc 2000
112. Junkyard Dog vs Moondog Spot-Wrestling Classic
113. The New Blood Gauntlet-WCW Monday Nitro (6/5/2000)
114. Chris Jericho vs "Goldberg"-Fall Brawl 1998
115. Jimmy Valiant vs Wayne Bloom-AWA SuperClash III
116. Hulk Hogan vs Kevin Nash-WCW Monday Nitro (1/4/1999)
117. Sting vs Hulk Hogan-Halloween Havoc 1999
118. Hulk Hogan vs Jeff Jarrett-Bash at the Beach 2000
119. Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs EVIL & Dick Togo-The New Beginning in Hiroshima 2021 (Day 2)
120. Glacier vs Mortis-Slamboree 1997
121. Michael Nakazawa vs Alex Jebailey-Fyter Fest 2019
122. The 1997 World War 3 Match
123. The 2022 Men's Royal Rumble
124. Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker-WrestleMania 33
125. Konnan vs Stevie Ray-Slamboree 1999
126. The 1998 World War 3
127. The Undertaker vs Goldberg-Super ShowDown 2019
128. Hiroshi Wajima vs Tom Magee-All Japan Pro Wrestling 1988
129. Jim Duggan vs Big Boss Man-Royal Rumble 1990
130. Meng vs Jim Duggan-Uncensored 1995
131. Jim Steele vs The Equalizer-SuperBrawl IV
132. The Golden Truth vs Breezango-Money in the Bank 2016
133. The Undertaker vs Giant González-WrestleMania IX
134. Carmella vs Asuka-Extreme Rules 2018
135. Sting vs Tony Palmore-Battle 7
136. D-Generation X vs Brothers of Destruction-Crown Jewel
137. Wendi Richter vs Leilani Kai-WrestleMania
138. Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar-WrestleMania XX
139. Hornswoggle vs Chavo Guerrero-WWE Monday Night Raw (7/20/2009)
140. Edge vs Triple H vs Vladimir Kozlov-Survivor Series 2008
141. Rosita & Sarita vs Angelina Love & Winter-Victory Road 2011
142. Kevin Sullivan vs Dave Sullivan-SuperBrawl V
143. Steve McMichael vs Brian Adams-Road Wild 1998
144. Scott Hall vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl IX
145. Boris Zhukov vs Paul Samson-Beach Brawl
146. Roddy Piper vs Hollywood Hogan-Halloween Havoc 1997
147. Kane vs The Great Khali-Breaking Point
148. Hollywood Hogan & Dennis Rodman vs Diamond Dallas Page & Karl Malone-Bash at the Beach 1998
149. PN News & Bobby Eaton vs Steve Austin & Terrance Taylor-Great American Bash 1991
150. Scott Steiner vs Sid Vicious vs Jeff Jarrett vs Road Warrior Animal-Sin
151. Hollywood Hogan vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl 1997
152. The 2015 Royal Rumble Match
153. Kazuchika Okada vs Gedo-New Japan Cup 2020 (Day 2)
154. Batista vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2007
155. Sting vs Hollywood Hogan-Starrcade 1997
156.  Sable vs Tori-WrestleMania XV
157. Super Invader vs Todd Champion-WrestleWar 1992
158. Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez-Crown Jewel 2019
159. King Kong Bundy & Jim Neidhart vs Yokozuna & Jake Roberts-Heroes of Wrestling
160. Sid Vicious vs The Nightstalker-Clash of the Champions XIII
161. Mabel vs Savio Vega-King of the Ring 1995
162. Monty Brown vs Trytan-Destination X 2005
163. The 8-Divas Tag Match-Survivor Series 1999
164. The Fabulous Freebirds vs The Renegade Warriors-Halloween Havoc 1990
165. The Knockouts Gauntlet-One Night Only: Live! 2016
166. AJ Styles vs Frank Trigg-No Surrender 2008
167. Rick Rude vs Masahiro Chono-Halloween Havoc 1992
168. Mike Awesome vs Vampiro-Halloween Havoc 2000
169. Bray Wyatt vs John Cena-Extreme Rules 2014
170. Brothers of Destruction vs KroniK-Unforgiven 2001
171. The Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal-WrestleMania 25
172. Mabel vs The Undertaker-King of the Ring 1995
173. Wendi Richter vs The Fabulous Moolah-The Brawl to End it All
174. David Flair vs Kimberly Page-Mayhem 1999
175. The Truth Commission vs The Disciples of Apocolypse-Survivor Series 1997
176. Daffney vs Miss Hancock-Bash at the Beach 2000
177. The Bushwhacker vs The Fabulous Rougeaus-WrestleMania V
178. Randy Orton vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-WrestleMania 37 (Night 2)
179. Lex Luger vs Sting-WWA The Retribution
180. The Beverly Brothers vs The Bushwhackers-Royal Rumble 1992
181. Savio Vega vs Rocky Maivia-WWF Monday Night Raw (4/14/1997)
182. Teddy Long vs Eric Bischoff-Survivor Series 2005
183. Mike Sanders vs Ernest Miller-Halloween Havoc 2000
184. Savio Vega vs Rocky Maivia-WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (1/25/1997)
185. Greg Valentine vs George Steele-Heroes of Wrestling
186. Abdullah the Butcher vs One Man Gang-Heroes of Wrestling
187. Major Gunns vs Miss Hancock-New Blood Rising
188. Vince Russo vs Booker T-WCW Monday Nitro (9/25/2000)
189. Bradshaw & Trish Stratus vs Christopher Nowinski & Jackie Gayda-WWE Monday Night RAW (7/8/2002)
190. The Countdown to Armageddon Match-WCW Thunder (10/18/2000)
191. Triple H vs Scott Steiner-Royal Rumble 2003
192. Goldberg vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-Super ShowDown 2020
193. Mr. McMahon vs Pat McAfee-WrestleMania 38 (Night 2)
194. Santina Marella vs Vickie & Chavo Guerrero-Extreme Rules 2009
195. Kevin Nash vs Scott Steiner vs Goldberg-New Blood Rising
196. Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker-WrestleMania XXX
197. Hollywood Hogan vs The Warrior-Halloween Havoc 1998
198. Mr. T vs Roddy Piper-WrestleMania 2
199. The Royal Family vs Clowns R' Us-Survivor Series 1994
200. The House of Horrors Match-Payback 2017
201. The Blacktop Bully vs Dustin Rhodes-Uncensored 1995
202. Team Dos Caras vs Team El Canek-Leyendas Mexicanas 2017
203. Pat Patterson vs Gerald Brisco-King of the Ring 2000
204. The Wyatt Swamp Fight-The Horror Show at Extreme Rules
205. The Four Doinks vs Team Bigelow-Survivor Series 1993
206. Sting vs Jeff Hardy-Victory Road 2011
207. Bret Hart vs Mr. McMahon-WrestleMania XVI
208. WarGames 2000: Russo's Revenge-WCW Monday Nitro (9/4/2000)
209. Oz vs Tim Parker-SuperBrawl
210. Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman-Crown Jewel 2018
211. Brock Lesnar vs Ricochet-Super ShowDown 2020
212. Toru Yano vs KENTA-G1 Climax 2021 (Day 1)
213. Konnan & Tygress vs Shane Douglas & Torrie Wilson-Halloween Havoc 2000
214. The Fabulous Moolah vs Ivory-No Mercy 1999
215. New Jack vs Vic Grimes-Living Dangerously 2000
216. The Mighty Maccabee vs The Iron Sheik-Maccabiah Mania II: Shekel Slam
217. Van Hammer vs Doug Somers-Halloween Havoc 1991
218. Eddy Steinblock vs One Warrior Nation-DWA Wrestling Legends Tour 2010 (Day 2)
219. Ultimate Warrior vs Andre the Giant-Saturday Night's Main Event (11/25/1989)
220. Jeff Jarrett vs Sting-Halloween Havoc 2000
221. The Doomsday Cage Match-Uncensored 1996
222. "Donald Trump" vs "Rosie O'Donnell"-WWE Monday Night RAW (1/8/2007)
223. Kane vs The Undertaker-Judgement Day 1998
224. Toru Yano vs Jado-New Japan Cup 2020 (Day 1)
225. Rebel vs Shelly Martinez-One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown
226. Sable vs Torrie Wilson-The Great American Bash 2004
227. The Evening Gown Pool Match-Armageddon 1999
228. Kaitlyn vs Maxine-NXT (10/19/2010)
229. Sabu vs The Sandman-November to Remember 1997
230. The 1996 World War 3 Match
231. Seth Rollins vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-Hell in a Cell 2019
232. Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler-WrestleMania XXVII
233. The Bushwhackers vs Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff-Heroes of Wrestling
234. James Storm vs Chris Harris-Lockdown 2007
235. John Laurinaitis vs John Cena-Over the Limit 2012
236. Hulk Hogan vs The Giant-Halloween Havoc 1995
237. The Shark Cage Match-Big Time Wrestling (1976)
238. Ultimate Warrior vs Goldust-In Your House 7
239. Los Villanos vs Los Psycho Circus-Triplemania XXIII
240. Jenna Morasca vs Sharmell-Victory Road 2009
241. The Lingerie Street Fight Battle Royal-AWA SuperClash III
242. Akira Maeda vs Andre the Giant-NJPW Big Fighter Series 1986 (Day 15)
243. The 1995 World War 3 Match
244. New Jack vs Vic Grimes-XPW Freefall

Thanks for reading! Be sure to share if you enjoyed and leave any suggestions for matches you'd like to see covered on the Worst in the World in the comments. For April this year, I've decided to up my schedule to once a week. And since it's the month of WrestleMania, I'll be looking at some of the worst WrestleMania matches I have yet to cover. But before that, I've got one more special edition, so next Friday on March 31, I'll be looking at a match from Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide's Triplemanía XXX last year, which was Cagematch.net's worst-reviewed match of 2022. Stay tuned.