WWE’s Money in the Bank takes place tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show is a far cry from what was originally advertised, as the event was originally set to take place inside Allegiant Stadium and had both Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar heavily featured in the show’s early advertising. But poor ticket sales moved the show a few blocks away to the MGM Grand, then was hit by the news that both Cody Rhodes (who was all over the event’s original commercial) and Rhea Ripley (booked to face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship) were both gone from the show due to injury.
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But there’s still plenty of intrigue for the show, especially given how the Money in the Bank briefcases could spice up WWE’s product when SummerSlam takes place at the end of the month. With ComicBook’s team of wrestling writers assembled, here’s a look at the predictions for what might happen tonight!
Pitch Me a MITB Winner That Spices Up SummerSlam
Connor Casey: I have an idea regarding Cody Rhodes that I’ll get to later in this, but for now let’s have Seth win and have him threaten to recreate what happened at WrestleMania 31. Aside from McIntyre, who is already lined up for a world championship match at Clash at the Castle, Rollins is the only star ready-made to break the monotony of the world championship picture right now. It’s not a great sign that it’s a rehash of seven years ago, but that’s an argument for another day.
Tim Adams: Seth Rollins wins MITB and announces ahead of time that he’s cashing in to make Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns a three-way match. You can even remove the early announcement and let fans think they’re getting Brock vs. Roman for the 100th time, only for Rollins to swerve everyone before the match begins at SummerSlam. It can be similar to last year’s Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks rematch, where Banks was out and Becky made her return to win in 10 seconds.
Charlie Ridgely: Connor and Tim both make great points, and I hope Seth can cause some chaos because the situation surrounding those belts is bleak, at best. So I’m going to pivot over to the other Money in the Bank match happening this weekend. Bianca needs to keep the title for a while and I want to get a full program between her and Rhea when the latter is healthy. Ronda, on the other hand, needs out of the spotlight. Give Shotzi the briefcase and let her take on Ronda, immediately giving the Smackdown champ an opponent that makes her matches interesting. A Shotzi title run would be a lot of fun.
Matthew Aguilar: So, you want spicy? Let’s get spicy. Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi are who I would pick to win this match, but I’m throwing in a twist. With Ronda and Belair both being babyfaces at the moment, a heel should probably win. Also, heels are more fun with the briefcase, so I’ve got Bayley making a surprise return and winning the match, putting her in a feud with Ronda. If Bayley doesn’t return, I’m going to go with Shotzi, though would love to see Liv or Raquel win just as a fan. As for the men’s side, there aren’t as many compelling options, and honestly, it feels like unless there’s a surprise return by Cody Rhodes or something, Seth is the person that needs to win the briefcase. Yes we’ve done this, but it’s been long enough and he’s really the only person that you can stick in that main Title program without much build-up and still make it great.
Does the Women’s MITB Winner Break the Streak and Keep the Briefcase for Longer Than One Day?
Connor: Aside from Carmella (the first Women’s Money in the Bank winner), no woman has held the contract for longer than one day before cashing in. But regardless of whoever gets it this time around, I think they’ll hold off for at least a little while. WWE likely wants to head into SummerSlam with both Belair and Rousey as its champions.
Tim: No, because WWE can’t help itself and keep dumb streaks alive. The question is will the winner have a successful cash-in? It would be nice to have the winner walk around with the big briefcase for an extended period of time. This would allow WWE to tease the cash-in and build anticipation for it finally happening.
Charlie: Yes, unless Becky wins the briefcase. The thing is, though, Becky doesn’t need that briefcase for a title shot, she’s able to get one at any opportunity. Going with the “Becky being wronged around every turn” story, let her take Bianca at SummerSlam and have the briefcase get cashed in right before she can win another title.
Matt: Typically I would say no and that the streak continues. However, the fact that the Women’s Division is so thin at the moment could lead to them doing a longer program with it, at least in terms of lasting over a day. Perhaps we’ll get a few weeks out of it, and I agree with Connor on WWE not likely shaking up Belair or Rousey’s Title reigns until SummerSlam.
Does Cody Rhodes Somehow Get Involved on Sunday?
Connor: For a guy with a torn pec and a return timetable that should have him out until the Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes sure has been talking an awful lot about the Men’s ladder match. His promo after Hell in a Cell was mostly about it and he went right back to talking about it during a surprise video message on this week’s Raw. I can’t shake the idea that WWE will have Rhodes arrive a la Brock Lesnar at MITB 2019 and grab the briefcase without needing to take any bumps.
Tim: No, let Cody Rhodes sit at home and properly heal. Having him cut promos and interviews from home while rehabilitating is enough to not let fans forget about him until it’s time for his triumphant comeback later in the year.
Charlie: I think he is involved in some form or fashion, even if it’s just a pre-taped promo situation. Cody turning out the lights or hitting his music from a control room just to distract Seth and cost him the briefcase would be a great addition to their saga.
Matt: For a normal person I would say probably not, but this man has already appeared on TV once since his surgery and he wrestled a brutal match while visibly injured, so yeah, I’m saying he gets involved in some way. It would seem the plan is to keep him involved on TV here and there throughout his recovery to keep him in fan’s minds, and while that’s not necessarily needed, Rhodes seems fine with it, so I’m guessing we at least see him on a video screen throughout the night.
Carmella or Natalya — Which One Lasts Longer in Their Title Match?
Connor: Rousey’s matches aren’t known for being particularly long while Belair can get 20 minutes out of pretty much anyone. So Carmella will last longer but both will still lose.
Tim: Carmella because Ronda Rousey isn’t known for having long, drawn-out matches. Carmella is an experienced wrestler and as she told Belair on Raw this week, her resume speaks for itself. I can see Belair/Carmella going for 15+ minutes.
Charlie: I can’t imagine being interested in a Ronda match after 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, Bianca is an otherworldly athlete and professional wrestler capable of anchoring incredible main events. Let’s hope Carmella is the right answer here.
Matt: I’d say Carmella, mostly because Ronda’s match with Natalya will likely be in the 10-minute area. That said, I’m actually more excited for Ronda vs Natalya thanks to their excellent social media sparring, and Natalya’s impersonation didn’t hurt either. If you watched SmackDown last year you know that we’ve seen Belair vs Carmella quite a few times before, so I’m just not as enthused to see it again.
Should Theory Still Be US Champion if He Gets His Match With John Cena at SummerSlam?
Connor: I’ll actually go with yes because in the very likely scenario that Cena wins, he’ll get to carry the US Championship around while promoting his upcoming film projects and that will be hilarious (imagine Peacemaker carrying around the US title for a promotional tour).
Tim: Yes, because after John Cena wins (we all know he’s winning) he’s not going to stick around to defend the title. Theory’s one of the top competitors on Raw and the prestige of being US Champion only helps his status.
Charlie: Yes, unfortunately. A match against John Cena doesn’t need stakes, but it feels wrong to give a guy the match of a lifetime AFTER he loses his belt.
Matt: Yes, he should absolutely be United States Champion when the match happens, and truth be told he should actually beat Cena too depending on Cena’s schedule. Cena is Teflon at this point, and if he’s not coming back for at least a small amount of time, having him win the Title does more harm than good. In that case, I would hope Cena loses, even if it’s because of McMahon’s interference or some other outside factor. If Cena is coming back for at least a few weeks to a month though, having him win it should be fun.
Pitch Me Your Top 3 SummerSlam Matches
Connor: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins vs. Riddle, John Cena vs. Theory
Tim: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins Triple Threat after Rollins cashes in MITB, Judgment Day vs. Edge and a team he assembles, Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley
Charlie: John Cena vs. Theory vs. Bobby Lashley, Edge and AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor and Damian Priest, Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
Matt: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins (Triple Threat), Ronda Rousey vs Bayley, Bianca Belair vs Rhea Ripley
Predictions
Connor:
- Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Cody Rhodes Wins
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Becky Lynch Wins
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Carmella
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey def. Natalya
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: The Usos def. The Street Profits
- United States Championship: Theory def. Bobby Lashley
Tim:
- Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Seth Rollins Wins
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Alexa Bliss Wins
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Carmella
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey def. Natalya
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: The Usos def. The Street Profits
- United States Championship: Theory def. Bobby Lashley
Charlie:
- Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Seth Rollins Wins
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Shotzi Wins
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Carmella
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey def. Natalya
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits def. The Usos
- United States Championship: Theory def. Bobby Lashley
Matt:
- Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Seth Rollins Wins
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Bayley Wins
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Carmella
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey def. Natalya
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: The Usos def. The Street Profits
- United States Championship: Theory def. Bobby Lashley
