WWE’s longest-standing pay-per-view events — WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and Survivor Series — continue to be viewed as the big four. But Money in the Bank, which became its own PPV beginning in 2010, has been just as, if not more, important as the others in recent years.
That’s because the winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match obtains a briefcase that he can then cash in at any time for a shot at the WWE world heavyweight championship. And more often than not, that superstar ends up becoming champ by picking an opportune spot to cash in.
This year’s Money in the Bank ladder match will feature a mix of veterans and up-and-comers. It should make for an interesting bout, especially with WWE’s “Raw” and “Smackdown” brand split coming up next month.
The match for the briefcase isn’t the only intriguing storyline going into this Sunday’s pay-per-view, though. So, let’s look at the expected match card and drop down some predictions.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
Who cares, really? We’ve seen this match 12,000 times and it has sucked 12,000 times, at least from a story-telling standpoint. Corbin should have been booked better after his surprising win in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32. Instead, WWE continues to waste that particular match, which should be used to build new stars and create lasting moments. Let’s just hope this finally is the last installment of the Ziggler-Corbin rivalry, if you can call it that.
Pick:Â Baron Corbin
Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews
This is another throw-in, with the premise apparently being that Sheamus is ticked off about the “new era” of WWE superstars, Crews included. The storyline stinks, as does Sheamus’ same old shtick. But let’s go with the veteran on the idea that Crews isn’t all that fascinating himself despite his freakish athleticism and that a win for The Celtic Warrior will allow the feud to last a little longer, for better or worse. After all, we know how WWE loves to drag out feuds (See Ziggler vs. Corbin).
Pick: Sheamus
Rusev (c) vs. Titus O’Neil — United States championship match
Rusev’s character has taken a huge hit since his early days of dominance, and it all started with a loss to John Cena at WrestleMania 31. It appears WWE is trying to build Rusev back up, even putting Lana back in his corner, so there’s no reason to believe he’ll drop the belt to Titus O’Neil, who isn’t too far removed from a lengthy suspension for showing up the boss.
Pick: Rusev
The New Day (c, Big E and Kofi Kingston) vs. The Club (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillains (Aiden English and Simon Gotch) — WWE tag team championship, fatal four-way match
The New Day have held the straps for a while. And that’s OK because they’re wildly entertaining, even if their attempts to be funny sometimes stray too far into the land of immaturity. But it’s time for a change, and it’s easy to imagine The Club coming away from this match with gold wrapped around their waists given the way Anderson and Gallows have been booked, especially in conjunction with AJ Styles. Enzo Amore and Big Cass are future champs. The Vaudevillains are nobodies.
Pick: The Club
Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Natalya and Becky Lynch
This match isn’t so much about who wins and who loses as it is about where WWE goes next with the women’s division. A Charlotte-Dana Brooke falling-out seems inevitable, as does a Sasha Banks title run. Plus, there’s the possibility that Stephanie McMahon gets involved in a program with Charlotte. We’ll say the faces — Natalya and Becky Lynch — win this battle with some outside interference from Charlotte’s father, Ric Flair, who recently was cast off by his daughter.
Pick: Natalya and Becky Lynch
John Cena vs. AJ Styles
This one could be a classic. Both are huge stars — yet in different ways — and both have a reputation of rising to the occasion when it comes to putting on a good show. The presumption is that Styles’ boys, The Club, somehow will get involved. That should allow Styles to score the victory in this captivating matchup while also prolonging the feud. Keep your fingers crossed for Finn Balor’s debut, though I don’t see that happening just yet.
Pick: AJ Styles
Money in the Bank ladder match (Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Sami Zayn)
A win for Jericho or Del Rio would be a loss for the WWE Universe. And Zayn simply isn’t ready, especially if they’re trying to beat him into the ground before building him up, a la Daniel Bryan. That leaves Ambrose, Owens and Cesaro as the three most likely candidates to score a win. Owens probably should emerge victorious given his heel potential, but recent booking suggests it’ll probably be Ambrose who walks out with the briefcase, setting up a feud featuring all three members of The Shield.
Pick:Â Dean Ambrose
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins — WWE world heavyweight championship
It’s hard to envision Reigns losing the title until at least SummerSlam based on how much effort WWE has put into making him the next face of the company. As such, he’ll probably walk out of “Money in the Bank” with the belt, even though the fan in me would prefer to see a Rollins win and/or a same-night cash-in from whoever wins the MITB ladder match.
Pick: Roman Reigns
Thumbnail photo via YouTube screen grab
