Last night WWE held its first PPV back on tour: Money In The Bank. A great PPV to host in front of an audience considering the exciting ladder matches and the elements of surprises that can come along the way. Did this year’s show cash out big? Or did it go completely bankrupt? Let’s talk about it.
Kickoff Show:
The Usos vs The Mysterios (SmackDown Tag Team Titles)
The kickoff show had a match for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. The father and son duo of Rey Mysterio and Dominik faced twin brothers, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso. Much like the superstar who returned tonight new movie promotes, it was all about family. The Mysterios were aiming to keep their titles and continue defending as father and son, while the Usos were looking to not let their own family down and add gold to the Bloodline. The match itself was very fun and action packed. It was a great match to get the crowd fired up, and they even got a “This is awesome” chant. It would be the Usos who would get the win by Jey supporting Jimmy as he got the pin over Rey. The twins were finally on the same page with each other and with Roman. I don’t want to get into personal business outside this feud, so I won’t mention any of the recent events concerning the twins. However, it seems WWE is still continuing to push the Bloodline despite everything that has happened. Roman has been one of the best parts of SmackDown and now with Jimmy and Jey back to being a tag team, it’s going to be interesting to see how the Bloodline will be now that they all hold gold. As for the Mysterios, I reckon they’ll be looking to get back those titles. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing this match again and on the main show.
Rating: 3.25/5
Main Show:
Alexa Bliss vs Asuka vs Liv Morgan vs Naomi vs Natalya vs Nikki Cross vs Tamina vs Zelina Vega (Women’s MITB match)
The women's MITB ladder match kicked off the show. The ending was controversial and the winner, Nikki Cross, was someone few people predicted or perhaps wanted. The match itself was definitely a weak start to the show. Liv Morgan and Naomi were the MVPS of the match getting the loudest pops and managed to do some cool spots together. Natalya and Tamina played their roles as veterans and were always one step ahead of everyone else. Overall, the match itself wasn’t the strongest of the night, and it never felt like it really got a chance to fully start. There weren't any jaw dropping moments that we’ll remember in a couple of weeks. Even though there were eight women, I felt like the match was all Natalya and Tamina stopping everyone from gaining momentum and Alexa doing her spooky stuff. I started worrying she was going to somehow make the briefcase float down to her, which it did seem she was trying to do at the start of the match. Supernatural elements and wrestling are tricky to make work. People already find wrestling silly enough as is. Why doesn’t Alexa just hypnotize everyone to stop and let her win every match? We don’t know the limits to her powers to be fair, but I don't think we'll ever get an explanation. Luckily, the other competitors were smart enough to bury Alexa under many ladders and continue the match amongst themselves. We then saw 3 ladders set up with 6 out of the 7 women left fighting for the briefcase. Then Nikki snuck up amongst the chaos and unhooked the case, winning the world title contract.
There’s two things about this ending that have some people upset. First issue is the overall ending made everyone involved look pretty silly. I don't believe everyone failed to notice Nikki climbing the ladder and then grabbing the case. (Asuka pretty much watched her do it.) Second, the winner has people shocked. Many thought it was finally Liv’s moment or that Alexa would win the case for a second time. Many have already assumed the worst and have said this will be a failed cash in. While this does feel very much like Otis winning the briefcase at last year's show, I always try and look at the positives in situations. Nikki Cross has only debuted this character a couple weeks ago, and she’s already won MITB. Either people backstage love her character a lot and have high hopes for it, or they just needed a fall guy for an eventual failed cash in. When you think about the potential returning stars such as Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks and the match-ups lined up, do we expect anyone to successfully cash in against that title scene? So if the women’s MITB was doomed to have a failed cash in from the start, we should be glad Liv or Naomi didn’t have to take the pin. However, we don’t know exactly what the scene will look like nearing the end of the year, so perhaps Nikki can still have a chance. Anything could happen a year from now. I think her character is going to be so much fun with the case and hopefully the WWE universe falls in love with her infectious spirit like I have. I’m going to stick to the positives and hope this all leads somewhere and that almost a superhero Nikki Cross can just finally be a superhero one day.
As for Naomi and Liv Morgan, let’s hope their time is coming soon. Naomi has been moved to SmackDown, and that division is looking stacked with every new debut. A heel Naomi vs Bianca Belair sounds like money to me. As for Liv, who arguably got the biggest reaction out of all the women tonight, her story isn’t over. I hope WWE sees the love for Morgan and commits to her. She could have a great underdog story and when she eventually wins the big one, it’s going to be magic. Imagine Liv winning the rumble. A bit too early to call, but if the support for her continues, I don’t see why she wouldn’t be a favorite to win. For now, I’d love to see Liv feud with Sonya and have a match at SummerSlam. I hope fans stick with her through it all and that WWE takes advantage of the support when it counts.
Also, I am still irrationally upset Nikki didn’t do her jump off the ladder with her cape on.
Rating: 2.25/5
The Viking Raiders vs AJ Styles and Omos (Raw Tag Team Titles)
Another fun tag team clash this time between the Viking Raider and Raw Tag Team champions, AJ Styles and Omos. AJ Styles and Omos have become a dynamic duo with Styles being the annoying aggressor that can hide behind his 7 foot giant friend amd Omos ready to use his size to dominate anyone in their way. Omos has come a long way from Raw underground (please bring that back) and is now a tag champion with the veteran AJ Styles. The match itself wasn’t too special but still a lot of fun with Ivar showing a lot of his agility and Omos showing how strong he is fighting against the two big vikings. The Viking Raiders are good workers, Omos is a fun big guy to watch and AJ will always deliver, so a good match was to be expected. Omos ended up getting the pin and the reign of Styles and Omos continues. My prediction is we’ll see these two defend their titles against RKBro at SummerSlam. I can already imagine the ridiculousness of those four superstars in one segment.
Rating: 3/5
Kofi Kingston vs Bobby Lashley (WWE Championship)
One of the more surprising matches of the night for me was Kofi Kingston vs Bobby Lashley for the WWE championship. I expected a great match between the two with some offense between both sides where we’d see Bobby’s ruthlessness and Kofi’s athleticism. This was not the case. Instead, we saw Bobby absolutely dominate Kofi the whole match and Kofi barely get any offense in. It was slow, it was brutal, and it was hard to watch- but all in the best ways. We know Kofi can step up to the plate when the time comes. We’ve cheered him on through KofiMania and to see him get annihilated like this was heartbreaking. But this also makes Bobby look like a killing machine. After his segment on Raw where he exploded at MVP after losing to Xavier Woods earlier that night, we were introduced to a new Bobby Lashley. He was done with the VIP lounge, champagne and women; he was only interested in destroying anyone who got in his way. A new spark was reignited into the Almighty.
I can only assume they’re building him up for a big opponent come SummerSlam. While many have been wishing for a Bobby and Brock face off, the new rumored match is Goldberg vs Lashley. I for one wouldn’t mind seeing Lashley wipe the floor with Goldberg and continue this mean streak, so I welcome that match. However, Bobby vs Brock would be amazing if WWE could pull it off. Whatever happens, I believe Bobby’s reign is far from being done. It’s only getting started.
Rating: 3.25/5
Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley (Raw Women’s Championship)
Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair fought for what seemed the 50th time for the Raw Women’s championship. I was expecting an alright match out of the two because of how much we’ve seen this match up, but they proved me wrong and in the end got a great match between two very talented women. Yes, these two have faced off a lot before, but that’s what this match was all about. They know each other so well, so they were constantly reversing each other's moves and being one step ahead of the other competitor. We got a lot of great sequences and moments like Charlotte reversing the riptide into a DDT, Charlotte performing a natural selection from the top rope and Rhea showing off her power by picking up Charlotte over her head. By the end, the crowd was fully into the match and even chanting “This is awesome”. The Queen was able to make the Nightmare tap out and win the Raw Women’s Championship. I was happy with this result because Rhea was struggling as champion. Rhea never got to feud with anyone else besides Asuka and Charlotte. Rhea and Asuka had no chemistry at all while her and Charlotte’s feud had become stale. She failed to really establish herself and show what Rhea Ripley was all about. Also her character was just confusing. I'm putting this more on creative pushing her too quick though. It wasn't the right time for her. I’m hoping this loss sparks a new edge into Ripley. As for Charlotte, she’s more than used to holding a title, so there’s no problem here.
A rematch with Rhea at Summerslam seems likely. Part of me hopes to just end this feud here, but part of me wouldn’t mind seeing a stipulation match between the two. Another possibility is having a match with a returning Becky Lynch. At the start of the match, the crowd was chanting “We want Becky”, which caused a hilarious moment in Charlotte flipping them off. Lynch seems to be in the best shape of her life and she’s been teasing her return on twitter for a while. If Becky is absolutely ready to come back, I’d love to see her face Charlotte at Summerslam. I wouldn’t even mind seeing Rhea thrown in too for a triple threat. Let’s see if The Man comes around for Raw tonight. Last year she left the Raw after MITB, so will we see it come full circle and see her return on the Raw after MITB?
Rating: 3.75/5
Big E vs Drew McIntyre vs John Morrison vs Kevin Owens vs Matt Riddle vs Ricochet vs Seth Rollins vs Shinsuke Nakamura (Men’s MITB Match)
Peacock tried to sabotage this match for American viewers as they had technical issues that lasted through all the entrances and a bit into the beginning of the match. But even that couldn’t stop me from enjoying this fun paced and awesome match. There was never a dull moment, and there were plenty of amazing spots all around. As soon as the bell rang, there was chaos all around. Ricochet did his insane high flying moves and Kevin Owens took some insane bumps like always. Everyone in the match got a chance to do something cool, making everyone looked good in the process. We got a lot of great moments like Morrisons and Rollins fighting over their “drip” but eventually coming together to be allies. (I am still in awe over the "Johnny Drip Drip" chants) We even got a stare off between Big E and Drew and the two big guys faced off. Midway during the match, Drew started picking up steam and took out everyone and was making his way up the ladder. When it seemed he was almost close to winning, out came Jinder Mahal with his new henchman, Shanky and Veer. They dragged him off the ladder, beat him down and then dragged him backstage, causing him to be out for the rest of the match. WWE loves protecting Drew, so this seemed like the best way to prevent him from winning. Speaking of Drew, he got a ton of mixed reactions during the show. A reaction is a reaction at the end of the day, but it’s not the best thing in the world if the top babyface you are presenting gets boos. The overexposure of Drew in the title picture has played a big part in this where fans now feel like they’ve seen enough of him. Hoping this feud with Jinder takes Drew away from the title picture for a while. The two have a bit of history, so the story writes itself.
Nearing the end of the match, Big E delivered one of the best moments by performing a big ending off the top of the ladder. Big E unhooked the briefcase and got a loud reaction from the crowd that was loving every bit of that match. Big E is destined for great things and I can’t wait to see a single run from him with the WWE championship.
Rating: 4/5
Edge vs Roman Reigns (WWE Universal Championship)
Edge and Roman finally got their one-on-one match for the Universal title in a grueling 30 minute battle. During the first half we saw Roman take full control of the match and slow down the pace to beat down Edge. The crowd absolutely hated this and started chanting “you can’t wrestle” to Roman. The heat from the crowd worked to the favor of Roman. Roman is not here to do impressive moves or flips to have you entertained, he’s here to dominate and to win. The crowd was now fully behind Edge and wanted to see him fight back. It seemed every time Edge was starting to come back, Roman stopped his momentum. Eventually the match picked up, and we got some offense from both sides with the crowd fully invested. Things started turning around for Edge when he ducked out of the way and let Roman spear himself through the barricade and then spearing Roman himself through another barricade. It seemed like this was finally the moment for Edge to take advantage, but then Roman hit Edge with a superman punch which caused Edge to bump into the referee. All WWE referees are made of glass, so he was out for the rest of the match. But with no referee around to enforce the rules, Roman tried to apply the cross face to Edge with a piece of the chair. This backfired and Edge reversed it and locked the submission on Roman. Then it seemed the Usos were going to interfere but The Mysterios came from behind and took them out before they could do anything. It seemed finally all the obstacles were out of Edge’s way until Seth Rollins came out and kicked Edge in the back of the head. But even through that, Edge was able to spear Roman. Only problem was there no official to count and by the time one came out, Roman was able to kick out. Edge was desperate to win and Reigns was confused on what it would take to put his opponent away. A distraction by Seth Rollins caused Roman to hit the spear on Edge and retain the title. After the match, Edge and Seth battled to the outside and into the crowd.
Alone in the ring, Roman got a mic and told the crowd, “Now the whole world can acknowledge me”. Then, those glorious trumpets hit, and out came John Cena. The crowd and Michael Cole exploded. The moment was absolutely electric, and everyone was hyped to see Cena back. He did his “you can’t see me taunt” to a disgusted Roman, and the show went off air. What a way to end the show and create hype for the road to SummerSlam. Current Tribal Chief Roman Reigns vs John Cena at SummerSlam is money and I look forward to it very much.
Rating: 3.5/5
Final Thoughts:
Money in the Bank was a great show to kick off WWE being back on the road. It started off a bit rough, but it picked up and then never slowed down. We saw John Cena return, and we saw a ton of good wrestling. The crowd was loving every minute of the show and that energy was so missed. I really hope this is a turning point for WWE and that they can continue this momentum all the way to SummerSlam and after that.
Highlights:
Liv Morgan and Naomi
Big E winning
Mens MITB match
Bobby’s new attitude
WWE Applebee’s Ad
Charlotte vs Rhea
Edge vs Roman
Edge vs Seth SummerSlam feud set up
John Cena returning with his Hollywood hair
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