by: Mike Neon

I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant at first when the IIconics debuted on Smackdown Live, pummeled Charlotte Flair, and Carmella ran down to cash in the “Money In The Bank” briefcase.  If you read this column on a regular basis, you know that treachery is my “drug of choice”, but I couldn’t help but wonder how Carmella who mostly seemed like a “background player” to me would handle the biggest spotlight in the women’s division on one of the biggest stages in professional wrestling.

Now, as we head into Summer Slam, after multiple successful title defenses and months of shining in the spotlight, I have never been more sure of the fact that “Mella is Money.”  The “Staten Island Princess” has taken her “moonwalking, trash talking,” act to a whole new level, that even I had not anticipated.

She is a like a Lodi Valley Cabernet-Zinfandel circa 2013 (which was just a prime year for red wines from northern California) a perfect blend.  The best parts of “old school” heel and “new age” Internet troll, coming together in a way that makes modern day sports entertainment so enjoyable for a great many fans.  If you aren’t following her on social media (@CarmellaWWE on twitter) you are missing half of the magic.

Like it or not, in this new era of sports entertainment, social media savvy is becoming an increasingly important skill for wrestlers at every level of the industry.  Twitter, Youtube, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitch, and Facebook have very much changed the ability for wrestlers to “put themselves out there”, sell merchandise, interact with their fan bases and even enhance their finances.

Social Media also allows a place for wrestlers to fill in their storylines, develop their characters, and escalate their feuds, which is extremely smart in such a competitive industry, overflowing with much more talent than available screen time.

I was fortunate enough this week to actually have an opportunity to prove my hypothesis, as I have a friend from work who is extremely into all forms and promotions of professional wrestling, but also completely abhors and refuses to take part in any form of social media.

He told me that he couldn’t stand Carmella.  I told him “good”, that’s how you should react initially.  “Now, let’s take a moment to examine the nuances of her performance.”

He agreed that she plays the role of “the heel” and generates “heat” in a proficient manner in the amount of screen time she receives during weekly episodes of Smackdown Live and Pay-Per-View events, and then I exposed him to her work on twitter.

I showed him various tweets and her quick witted and hilarious responses to haters.  Mella is Money, but she’s also Teflon.  She’s a technician of snark, and the “excellence of execution” when it comes to analyzing, reversing and locking her “haters” into submission, which usually results in the author deleting their posts.

After seeing these examples, It clicked for him.  “So she’s doing the old school “Honkey Tonk Man“, paper champion angle, but with a new twist of being an “Internet troll”, instead of an “Elvis impersonator” he asked.

“Yes, that’s the beauty of it.”

“When you get in an online argument with someone else, the stereotypical (and comforting) thought is to imagine them as a “basement dwelling neckbeard” who lives in their parents basement.  Except in this case, the M. Knight Shyamalan twist is that, the “keyboard warrior” you would try to dismiss, by insulting their appearance, social status or occupation, is a beautiful, fashionable and extremely athletic woman, who is in one of the top spots in the top promotion in the world.

Carmella has used this time in the spotlight efficiently, to build her brand and move her merchandise.  If you don’t believe me, follow her on social media and look at all the fans sending pictures of them wearing her gear from the WWE store.  She is very good at being supportive and grateful to those fans who truly enjoy her, and quick to take the “haters” down a notch or two.

Social Media interaction is relatively new to the wrestling business, but now and in the future, it’s incredibly important and “The princess of Staten Island” has proved that she is one of the best when it comes to capitalizing on this, and is building a bright future for herself.

There is no falsehood when she says “Mella is Money” because her stock is rising fast, due to the time and effort she puts in with the WWE universe.

Follow Mike Neon: @TheRealMikeNeon

and @neoncolossem to see art and opinions