“Ravishing” debuts, a “lone wolf” comes out victorious and a “fabulous”, but questionable, win. WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view had it all. The only thing it did lack, however, was even a remotely surprising result. While I technically got two predictions wrong, I’d say only one was truly incorrect.
From the get-go the PPV was laid out as a chance to give opportunities to some competitors who had been overlooked, but all it truly did was everything everyone predicted.
Hype Bros def. The Colons
The pre-show saw the return of Zack Ryder along with Mojo Rawley as the Hype Bros pulled themselves away from their college ragers to defeat The Colons. Ryder, who was returning from an injury was paired back up with Rawley (for the time being) due to the lack of Rawley being involved in any story lines.
And as expected, the two defeated The Colons in easy fashion. Maybe if WWE gives The Colons another name change, they’ll see some wins.
Carmella won MITB ladder match
I’ll be perfectly honest, I had predicted Carmella to win the title or at least No. 1 contender on multiple occasions and I felt this was long overdue. Her, along with James Ellsworth, put on solid displays of performance every time they’re on screen (duh!).
This match also had the capabilities of making Tamina a relevant talent and I believe it did the job, at least to an extent. They booked her to be a bully and that’s what she was as she controlled the opening of the match. Charlotte obviously did what she does as she had some highlights as the match went on. Natalya and Becky Lynch, for the most part, were just a part of the match.
The antics of Ellsworth, who tipped the ladder as Lynch was climbing and then literally snagged the brief case for Carmella, led to a questionable finish. But, with the heat Ellsworth and Carmella receive already, that decision is going to lead to a hell of a lot more reaction from fans.
New Day def. The Usos (via count out)
This was one of my incorrect predictions, but in actuality The Usos still came out as the champs. This challenge was the return to the WWE PPV scene for New Day after they had been swapped over to SmackDown Live, as Kofi Kingston had recovered from his injury and it was a fundamental match.
Usos and New Day have shown to have good chemistry and the timing for these moves was on point. The biggest mistake was a botch as Big E attempted to hit a Big Ending, but couldn’t get a grasp on Jey Uso. Aside from that mistake and a possible three-count from the ref, it was a good match.
I’m not so sure it does anything for the tag team division, though, as it just sets up this feud to continue. Neither team really needs a push, so hopefully it ends soon and a team like Breezango can get a chance at the belts once again.
Naomi def. Lana
This was a bland match to say the least. If Carmella hadn’t come out and acted as if she was going to cash in her Money in the Bank brief case, I would have already forgotten about it. Lana made her in-ring debut in a live aired event and didn’t do half-bad, but once again the result was as expected.
Jinder Mahal def. Randy Orton
[the_ad id=”11697″]I can’t believe they didn’t let the OGs destroy the Singh brothers! I immediately became upset after Orton grabbed them away from the various Hall of Famers that WWE arranged to have at the event. The ending to this match was weak as Mahal snuck away with a quick finisher and got the pin.The rest of the match was enjoyable as Orton and Mahal each went back and forth. Mahal as champ is something I wasn’t really behind, but overall his promos and reactions from the crowd make it so I have to respect the decision. His in-ring, though, isn’t where it needs to be for the WWE champion.
I assume he’ll lose at his next PPV defense, but I don’t think it’ll be Corbin defeating him since that would be a heel-heel feud.
Breezango def. The Ascension
As someone who doesn’t follow NXT nearly enough as he should, The Ascension has never really shown me that they can be a formidable contender and this match may have put a fork in them. A very fashion-forward fork.
Baron Corbin won MITB ladder match
This was my other prediction I was mistaken on. I predicted Sami Zayn, but if I could have two choices (cheating, I know) I would have taken Corbin as my second. The rest of the competitors just don’t need the push that those two do. Corbin’s destruction of Shinsuke Nakamura as he made his entrance was a standing ovation worthy tactic by WWE and the rest of this match followed suit.
From the spots with the ladder to the Nakamura-AJ Styles face off, it was great and was obviously match of the night. Now, I’m hoping Nakamura can focus on Kevin Owens and the US Championship and Styles can compete for the main belt once again.
Overall, I’d give Money in the Bank a 6/10. Only matches I feel are worth re-watching are the New Day/Usos and the men’s ladder match.
The following cards from Money in the Bank appear in today’s Topps Now WWE series and are available for only 24 hours. Click the links throughout this page to purchase your copies.
