Fans are not happy with the ending of WWE's first ever women's Ladder Match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view on Sunday evening. What was supposed to be a historic event for women ended in controversy when a man won, prompting people on Twitter to call it a "joke" and an insult to the division.
Capitalizing on the push to take women's wrestling more seriously, the match consisted of five women (Carmella, Natalya Neidhart, Tamina Snuka, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch) competing for a shot at the Smackdown Women's Championship. In order to win, one would have to climb a ladder and grab a briefcase containing a contract to challenge the current champion at any time and place.
However, at the last minute James Ellsworth crashed the match and claimed the victory for his girlfriend, Carmella, and fans took to Twitter to voice their dismay.
A women can't even get the briefcase in the first ever women's #MITB ladder match... a man does.
— Brittany Pruitt (@bkurilec) June 19, 2017
And DON'T even get me started on WWE having a MAN apparently winning the first ever WOMEN'S Money in the Bank Ladder Match... I am furious!
— Mrs. Ballache/Barfly (@LuciesAwesome) June 19, 2017
You all deserved much better. I'm angry for all of you. Not the way to finish the first women's #MITB Ladder Match. #disgusted
— Melanie Robinson (@DivineMzM) June 19, 2017
I guess @wwe still doesn't want to give women a chance and thinks the division is a joke. #MITB
— Andrea (@zdzyloak) June 19, 2017
Wrestlers, as part of the storyline, also voiced their dismay on Twitter.
Don't want to take anything away from Carmella but in the first ever #MITB Women's ladder match A MAN takes down the briefcase 🤔
— Nia Jax (@NiaJaxWWE) June 19, 2017
I didn't come to #SDLive to play games. I'm here to be the best & represent a brand. @realellsworth is a joke and so is that win. #MITB
— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) June 19, 2017
This is not what I had envisioned for the FIRST EVER Women's #MITB match. @realellsworth and @CarmellaWWE just robbed the #WWE Universe.
— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) June 19, 2017
But not everyone was upset with the outcome of the match.
Listen you can dislike the ending to the match but DO NOT come into my DMs telling me I'm a bad feminist for liking that ending. #MITB
— kate. (@makeitloud) June 19, 2017
Just watched the end of the women's ladder match - I think that's a brilliant idea and truly original. However, it does cast a shadow... 1/2
— Mark-Out Martyn 🏔 (@MarkOutMartyn) June 19, 2017
...over the quality female talent in the match. As in - as good as they are, a man still won the match. Even so, I think it's v clever 2/2
— Mark-Out Martyn 🏔 (@MarkOutMartyn) June 19, 2017
Smackdown's general manager Daniel Bryan says he plans to address the incident this Tuesday. "Absolutely unacceptable and cheap. The circumstances surrounding the Women's #MITB match will be the FIRST thing addressed on #SDLive," he wrote.
WWE's Smackdown Live! airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on USA Network.
