WWE Money In The Bank 2025

By Steve Ward

WWE returned to Peacock tonight with Money In The Bank from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. This event is arguably as pivotal of an event to the annual landscape of WWE each year as the Royal Rumble in that the winners of the Men’s and Women’s Money In The Bank ladder matches earn the opportunity to cash in an opportunity against the champion of their choice at any time for the next year. This evening’s card featured five matches with two title bouts, two Money In The Bank Ladder Matches, and was headlined by a tag team grudge match between the teams of Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul and John Cena.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi vs. Giulia vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez
Winner: Naomi

With an opportunity at a world title shot literally hanging in the balance, these six women threw caution to the wind. In the final moments, Alexa Bliss and Rhea Ripley found themselves alone at the top of the ladder jockeying for position. Naomi then emerged from outside the ring and tipped the ladder over leaving a scene of carnage. Naomi took this opportunity to scale the ladder to capture her first Money In The Bank briefcase.

WWE Intercontinental Championship
Dominik Mysterio (c) w/ Liv Morgan vs. Octagon Jr.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio via pinfall

Mysterio appeared at AAA Worlds Collide earlier in the day and confronted Octagon Jr. following his match. Following the brawl that subsequently ensued between the two, Mysterio challenged Octagon Jr. to a match this evening. With an assist by Liv Morgan, Mysterio was able to gain the upper hand and execute the 619 followed by the Frog Splash to retain his title.

Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall

Despite retaining her title over Lynch last month at Backlash, The Man got the last laugh with a vicious attack following their match. Valkyria then exacted a measure of revenge on Lynch by costing her a spot in the Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match recently on RAW. That led us to tonight’s rematch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. This was a true back and forth affair throughout the contest and the conclusion would be no different. Lyra rolled up Lynch for the pinfall only to have Lynch reverse it for her own pinfall as she grasped her tights for leverage and the win.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Seth Rollins w/ Paul Heyman vs. El Grande Americano vs. LA Knight vs. Andrade vs. Penta vs. Solo Sikoa
Winner: Seth Rollins

In the closing moments, the ring and the area surrounding looked like a crime scene. There was no shortage of run-ins as Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed first came to the aid of Rollins and then Jacob Fatu and JC Mateo (Jeff Cobb) for Solo Sikoa. It appeared Sikoa was poised to claim victory as he climbed the ladder until Fatu turned on him by grabbing his ankle and preventing him from reaching the briefcase. Fatu then exclaimed “I hate you” and laid waste to Sikoa. Rollins next attempted to climb the ladder only to be temporarily interrupted by LA Knight before disposing of him and retrieving the briefcase.

Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso vs. Johnny Cena & Logan Paul
Winners: Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso via pinfall

Cody Rhodes made his in-ring return tonight following his loss at Wrestlemania to John Cena. Tonight he would be in tag team action as he partnered with World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso against Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena and Logan Paul. The closing moments saw Rhodes and Cena alone in the ring after Logan Paul put Uso through the announce table with an Asai Moonsault from the middle ring rope. With the referee distracted outside the ring, Cena struck Rhodes with his title belt. It appeared Cena was poised to put Rhodes away until a hooded assailant arose from the crowd and attacked Cena. After incapacitating Cena, the masked man revealed himself as R-Truth who had allegedly left the company this past week following the expiration of his contract. This allowed Rhodes to put Cena away with the Cross Rhodes to solidify the victory.

WWE Money in the Bank 2024 Recap

By Steve Ward

The WWE finally returned to North America for a “Premium Live Event” this evening as Money in The Bank emanated from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. WWE’s last three PLE’s were held in France (Backlash), Saudi Arabia (King of the Ring), and Scotland (Clash at The Castle) and they will finally return to the US next month for SummerSlam. While I understand that WWE is a global brand with shareholders to answer to, they should remember that the company was built in the United States and the fan base deserves more than watered down weekly programming. As for tonight’s event, the card featured five bouts with two titles contested and would be headlined by the Men’s and Women’s Money In The Bank matches which would have the potential to heavily influence the title landscape of WWE moving forward.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Jey Uso vs. LA Knight
Winner: Drew McIntyre

The show surprisingly kicked off with the Men’s Money In The Bank Match which proved to be foreshadowing for a cash-in later in the show. The winner of the match would be awarded a contract for a title bout at any time. Following a chaotic match filled with ladders being trashed and bodies broken, it appeared in the closing moments that Jey Uso would retrieve the briefcase. Then out of nowhere, Drew McIntyre threw a ladder that struck Uso in the face and knocked him from the ladder. McIntyre followed up with a Claymore Kick to dispose of Uso and ascended to the top of the ladder to become Mr. Money In The Bank.

Intercontinental Championship

Sami Zayn (c) vs. Bron Breakker

Winner: Sami Zayn via pinfall

Following his monumental upset over Gunther at Wrestlemania to end his historic Intercontinental Title reign, Zayn faced, arguably, his most daunting opponent in Bron Breakker - the son of Rick Steiner and, obviously, nephew of Scott Steiner. Bron Breakker put on a phenomenal display of power and agility as he dominated Zayn for the entire match. In the closing moments, Breakker delivered a body breaking power slam and squared Sami up for the spear. Zayn was able to avoid disaster and kicked Breakker in the face. The defending champ then delivered a Heluva Kick to put Breakker down for the three count and sneak out of Toronto with his title.

Following the match, there was a segment hosted by Trish Stratus where John Cena was introduced to cut a promo announcing he would be retiring from in-ring competition at the end of 2025. 

World Heavyweight Championship

Damian Priest (c) vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

At this year’s Wrestlemania, Rollins lost his title to Drew McIntyre (who subsequently lost it minutes later to Damian Priest who cashed in the Money in The Bank briefcase) and spent two months out of action due to a procedure on his knee. Tonight, Rollins would attempt to regain his title against the Judgement Day’s Damian Priest. This match devolved into chaos halfway through as Drew McIntyre came down to the ring and cashed in the Money In The Bank briefcase making it a triple threat encounter. After McIntyre disposed of Rollins, CM Punk emerged from the crowd and brutally reciprocated the beat down he received several weeks ago in his hometown of Chicago. A vulnerable McIntyre then fell victim to the South of Heaven at the hands of Damian Priest who was able to retain his title. 

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Naomi vs. Zoey Stark vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Iyo Sky

Winner: Tiffany Stratton

The same reward would literally hang in the balance as in the men’s match to start the show with the winner earning a contract for a title opportunity at any time in the next year. In the closing moments, Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton were on side by side ladders jockeying for position to grab the briefcase. Stratton shoved Green’s ladder launching her to the floor where she crashed through two tables. Stratton then retrieved the briefcase unopposed.

Six-Man Tag Team Match

Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, & Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, & Jacob

Fatu) w/ Tonga Loa

Winners: The Bloodline via pinfall

Since Cody Rhodes dethroned the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, and took his Universal Championship at Wrestlemania, he has remained embroiled in a bitter feud with the newly revamped Bloodline with Solo Sikoa in charge. Since Wrestlemania, Sikoa first ousted his brother Jimmy Uso, then recruited Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa, the sons of the legendary Haku/Meng, unleashed the “Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu, son of the Tonga Kid, and viciously beat down Paul Heyman when he would not “acknowledge” Solo as new Tribal Chief. That leads us to tonight’s bitter grudge match where Rhodes recruited backup in Owens and Orton. With bodies strewn about, the announce table in shambles, and the referee knocked out for a significant amount of time, the closing moments saw Jacob Fatu prop up Cody Rhodes so Solo Sikoa could deliver a Samoan Spike to the jugular. The referee was then helped back into the ring to count the pinfall as Solo covered Cody.

WWE Money In The Bank 2022

By Steve Ward

WWE made their return to Las Vegas this evening as Money In The Bank emanated from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. One could make the argument that this has evolved into one of the most significant pay per views of the year simply for the massive ramifications it can have on the world championship landscape. For those unfamiliar with the long running event, the respective winners of each Money In The Bank Ladder Match (who are crowned by retrieving the briefcase suspended above the ring) are awarded a world title shot at any point for one calendar year. One note of interest was that the event was originally scheduled to be held at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders, however, sub-par ticket sales lead to the venue change. This evening’s loaded card featured six scheduled matches including two Money In The Bank Ladder Matches, as well as, three title bouts.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Becky Lynch vs. Asuka vs. Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Lacey Evans vs. Shotzi vs. Alexa Bliss

Winner: Liv Morgan

The women’s match offered a well rounded field of competitors as it combined many established contenders and former champions, as well as, a few dark horse participants with the winner in position to potentially take a shot at the winner of the Ronda Rousey versus Natalya Neidhart title showdown also featured on the card. In the final moments of the match, we witnessed Becky Lynch seemingly moments from retrieving the briefcase as she ascended a ladder in the center of the ring, however, Liv Morgan came out of nowhere and climbed another ladder right next to her. Morgan was able to dispatch of Lynch and transitioned over to her ladder with a clear path to the briefcase. Morgan retrieved the briefcase and will now be able to cash in an opportunity at the Women’s Champion for one year.

United States Championship

Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory (c)

Winner: Bobby Lashley via submission

After imposing his dominant strength upon Theory for much of the match, Lashley appeared in dire straits in the closing moments as Theory raked his eyes and executed a spear on The Almighty. Theory then hoisted Lashley up on his shoulders for the A-Town Down, however, Lashley used his speed and tact to slip out and promptly cinched in The Hurt Lock for the submission victory.

RAW Women’s Championship

Carmella vs. Bianca Belair (c)

Winner: Bianca Belair via pinfall

Belair was originally slated to defend her title against Rhea Ripley until an injury left her unable to compete. Carmella was subsequently able to insert herself in the match after she won a five-way match recently on RAW. By championship bout standards, this was a relative squash match as Belair had an answer to every ounce of offense Carmella attempted to mount. In the end, Belair retained her title after she put Carmella down with the KOD.

WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship

The Usos (c) vs. The Street Profits

Winners: The Usos via pinfall

The Usos put their historic 348 day title reign on the line this evening as they stood toe-to-toe with Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, The Street Profits, with the Undisputed Tag Team Championship on the line. The Usos frustrated The Street Profits for the majority of this match as they couldn’t put away the champs regardless of the level of risk associated with their offense. In the closing moments, Dawkins was disposed of into the timekeeper’s area leaving Ford to fall victim to some heavy tandem offense at the hands of The Usos. First, he took duel super kicks on the chin and then fell victim to the 1D as The Usos retained their titles. Controversy surfaced after the conclusion of the match as the replay showed that Ford’s shoulder was never down on the canvas as the referee commenced with his three count - there certainly will be more to come of this in the coming days.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Natalya

Winner: Ronda Rousey via submission

Ronda Rousey returned to the ring tonight to defend her championship against another technical wrestler in Natalya. There were not many highlights in the match although the key moment came when Rousey was propelled from the ring and “tweaked” her knee on the landing. Rousey was still able to overcome this and a Sharpshooter attempt from Natalya to lock in an impressive armbar for the submission victory.

Following the match, Liv Morgan rushed to the ring to immediately cash in her Money In The Bank contract as Rousey was hobbled.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Liv Morgan

Winner: Liv Morgan via pinfall

Rousey was able to immediately cinch in the ankle lock, however, Morgan escaped as she targeted Ronda’s knee. Morgan then rolled up Rousey for the pinfall to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Riddle vs. Seth Rollins vs. Omos w/ MVP vs. Madcap Moss vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Theory

Winner: Theory

After all seven competitors entered the ring, WWE executive Adam Pearce made his way out to announce there would be an eighth competitor and he proceeded to introduce Theory who lost the United States Championship earlier. In the closing moments, Riddle disposed of Rollins as he executed an RKO from the top of the ladder before scaling it once again. With the briefcase at his fingertips, Theory met Riddle at the top of the ladder. The two combatants proceeded to exchange blows as Riddle was knocked off of the ladder leaving Theory alone to retrieve the briefcase in possibly the worst Money In The Bank Ladder Match I’ve ever witnessed.

WWE Money in the Bank 2021

By Steve Ward

With the exception of this year’s Wrestlemania back in April, WWE finally put an end to the Dystopian Era (defined by them as their time spent in the Thunderdome) this past Friday on Smackdown as fans were finally welcomed back - over a year after AEW had already done so. That brings us to tonight where WWE emanated from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX as they hosted Money in the Bank. WWE may actually be starting to feel some pressure from AEW as tonight’s card was one of their better, at least on paper, in recent memory. The event was headlined by two Money in the Bank ladder matches, as well as, Roman Reigns versus Edge for the Tribal Chief’s Universal Championship.

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Alexa Bliss vs. Liv Morgan vs. Nikki A.S.H. vs. Natalya vs. Tamina vs. Zelina Vega vs. Naomi vs. Asuka

Winner: Nikki A.S.H.

In one of the most landscape-defining matches WWE holds each year, eight women entered the ring with the Money in the Bank briefcase suspended above the ring. For those unfamiliar with this match, the first participant to scale a ladder and retrieve the briefcase would earn the ability to challenge for any world title over the course of the next year. This bout seemed rather abrupt as far as these matches go historically and it was devoid of any significant death-defying spots. The closing moments saw Alexa Bliss taken down at ringside and subsequently buried with eight ladders by the other competitors. The remaining seven women then proceeded to stage three ladders in the center of the ring as all of them made their way to the top. As the infighting ensued, Nikki climbed the center ladder unnoticed and removed the briefcase without resistance.

RAW Tag Team Championship

A.J. Styles & Omos (c) vs. The Viking Raiders

Winners: A.J. Styles & Omos via pinfall

Following their decimation of The New Day back at Wrestlemania, A.J. Styles and Omos have maintained their reign over the RAW Tag Team Division. Their challengers this evening, The Viking Raiders, the former tag team champions still seeking to regain their footing following the return of Ivar from a lengthy injury absence. The Viking Raiders seemed poised to pull off the upset until they ran into the 7’3” Omos. Erik propelled himself off of the ropes thinking he would be able to mount some form of offense against the towering Omos…well he was mistaken as Omos grabbed him by the head, hoisted him up in the air, and slammed him to the canvas setting up the easy pinfall.

WWE World Championship

Bobby Lashley w/ MVP vs. Kofi Kingston

Winner: Bobby Lashley via submission

Kofi Kingston was absolutely zero competition for the champion as he constantly found himself being tossed around the ring and manhandled like a rag doll. Lashley finally put an end to this one-sided affair as he cinched in the Hurt Lock for the submission victory.

RAW Women’s Championship

Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (c)

Winner: Charlotte Flair via submission

After their championship encounter at last month’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view ended in Ripley getting herself disqualified, these two ladies again found themselves toe-to-toe with championship gold on the line. The Queen reclaimed her spot atop the Women’s Division this evening as she was in vintage form. The beginning of the end for Ripley began after Flair executed the Natural Selection from the top rope. Moments later, she trapped Ripley’s leg in between the steel ring stairs and ring post where she kicked the stairs to deliver a devastating blow to the champion’s knee. This opened the window for Flair to execute the Figure Eight as she captured the RAW Women’s Championship.

WWE Men’s Money in the Bank Match

John Morrison vs. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Big E vs. Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Riddle vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Big E

After the women’s match kicked off the show, it was now the men’s turn to determine who would walk away with an opportunity to challenge the champion of their choosing for the next year. Halfway through the match, Drew McIntyre appeared poised to capture the briefcase until Jinder Mahal, with Veer and Shanky in tow, made their way to the ring, ambushed Drew, and dragged him backstage. In the closing moments of the match, Seth Rollins ascended to the top of the ladder after he propelled Kevin Owens out of the ring breaking him, and a ladder, in half. As Rollins reached for the briefcase, Big E climbed up behind him and executed the Big Ending dropping him to the canvas. Big E then quickly climbed up the ladder to retrieve the briefcase.

WWE Universal Championship Match

Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman vs. Edge

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

After Edge won the Royal Rumble, his championship opportunity turned into a triple threat affair as Daniel Bryan was inserted into the match - an action which essentially may have been the determining factor in his loss. Following several weeks away from Smackdown, Edge returned to challenge The Tribal Chief for his title in a singles match. Roman Reigns controlled much of the early portion of this bout as he attempted to slow Edge down with several submission holds as he imposed his will. This strategy worked well until Edge regained momentum with the Edgecution just moments before he speared Reigns through the ringside barrier.

The action then returned to the ring where Reigns managed to execute a Superman Punch that propelled Edge into referee Charles Robinson leaving no referee. With no referee present, Edge proceeded to cinch in a crossface with the use of a chair leg. The Usos attempted to put an end to this, however, their interference attempt was thwarted by the Mysterios. Next, Seth Rollins made his way into the ring and delivered a kick to the head of Edge which broke the crossface. Edge again overcame adversity and delivered a spear to Reigns, however, there was not referee to count the pinfall. A referee finally made his way to the ring but was only able to count to two.

As Edge sized up Reigns for another spear, Rollins again climbed up to the ring apron which caused enough of a distraction for Roman to recover and deliver a spear of his own to secure the retention of his title. Following the match, Rollins and Edge engaged in another brawl that spilled into the crowd leaving Reigns and Paul Heyman alone in the ring. As Reigns proceeded to address the crowd, he was interrupted by the return of John Cena clearly setting up their rumored showdown for Summerslam.

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WWE Money In The Bank 2020

By Steve Ward

The second pay per view of what I am dubbing WWE’s Quarantine Era, emanated from two locations this evening - the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL and from the roof of WWE Headquarters in Stamford, CT. I give WWE credit for thinking outside the box this evening to try and keep the product interesting when working with an eerily, mostly empty venue by taking the chaos to a novel location for the bouts that hold this event’s namesake - although it may behoove them to take a page out of AEW’s book and have the wrestlers sit at ringside during the matches to supply some sort of atmosphere. Nonetheless, the seven match card included four title bouts and was headlined by the men’s and women’s Money In The Bank ladder matches.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way

The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) (c) vs. Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado ) vs. The Miz & John Morrison vs. The Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler w/ Jaxson Ryker)

Winners: The New Day via pinfall

The New Day recently regained the tag team titles from Miz & Morrison to become eight-time tag team champions and were immediately thrown into the fire this evening forced to defend their titles against three other teams. In the closing moments, it appeared that The Forgotten Sons were beginning to turn the tide until Ryker was banned from ringside for his interference causing enough of a distraction to allow The New Day to regain control. Kofi first neutralized Lince Dorado with the Trouble in Paradise allowing Big E to finish off Gran Metalik with The Big Ending solidifying their title defense.

Bobby Lashley vs. R-Truth

Winner: Bobby Lashley via pinfall

This match was initially scheduled to pit MVP versus R-Truth until Bobby Lashley made his way to ringside and told Montel Vontavious Porter to take the night off. To say this was a squash match is an understatement as R-Truth was unable to mount any real offense as Lashley manhandled him and finally finished him with a spear that broke him in half. On a side note, it continues to perplex me why R-Truth has mainly been comic relief in his lengthy second run with WWE after he was a very reputable heavyweight champion in TNA/Impact where some may remember him as Ron “The Truth” Killings but I digress.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Bayley (c) w/ Sasha Banks vs. Tamina

Winner: Bayley

Tamina Snuka was certainly game for the task at hand as she manhandled Bayley for the bulk of this contest. We seemed to be moments from crowning a new champion after Tamina executed the Samoan Drop on Bayley, however, Sasha proved to be the determining factor. Banks distracted Tamina just long enough for Bayley to get back to her feet but Tamina was still able to hoist her up for another Samoan Drop attempt only to be thwarted by a rollup that allowed Bayley to steal the pinfall and retain her title.

WWE Universal Championship

Braun Strowman (c) vs. Bray Wyatt

Winner: Braun Strowman via pinfall

After earning his first Universal Championship at Wrestlemania by dominating the legendary Goldberg, Braun Strowman made his first defense this evening. For those who have a short term memory, these two men have a deeply rooted history as Strowman was the last addition to the Wyatt Family before it eventually disbanded. Another interesting booking decision for this match was to pit Strowman against the puppet wielding, children’s show version of Wyatt instead of The Fiend - perhaps to preserve the persona and avoid having The Fiend suffer defeat twice in a row. Wyatt appeared like he had gotten into the head of Strowman briefly with the use of some of his Firefly Funhouse puppets at ringside - enough so that he was able to drop him with a Sister Abigail. The Monster Among Men proved to be too formidable of a force, however, as he sealed his victory with a running power slam.

WWE Heavyweight Championship

Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Drew McIntyre via pinfall

Drew McIntyre made his first title defense since Wrestlemania, the night where he defeated Brock Lesnar for the championship and defended it that same night against The Big Show. Tonight he met a stiff test in the form of muli-time champion, “The Monday Night Messiah” Seth Rollins. Rollins threw everything he had at the defending champ this evening including a Frog Splash, top rope super plex, the Curb Stomp, and the Falcon Arrow but it wasn’t enough as McIntyre was able to drop him with the Claymore Kick to retain his title.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Lacey Evans vs. Nia Jax vs. Carmella vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Dana Brooke vs. Asuka

Winner: Asuka

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

A.J. Styles vs. Otis vs. Aleister Black vs. King Corbin vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Daniel Bryan

Winner: Otis

For those not familiar with the stipulation of these matches, it’s simple - scale a ladder in the center of the ring, retrieve the briefcase, and earn the ability to challenge the world champion of your choice at any point during the next year. An interesting dynamic with these matches presented itself as aside from taking place at WWE Headquarters, they also started simultaneously with the women beginning in the lobby and the men commencing from the building’s workout facility. The goal still was for one man and one woman to make their way to the roof of the building where a ring was set up and retrieve their respective briefcases. After roughly 20 minutes of fighting throughout the building, Nia Jax and Lacey Evans were finally the first to make their way to the roof followed shortly thereafter by Asuka. None of the other women ever made it to the roof as Asuka ascended to the top of the ladder at the same time as King Corbin. For good measure, Asuka kicked Corbin off of the ladder and retrieved the women’s briefcase crowning our first winner of the evening in the process. In the closing moments, A.J. Styles and King Corbin found themselves at the top of the ladder fighting over the briefcase. Both men had their hands on the briefcase as it was unlatched and it appeared that Styles was going to walk away the victor as Elias emerged to deliver a brutal, guitar shattering shot to Corbin, however, this caused the briefcase to be propelled into the hands of the new Mr. Money In The Bank….Otis.

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WWE Money In The Bank 2019

By Steve Ward

Now that the dust has settled from Wrestlemania, it’s time for what has become one of the biggest pay per views of the year (aside from the “Big 4”) as it has dictated the landscape of WWE year after year. This year’s installment of Money In The Bank emanated from the back yard of WWE Headquaters at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Six titles were scheduled to be contested on the card that also boasted two massive Money In The Bank Ladder Matches and a steel cage match between The Miz and Shane McMahon. One factor to take into consideration heading into this event, was whether WWE would push the envelope with their PG rating and pedestrian booking due to the ever increasing pressure being put on by AEW who will present their debut pay per view, Double Or Nothing, next Saturday in Las Vegas.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Naomi vs. Carmella vs. Nikki Cross vs. Mandy Rose vs. Ember Moon vs. Dana Brooke vs. Natalya vs. Bayley

Winner: Bayley

My only real gripe with this match was that it did not feature Alexa Bliss, other than that it was quite entertaining and a great opener to the main card. Towards the conclusion of the match, it appeared that Sonya Deville was going to hand the victory to her running mate Mandy Rose after an impressive display of strength where she threw Rose into a fireman’s carry and scaled the ladder with her on her back. Just as the briefcase was at Rose’s fingertips, Bayley emerged from nowhere to race up the ladder and shove the women off of the ladder leaving her unopposed to retrieve the Money In The Bank contract.

United States Championship

Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe (c)

Winner: Rey Mysterio via pinfall

This match presented an opportunity for Rey Mysterio to seek redemption after he was embarrassed by The Samoan Submission Machine at Wrestlemania with a submission loss in barely a minute. Well Rey certainly gained retribution as he countered a power bomb attempt by Joe and rolled him into a pin to steal the title on a missed call by the ref as Joe’s shoulder was off the mat.

Steel Cage Match

The Miz vs. Shane McMahon

Winner: Shane McMahon

In another Wrestlemania rematch, The Miz sought retribution for his Falls Count Anywhere loss to Shane last month…this time however, it was going to be settled in the carnal confines of a steel cage. After a grueling contest, Shane-o-Mac won in quite entertaining fashion. With Shane McMahon hanging on from the top of the cage on the outside and The Miz attempting to pull him back in from the inside, McMahon slipped out of his shirt to drop to the floor for the victory.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Tony Nese  (c) vs. Ariya Daivari

Winner: Tony Nese via pinfall

“The Premier Athlete” Tony Nese made the second defense, first on pay per view, of the title he won from longtime champ Buddy Murphy at Wrestlemania. In a match that the crowd was just not into unfortunately, Tony Nese put his athleticism on full display, including execution of a 450 splash, on his way to retaining the Cruiserweight title.

WWE RAW Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lacey Evans

Winner: Becky Lynch

In the first of two title defenses scheduled for “Becky Two Belts” on the evening, The Man squared off with Lacey Evans. Lacey Evans put on a strong showing in her first pay per view singles match as she took Becky to the limit. In the end, Becky reversed a pinfall attempt by the Southern Belle into the Disarmer for the submission victory.

As Becky started to leave for the locker rooms, she was intercepted on the ramp by Charlotte Flair.

WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair

Winner: Charlotte Flair via pinfall

As it appeared that Becky would overcome adversity and retain both of her titles, Lacey Evans returned to ringside and delivered a Woman’s Right to The Man while the referee was engaged in a ten count directed towards Charlotte who was outside the ring. Charlotte then returned to the ring and delivered a big boot to Becky to regain the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

After the match, Flair and Evans proceeded to lay waste to Becky until the new Miss Money in the Bank, Bayley, came to the rescue. After Bayley subdued Charlotte, she immediately cashed in her briefcase, ascended to the top turnbuckle and landed an elbow drop to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion!

Elias vs. Roman Reigns

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

Elias shattered a guitar over Roman’s back as he made his way through the backstage area seemingly taking him out of the match. After Elias proceeded to insult the city of Hartford he was greeted with a Superman Punch on his way out. Roman then tossed Elias back into the ring and as soon as the referee called for the bell, Reigns speared Elias out of his boots for a laughably fast victory.

WWE Universal Championship

Seth Rollins (c) vs. A.J. Styles

Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

This match was a bit of a snoozer until A.J. Styles stepped it up a gear and executed a Styles Clash. Styles then attempted to seal the deal with a Phenomenal Forearm, however, Rollins caught him with a knee to the face that dropped him to his knees. Rollins then super kicked Styles and followed up with the Curb Stomp to retain his title.

Six Man Tag Team Match

Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik, and Lince Dorado) vs. Lars Sullivan

Well this wasn’t exactly a match. Lars Sullivan made his way to the ring and left a pile of carnage without an opening bell ever ringing. Essentially, this was WWE exposing Lars Sullivan to a pay per view audience as he continues to lay waste to everyone in his path every week.

WWE Championship

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Kofi Kingston

Kevin Owens baited Kofi into a title match after he posed as a member of the New Day for a couple weeks prior to turning his back on them during Kofi’s match with Shinsuke Nakamura a couple weeks ago. Kofi was able to withstand a Pop-Up Powerbomb and then turned the tables on Owens top rope senton attempt to land the Trouble in Paradise for the pinfall victory.

Men’s Money In The Bank Match

Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor vs. Ricochet vs. Andrade vs. Mustafa Ali (now known as Ali) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. ???

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Sami Zayn was supposed to be the eighth competitor in this match until Braun Strowman earned a small measure of payback after Zayn enlisted Corbin and McIntyre to help him “earn” the final spot in this match recently on RAW. Zayn who was found hanging upside down in the back earlier in the evening got a trip to the hospital while Strowman was banned from the building. The crowd was under the assumption that there would be a replacement but the opening bell rang with only seven competitors in the ring…that is until the ring had later transformed into a war zone. The shocker of the night occurred as it seemed that Ali was going to retrieve the briefcase until the unmistakable music of “The Beast” Brock Lesnar resonated through the arena! Lesnar made his way to the ring, disposed of Ali, and scaled the ladder to become Mr. Money In The Bank.

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WWE Money in the Bank Recap

The split brand WWE Money in the Bank emanated this evening from a raucous Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The card boasted four title matches and two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches. 

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
Winner: Daniel Bryan via submission
Daniel Bryan took the fight to Big Cass early supported by a flurry of “YES” chants from the energized crowd but the tide quickly turned as Big Cass began to utilize his drastic size advantage to brutalize Bryan. In the end, Bryan’s technical prowess had shone through as he overcame multiple torture racks and cut down the seven footer with several YES Kicks. Finally, the founding father of the YES Movement earned the submission victory with a vicious heel hook submission.

Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley
Winner: Bobby Lashley via pinfall
This match marked Bobby Lashley’s in-ring PPV debut since his return to the WWE.  Zayn’s early antics of playing cat and mouse with Lashley didn’t last long as he was absolutely decimated! After throwing Zayn around like a rag doll, Lashley finally finished him off as he executed his third delayed vertical suplex that was followed by a casual one-handed pin.

WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Elias
Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall
This match put the talents of both Rollins and Elias on full display. Rollins most impressive move of the match was a superplex that he maintained his hold on and converted immediately into a Falcon Arrow. The match concluded as Elias’ pin attempt was countered with a rollup by Rollins where he hung on to the tights for the 1-2-3 to retain his title.

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi vs. Lana vs. Sasha Banks vs. Ember Moon
Winner: Alexa Bliss
The climax of this match came as it appeared that Becky Lynch would finally achieve redemption and claim the briefcase until The Goddess emerged out of nowhere and unceremoniously dumped Becky off the ladder causing her to face plant into another ladder wedged in the corner of the ring. Alexa then scaled the ladder and retrieved the money in the bank briefcase earning herself a future title shot.

Jinder Mahal vs. Roman Reigns
Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall
This match developed as a result of the Modern Day Maharaja costing the Big Dog the opportunity to participate in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.  The crowd just wasn’t into this match at all with chants such as: “This match sucks,” “This is awful,” and “CM Punk.” Aside from the crowd’s color commentary, they even went so far as to do the wave. Granted this match, which was controlled by Mahal for the majority of the time, was not that bad as he did display some proficient technical wrestling skills and there was a comedic factor implemented with Sunil Singh at ringside in a wheelchair with a sling and neck brace in tow. In the end, however, it ended in typical Roman Reigns match fashion with a spear and the pinfall.

Smackdown Women’s Championship
Carmella (c) vs. Asuka
Winner: Carmella via pinfall
With moments remaining in the match a masked individual climbed onto the ring apron dressed as a geisha.  This provided a distraction to Asuka that was accentuated when the figure unmasked himself to reveal the returning James Ellsworth! A seemingly terrified Asuka was then kicked in the face by Carmella leading to the pinfall victory.

WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match
A.J. Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Winner:  A.J. Styles
This match, which had the stipulation selected by Shinsuke Nakamura, was contested under Last Man Standing rules. For those of you who need a refresher, this means that the only way to win is to incapacitate your opponent to the point where he cannot respond to the referee’s 10-count. This match brought us a bit of everything: a Kinshasa delivered by Nakamura as he ran across two announce tables striking A.J. as he was prone on the third, A.J. being thrown through a table propped in the corner of the ring, and the dreaded exposed turnbuckle even played a part. The conclusion of this match, however, was truly phenomenal (pun intended) as A.J. gave Nakamura a dose of his own medicine kicking him between the uprights as he taunted Styles while propped up against the announce table. Styles then returned to the ring and propelled himself off of the top rope and delivered a Phenomenal Forearm that put Shinsuke through the table and this time prohibited him from answering the referee’s count of ten.

RAW Women’s Championship
Nia Jax (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
Winner:  No contest
This match appeared as if it would be a massacre of biblical proportions by Nia Jax in the early going but Ronda proceeded to put her submission skills on display. Just as it appeared Rousey was going to get the armbar submission victory, the newly crowned Miss Money in the Bank interfered leading to a no contest.

RAW Women’s Championship Match TWO
Nia Jax (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
Winner: Alexa Bliss via pinfall
After disposing of Ronda Rousey by throwing her over the German announce table, Alexa beat Nia with the briefcase, cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase, and hit the Twisted Bliss to become the new RAW Women’s Champion!!!

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Kofi Kingston
Winner: Braun Strowman
The onset of this match showed the other seven combatants join forces to take out Strowman and after he was driven to the stage by a series of ladder strikes, the other participants proceeded to bury him under several ladders. “The Monster Among Men” couldn’t be subdued for long however… Braun Strowman (with Kofi Kingston clinging on to his back) raced Finn Balor up the ladder as all of the other men were out of the picture. Braun proceeded to swat Balor off the ladder, tossed Kofi away like a bug, and easily attained the briefcase earning a title shot, presumably against Brock Lesnar, whenever he wants.

 

-The Buckle Bomb with Steve Ward

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