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Hey, that was a decent show! I have always been a fan of these Money in the Bank matches, and even though some uneven booking got us here, the actual part of WWE that makes the product watchable is the superstars, and a pay per premium live event is their best chance to shine. So let’s get into that Money in the Bank show!!!
Money in the Bank: Alexa Bliss versus Asuka versus Becky Lynch versus Lacey Evans versus Liv Morgan versus Raquel Rodriguez versus Shotzi
My guess: Does Liv really deserve another title shot? I think that’s where we’re headed, although a Bliss win would be cool…I WAS RIGHT!
Money in the Bank: Seth Rollins versus Drew McIntyre versus Sami Zayn versus Sheamus versus Olmos versus Riddle versus Madcap Moss
My guess: Man, I really want Zayn to win and hoard the briefcase to force the Bloodline to…ACKNOWLEDGE HIM…I WAS WRONG but there was a surprise entry so I GET A PASS!
A fun match, as Money in the Bank always is, plus the women don’t have as much history to draw from (more on that later) so there are more unique spots available. Raquel Rodriguez tried a cool one where she was gonna lift up two competitors on either end of a ladder, but it didn’t quite work out. Raquel was tossed into a corner, pinned with a ladder, and stacked by every other wrestler as Becks leg dropped the lot of them. Shotzi, who I thought was gonna do some great stuff, only succeeded at almost murdering Alexa Bliss off a suplex into the side of a standing ladder. Fun stuff! Lynch managed to clear the ring and head up the big ladder, but Liv Morgan followed on a smaller ladder. Becks tried to kick Liv off, but she was able to kick off the ring rope and use that momentum to deliver a knee to knock Lynch off her ladder. Morgan hopped over and won her first Money in the Bank contract. Good on her!
Before the men’s match started, Adam Pearce arrived to say how great the build for this match had been…and added a surprise superstar, Theory! So the guy basically lost his way into the match, but in storyline it’s fine because, you know, Mr. McMahon likes him.
Olmos getting to run wild before being buried under a hundred ladders by everyone else in the match was a highlight, as the big guy was oversold in the buildup to this. It was nice to get a solid payoff for him, and basically write him out of the back half of the match without making him look weak. McIntyre and Sheamus had some fun as well, pinning each other under the upright ladder and escaping in creative fashion. But once Theory was announced, especially since he lost his United States championship earlier in the night, I had a feeling in my gut that he was winning here. And despite Riddle hitting an INSANE top of the ladder RKO on Seth Rollins, the brochacho wasn’t able to fight Theory off during their one on one ladder punch fight and Reigns version 2.0 got the win.
Both Monies(?) in the Bank get Four stars! Overall I thought the women’s MitB was probably the better ladder match of the night, but I enjoyed both about the same. It’s a fun stunt show and a good time, although the lack of any high flier types did stand out this year.
Bobby Lashley versus Theory © for the United States Championship
My guess: Theory retains, uses the power of the US Championship to challenge Cena at SummerSlam…I WAS WRONG!
A decent match despite my wrong guess, Lashley was able to power out of everything Theory could throw at him. Bob had a bunch of good looking counters, catching Theory out of the air and reversing Theory’s A-Town Down finisher a couple of times. A gentle looking spear by Theory led to him trying the finisher a third time, but Lashley turned that into the Hurt Lock and got the clean submission win and the United States championship.
Three stars! I liked this one a lot, although it did make more sense after the MitB match. You put the belt on Lashley for now, because Raw doesn’t really have a title of its own. Theory can use that contract later if someone takes a belt from Roman Reigns, because he’s not going to be challenging anytime soon for it. And, frankly, I like good guy Bob as champ. He looks cool and he’s believable as a good dude who can beat up groups of baddies.
A quick interview with Liv Morgan let us know she might just keep that contract until Wrestlemania. For now she was gonna go celebrate.
Carmella versus Bianca Belair © for the Raw Women’s Championship
My guess: Bianca isn’t losing to the replacement unless there’s a surprise addition, i.e. Bayley or something…I WAS RIGHT!
A short match that featured the usual Bianca spots - a hair pull by the villain, an impressive stalling suplex. Carmella got a pin after a low superkick, but talked a little too much afterward and ate a KoD for her efforts.
After Bianca’s win, Carmella attacked during Bianca’s celebration, as this rivalry is just getting started.
Two stars. I was fine with the match as an extended squash, but why have the follow up attack then? Let your powerful amazing champ look powerful and amazing once in a while! Bianca is undoubtedly the best female superstar they have left on their roster and they should be strapping a jetpack on her and sending her (pardon the expression) TO THE MOON!
A quick video recap of Logan Paul (sigh) signing a contract with WWE, followed by an Alexa Bliss commercial for a credit card that was HEARTILY BOOED by the live crowd. Much like in WWE 2K22, you run that ad segment at the peril of dropping a superstar’s popularity!
The Street Profits versus the Usos © for the Unified Tag Team Championships
My guess: Profits steal the victory, prompting Roman Reigns to scold the Usos…WRONG AGAIN, DUMDUM
Profits made their entrance from the crowd, which was cool. The first half of this match was basically cut and paste from their last two months of interactions, singles matches, and non-title contests. But once things got going, it was a good one. And, don’t get me wrong, the booking of this was NOT reflected in the match quality - all four of these guys can GO. Ford pulled off a running dive from the ring, flipped over the turnbuckle, and landed on both Usos. The dude can fly!
Commentary constantly repeated that the Profits have dissension and aren’t getting along, but nothing came of that tonight. We had a spot where Dawkins was dropped from the apron, and Ford was reaching to the empty corner for a tag. Usually that’s good in ring storytelling, but the entire sequence was minimized by Cole and Graves repeating those same talking points. But that’s my fault for listening to commentary, I suppose.
A dramatic stare down and punch fight led to Dawkins being tossed out of the ring and over the beloved lower right corner barricade. 1D finished Ford and the Usos retained.
Four stars! It probably would have been better if the match was a little more condensed, but it was very watchable regardless. I also found commentary really irritating during this match, which isn’t the wrestlers’ fault but is still a part of the match in my opinion.
A post match replay revealed that Ford’s shoulder was up during the final pinfall, so this feud will continue on Monday night, I imagine.
This creepy video played afterward, leading a lot of people to believe it’s a tease for a returning Bray Wyatt. But the imagery in there, to me, says Edge a lot more than Bray. Religious iconography, the burning LATINOHEAT license plate, Kurt Angle’s medals, the Dudley Boyz glasses…it’s basically a career retrospective.
Natalya versus Ronda Rousey © for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
My guess: Ronda, hopefully by merciless squash…I WAS RIGHT
Rousey wasn’t going to be losing to this opponent in this match. What the match did do was important, though - Nattie was able to lock in the Sharpshooter a few times and injure Ronda’s knee. Rousey got the win, eventually reversing a Sharpshooter into an armbar for the submission.
Three stars! It wasn’t a bad match and it set up what came next, as Rousey accepted her title belt but could barely stand up.
Liv Morgan then ran down and cashed in her Money in the Bank contract! Ronda really sold how difficult this was going to be for her, and good on her for some decent acting. The bell rang and my heart sank as Liv was immediately put into an ankle lock. Liv may have some work to do in the ring, but the girl can sell the hell out of a submission. I thought Ronda might remove her leg and beat her with it, but Liv was able to kick the damaged leg of Rousey and roll her up for the pin, the win, and the SmackDown Women’s Championship!
An understanding Rousey presented Morgan with the title and left without incident. Fun fact: Carmella is literally the only winner of the Women's Money in the Bank contract to hold onto it for more than a day. What does that tell you about long term storytelling for women in the WWE? (Thanks for noticing that, Adam!)
The men’s match followed, which we’ve already discussed. So enjoy your holiday weekend, and we’ll see you here … well, let’s say Thursday to recap Raw and Dynamite in one fell swoop. I’ll let you know if I’m gonna do Raw on Tuesday morning via Twitter at Oso (of Let's Watch Some Wrestling!) (@ElOsoPequeno) / Twitter.
Have a great weekend!