Besides Lana, who is yet to debut her new gimmick, all of Smackdown Live’s women’s division are involved in a 6-woman tag match this Sunday at Backlash.
The newly formed ‘Welcoming Committee’, which consists of Natalya, Carmella, Tamina and their mascot James Ellsworth, will be taking on the brand’s newest female talent, Charlotte Flair, along with Becky Lynch and the Smackdown Live Women’s Champion, Naomi.
With all these talents thrown together into one match, it is unclear what WWE’s plan is in terms of the future of the ‘Welcoming Committee’ and Naomi’s next challenger. But there have been plenty of shenanigans in the Smackdown women’s division over recent weeks in the build up to this match and I expect that to continue on Sunday.
There are certainly a large number of possible fallouts from this match, so with that in mind, here are 5 possible finishes for the 6-woman tag team match at Backlash.
#1 Charlotte, Naomi & Becky implode
The face side of the 6-woman tag match are not as cohesive of a unit as their opponents and that could come back to haunt them.
The odd team of Natalya, Carmella and Tamina have a clear goal in mind and are working together to achieve this. Meanwhile, Charlotte Flair has some history with Becky Lynch and also has her eyes set on the Smackdown Women’s Championship, currently held by Naomi.
So, can they stay on the same page long enough to overcome the ‘Welcoming Committee’ or will they implode during the match, handing a significant win to Smackdown’s newest stable?
#2 Charlotte attacks Naomi post-victory
As mentioned earlier, Charlotte still has her eyes set on the Smackdown Live Women’s Championship and she made that abundantly clear this past Tuesday.
Despite being partners at Backlash, ‘The Queen’ reminded Naomi that the two of them still have unfinished business after their previous championship match ended in a no contest, due to interference from the ‘Welcoming Committee’. Therefore, I’d expect the tension between Naomi and Charlotte to be a major factor in the match this Sunday.
If the face team can be on the same page long enough, then they could still walk out of Chicago with the victory. However, after the match, I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlotte wastes any time in attacking Naomi and sending a clear message to the reigning Women’s Champion.
#3 Ellsworth helps Carmella get the win
Ellsworth could prove to be an essential part of the ‘Welcoming Committee’s plan this Sunday. He is expected to be at ringside to help his ‘friend that is a girl’, Carmella, gain any advantage that she can.
Natalya seems to have taken the role of leader in this new stable, while Carmella is the hungry, young talent looking to climb the ranks in the women’s division. While Tamina is the…well, she’s there too.
‘The Princess of Staten Island’ picked up a win over Naomi on Tuesday’s Smackdown Live and another victory over the Champion this Sunday would surely put her in line for a future title shot. This could also lead to some tension between her and fellow teammates.
Alternatively, Ellsworth could assist Carmella in getting the win for her team by defeating Becky Lynch, which would further the feud between the ‘Irish Lass Kicker’ and ‘CarmEllsworth’. I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Becky suplex Ellsworth again, as she did at WrestleMania.
#4 Natalya pins the Champ
As I stated previously, Natalya seems to be the leader of the ‘Welcoming Committee’ and will be looking to be the woman that gets the victory for her team at Backlash.
With this in mind, the most logical outcome this Sunday seems to be Natalya beating Naomi to get the win for her newly-formed stable, make them look strong and keep them all on the same page, at least for the time being.
Also, this would put the ‘Queen of Harts’ in contention for a Smackdown Women’s Championship match and could lead to a Number one contender’s feud between herself and Charlotte.
Natalya and Charlotte always seem to bring out the best in each other, as evidenced by their fantastic matches at the inaugural NXT Takeover, and a mini-feud to determine Naomi’s next challenger would be fun to watch.
#5 Becky turns heel
An outside bet for the finish of this Sunday’s match could be a heel turn for former Smackdown Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch, costing her team the victory.
It seems quite unlikely, but then again, it would make sense considering her current standing on the show. Lynch was the first woman drafted to Smackdown Live after last year’s brand split and was expected to lead the division. However, she has faded into the background recently while the likes of Naomi and Alexa Bliss have been at the forefront.
The same could be said of this current feud, Becky had been somewhat of an afterthought for the most part and could use this as a catalyst for a shocking heel turn at Backlash. Whether she aligns with the ‘Welcoming Committee’ or stays independent, a villainous Becky Lynch would interesting to see and would freshen up her character.
