WWE Money in the Bank Review 05/19/2019

Hello Misfits! It’s the Wrestling Classic here with my review for WWE Money in the Bank. It is one of the most fun and unpredictable events of the year. It was so unpredictable that I was 6-5-1 with my predictions. The one being the Bayley cash in. This also was the first PPV since Wrestlemania which feels like it was so long ago now. I managed to somehow be able to watch the entire PPV before heading to one of my best friends wedding receptions. Six championship titles were on the line and two ladder matches gaurunteeing future championship title shots to the winners. Money in the Bank has become like the fifth most significant event of the year after the big four, as the results of this event has the ability to change the landscape of the WWE in the year going forward. Lets see how it played out.

Image via WWE.com

This show is coming to us from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

I missed the kick off show but there was an awesome match between Daniel Bryan and Rowen against the Usos won. They had Naomi make her entrance at the end of the kick-off.

– The show began with a graphic saying In Memory of Ashley Massaro 1979-2019. This was a classy gesture. I had a pleasure of meeting Ashley last year and she was really nice. Truly gone too soon.

– The show opened up with great hype video for the event.

– The commentating is split between the Raw and Smackdown teams. Michael Cole, Renee Young and Corey Graves will call the Raw matches while Tom Phillips, Byron Saxtpn and Corey Graves will call the Smackdown matches. Nigel McGuiness, Vic Joseph and Aiden English are there for the 205 Live match.

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Bayley def. Mandy Rose w/ Sonya Deville, Carmella, Natalya, Dana Brooke, Naomi, Ember Moon & Nikki Cross
in 13:50 by retrieving the MITB briefcase
This was a fun but fairly quick Money in a Bank ladder match.They told multiple stories throughout this match. This was like a quick demolition derby with the women moving fast. One of the stories they told in this match was Carmella apparently getting hurt but returning later in the match like a wounded hero. Dana Brooke literally hanging from the championship being so desperate to change her place in this women’s division. Nikki Cross ran wild to kick off the match. Ember Moon his this awesome eclipse from climbing on a ladder outside of the ring jumping into the ring taking out Natalya. That was incredible and got the crowd to pop. Naomi hit a gnarly split leg moonsault on Bayley while she was played across a ladder. Natalya was the smart veteran in this match which we would later find was a role they also played in the mens MITB with Orton. I had my money on Mandy Rose winning this match. I can definitely see her becoming a women’s champion by the end of this year. I feel like as if they knew that as well because they had Sonya Deville help Rose take out Carmella when it seemed like Mella was going to become a three time Ms Money in the Bank. Deville carried Rose up the ladder on her shoulders only to be met at the top by Bayley who knocked both of them down to win the briefcase. I’ll be honest, I still wish Rose won and not Bayley. However, the way things played out later in the night, it made complete sense. I still do think Rose will be champion by the end of this year, It also seems like we’re heading into a Rose vs Carmella feud. This was a very well put together match with some memorable spots. These women delivered.

– After the match, Bayley was interviewed in the ring by the lovely Charly Caruso who looked like the most attractive green highlighter that I’ve ever seen. Bayley stood there while Caruso mentioned Sasha Banks remaining on Raw while Bayley was on Smackdown even though Banks hasn’t been seen on Raw. Bayley said that she reminded everybody what she’s capable of because she’s not “just Bayley,” she is Miss Money in the Bank. This was a solid promo and definitely one the best ones Bayley has ever cut.

– Triple H was shown in the office wearing a suit while talking on the phone. Sami Zayn showed up saying Strowman was a big problem. Zayn said that he destroyed Strowman to be in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Zayn was all stressed out saying there was concern over this Strowman situation. Triple H said that Braun isn’t even there and is banned from the building. The fans booed. Zayn said he was asking for some protection. Hunter told Sami to tape up his fists and get out of the office.

– Rey Mysterio was shown in the locker room with his son Dominick.

United States Championship
Rey Mysterio def. Samoa Joe (C)
in 01:40 by pin fall
This was a quick match which resulted in Rey Mysterio becoming the United States Championship. Joe hit a kick to the left leg three times to knock Mysterio down as fans chanted “Joe” for the champion. Mysterio charged and hit a hurricanrana to send Joe across the ring. Mysterio hit a jumping kick to the head followed by a seated senton springboard attack off the top. Joe immediately grabbed his nose because Mysterio landed right on his face. Joe was busted open and his nose visually looked broken but I can’t confirm that. You could see the ref communicating to both guys. That led right to the finish. Mysterio hit a hurricanrana, he sat on top of Joe, the ref counted to three and you could tell that Joe’s left shoulder wasn’t even close to being down. Im curious if we got the quick finish due to Joe’s nose being busted but it was a controversial one at that too, where Joe’s shoulder wasn’t down for the three.  It makes me wonder if it was planned to have the match go short. Either way, Mysterio is now a grand slam champion capturing the one championship he has never won. I almost thought Mysterio was going to hand the belt back to Joe due to the finish because he was taking so long to get in the ring although he was just waiting for Joe to leave. Joe attacked Mysterio following the match while Dominick was forced to watch. This shall continue. Is it bad that I’m waiting for Joe to beat up Dominick.

– Kingston gets in the ring and is told that the WWE title match will actually be happening later tonight. Kingston is going to face the Bar in a handicap match.

Steel Cage Match
Shane McMahon def. The Miz
in 13:08 when he escaped the cage
Its the final chapter between Shane McMahon and The Miz. This time they settle it in a steel cage.Shane McMahon made his entrance to boos with Greg Hamilton doing the special “best in the world” introduction for him. I want to remind everyone that in a steel cage match for the WWE, you can win by pin fall, submission or by escaping the cage. There were “AEW” and “CM Punk”chants during this match. Shane set up for the Coast to Coast dropkick, but Miz caught him and slapped on the Figure Four Leglock submission. Shane grabbed the ropes to try to break the hold, but they said no rope breaks and Shane tried to get out of the door. Miz held onto Shane’s legs to keep him in the ring. Miz dragged Shane back in the ring while Shane brought a chair into the ring. This was a clever way to bring a chair into the match. Miz ended up annihilating Shane-O with the chair with eight chair shots to the back. The Miz made it clear that it was for the entire Miz family. Miz followed that up with a skull crushing finale on the chair. The commentators made it really clear that all these submissions and pin falls being broken by Shane getting to the ropes made no sense since its no DQ inside of the cage. The Miz and Shane fought on top of the cage and this eventually led to Miz hitting one of the worst looking splashes of all time. It looked as if Miz’s feet hit the ground before he splashed on Shane.Miz with a catapult into the cage, so Shane climbed up the cage quickly. Miz teased a suplex off the top of the cage into the ring, but Shane held onto the cage. Miz grabbed onto the Shane jersey and Shane managed to slip to the floor as the winner of the match. I really thought The Miz would get his W in this feud but that was not the case. Does this feud go on? I’m confused. This match wasn’t that great overall in my opinion.

– It was announced that Mick Foley will appear on Raw on Monday night to announce WWE’s newest title. Return of the hardcore championship?

– There was a backstage shot of Triple H and others running in the backstage area with referees as well. There was a shot of Sami Zayn hanging upside down with his feet tied together. Triple H told the camera to get out of there.

Cruiserweight Championship
Tony Nese (C) def. Ariya Daivari
in 09:20 by pin fall
Daivari had a great PPV entrance rolling into the arena in Del Rio fashion in a Mercedes Benz. This is pretty big for 205 Live as they’re rarely showcased on the main card but usually on the kick-off show. These two guys had a really good wrestling match from a technical standpoint but on such a big occasion like having a cruiserweight championship match on the main card, you’d think they would give us a match that would allow casual fans to get excited about the division and tune into 205 Live. By no means was this a bad match. It was a really solid match but I feel like the crowd was dead most of it and it really could have used more highflying and high-risk action that people correlate the most with the cruiserweight division. The finish came when Nese hit Daivari after a running knee. Nese retains but similar to Cedric Alexander when he was champion, the babyface champion who’s just happy to defend his title gets old real fast.

– There was a shot of Braun Strowman backstage with Triple H walking up to him. Hunter told him that if Braun thinks he is going to take Sami Zayn’s place in the Money in the Bank match, it’s not going to happen. Braun said he didn’t do a damn thing. Hunter said he’s going to ask Braun as a professional and as his boss, he’s going to ask Braun to leave. Braun just said, “whatever man” and left.

RAW Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch (C) def. Lacey Evans
in 08:37 by submission
First things first, Lacey Evans entrance was cool. The two guns that spat out Lacey money was tremendous. I feel like this is only the third time we’ve ever watched Lacey wrestle on the main roster but I could be wrong. Once agin she looked really good in the ring. The fans were strongly behind Becky Lynch and even humming her theme song throughout the match. Lacey Evans showed up and really has future championship potential but like I predicted Becky Lynch got the best of her making Evans tap out to a disarmher after a solid back and forth battle. There was a point where Lacey had Becky for a roll-up but didn’t count because he was checking to see if Lynch’s shoulders were down. This might have been playing off of the match earlier between Joe and Mysterio where the ref was incompetent in doing their job. I wonder if this will lead into some angle about poor reffing. I don’t know what else to say about this match besides I knew it wasn’t over between these two.

– As Becky Lynch was celebrating with her two titles and heading to the back, Charlotte Flairs music hit. Charlotte Flair had big smile on her face because the title match was next with the idea that Lynch didn’t expect it to happen right away. Flair was very confident while Lynch seemed frustrated when she realized she had to wrestle right now. They didn’t officially announce both women for the match, but the Smackdown Women’s Title was held up by referee Mike Chioda to begin the match.

Smackdown Women’s Championship
Charlotte Flair def. Becky Lynch (C)
in 06:11 via pin fall
I dont know what it is but seeing these two across the ring from each other gets me excited. I know we’ve seen it so many times, but the history and relationship between the two just always makes it feel special. Its the same way I feel every time I see Charlotte and Sasha in the ring with each other. There was the time it got old but looking back, it made it one of the greatest feuds in the women’s division. I believe Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are on that list now as well. Flair kicked off the match super aggressive, taking advantage of the fact that Lynch just wrestled a match. Flair took the bump her pops made popular where Charlotte went to the top but Lynch caught her and body slammed her back into the ring. They went back and forth until Lacey Evans showed up again like I predicted in my predictions. Evans hit a women’s right on Lynch as the referee was distracted with counting Charlotte out on the other side of the ring. Flair made her way back in the ring and went for a bodyslam but Lynch countered with an inside cradle for a two count. Charlotte comes back with a big boot to Becky for the three and the Genetically Superior one becomes a nine time Women’s Champion. This was exactly what I predicted was going to happen. Lacey would lose but Charlotte would win with the help of Lacey to take a belt back to the blue brand. This would not only end Becky 2 belts but also secure one women’s title on both shows again. However, thus wasn’t it…

– After the match, Becky Lynch attacks Lacey Evans outside of the ring. Charlotte comes to aid Lacey Evans and the two of them work on Lynch together. Bayley’s music hits and she comes to even the odds. Bayley knocked down Charlotte with a clothesline and hit a knee to the face of Evans. Bayley hit a suplex to send Evans out of the ring. Flair knocked down Bayley with a forearm to the back. Flair stomped away on Lynch against the turnbuckle as the fans chanted for Bayley. Flair charged at Bayley, who moved and Bayley sent Flair face first into the middle turnbuckle. Flair sold that routine bump as if she was knocked out. The crowd cheered loudly for Bayley, who looked at her Money in the Bank briefcase and fans chanted “yes” for Bayley. Bayley told referee Mike Chioda she wanted to cash in Money in the Bank right now. The fans were cheering loudly for this as referee Mike Chioda called for the bell.

MITB Cash-In
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Bayley def. Charlotte Flair (C)
in 00:17 seconds by pin fall
Bayley immediately goes for the flying elbow after hesitating to cash in for what felt like forever. That single flying elbow allowed Bayley to pick up the victory, successfully cash in the money in the bank briefcase ad become the Smackdown Women’s Champion. This is the second year in a row where the women’s Money in the Bank winner cashed in on the same night of winning the briefcase. Alexa Bliss did the same thing last year. Thus far, all three women’s MITB winners have successfully cashed in. This is the second time Charlotte has been cashed in on as Carmella cashed in on her last year the Smackdown after Mania. This gives Bayley a ton of momentum as a new Smackdown star if that even matters now with all these wild card rules and the never ending shake up. The reaction for Bayley’s win was solid. I may not be the biggest Bayley fan but I hope this fan support for her as a top babyface continues since Becky Lynch might be exclusive to Raw…besides on wild card weeks.

– Roman Reigns is walking to the ring as Elias creeps behind him t0 hit him with the guitar across the back.

Roman Reigns def. Elias
in 00:09 via pin fall
Elias came out and sat on his stool. He had an electric guitar in the ring tonight compared to his regular acoustic guitar. Elias claimed he was not just the biggest acquisition in Smackdown history, but all of WWE history. Elias said that Vince McMahon texted him saying because of Elias, Vince can sleep peacefully at night knowing that the future of WWE is in good hands. Elias said that made him feel good, but he wondered why you would come to a morally, substandard toilet bowl like Hartford which got him a chorus of boos. Elias said that with the Big Dog out of the way, the era of Elias can begin. Elias sang a song about how people there are so boring, he brings energy to the world, no one wants to hear Roman talk and Elias just took Reigns for a walk. Elias said that North Carolina was a beautiful place, now he understands why the Whalers left this city because Hartford is a disgrace. That’s a 22 year NHL reference since Hartford’s hockey team moved to Carolina. Elias thanked the crowd, said he loved none of the fans and that was it. Elias said he was going to get out of Hartford. Elias posed on the stage, which is when the music of Roman Reigns started up. Reigns hit a Superman Punch to knock down Elias. Reigns looked fine after he was hit with a guitar backstage several minutes earlier. Reigns threw Elias into the ring. The bell rang to start the match. Reigns hit a spear for the win. I don’t know if it was a timing issue but I was really hoping to see a proper competitive Elias and Roman Reigns match. I hope we get to see Elias get the better of Reigns eventually.

Universal Championship
Seth Rollins (C) def. AJ Styles
in 19:45 via pin fall
This match lived up to expectations. It had the big match feel. It was Seth Rollins first PPV Universal Championship defence. It was AJ Styles first shot at the Universal Championship since being moved to Raw. They had Mike Rome do the big introductions to build up the anticipation. The match kicked off with some back and forth chain wrestling. There was a lot more back and forth action with both guys trying to get the best of each other. Rollins came at Styles with suicide dives and while Styles came back with forearms and an ushigoroshi. The story they seemed to be telling from early on in the match was Rollins avoiding the Styles Clash. There was a sequence where Rollins avoided it which led to a buckle bomb followed by a frog splash. There was more back and forth but one of the next big spots really captured my attention. Rollins hit a reverse superplex off the top rope on Styles, which looked amazing and Rollins hit a lifting slam for a two count. The crowd popped big for that nearfall and you can tell these guys were heading towards the finish. The story switched to Rollins trying to go for his finish the curb stomp but now Styles trying his best to avoid it. Styles countered a curb stomp with a calf crusher which Rollins rolled out of. They get into a slug fest that has the fans chanting for both guys.Rollins hit a step up enziguri, Styles went for a Pele Kick, but Rollins moved and followed with a kick. Rollins went for another curb stomp and Styles countered it by hitting an Styles Clash, and I was even on the edge of my seat for this near-fall. That was amazing. Wow! Styles was shocked that he didn’t get the win with that. Styles went for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Rollins caught him with a ripcord knee to the face. Rollins with a kick to the face put Styles on his knees. When Styles got to his feet, Rollins hit the curb stomp for the win.
This match was outstanding. I predicted that Rollins would win since he just won the Universal Championship at Mania, but man what a match. I’m looking forward to the rematch down the road. Hopefully one of them will be a heel at that point. That curb stomp counter into a styles clash was amazing. 

-After the match, Rollins celebrated and Styles gave him the ring. Styles returns to the ring and I think we all anticipated a heel turn here from Styles to continue this feud. They had a long staredown. Rollins held up the Universal Title. Styles looked up at it and then put his head down. Styles extended his hand. Rollins shook his hand as a sign of respect. I’m not a hundred percent sure when but Styles will put his focus back on the Universal Championship soon and I hope he has more of an edge then. 

– Kofi Kingston is interviewed by Charley Curoso. He talks about wanting to go out alone tonight without Xavier Woods to prove he can defend this championship on his own. Xavier comes in and says he believes in Kofi and is going to abide to his wishes by staying backstage. Kofi says he’s hyped and nobody is going to get to him anymore by going through his brothers. Xavier Woods says that why he’s the WWE Champion while gyrating his hips.

– Lucha House Party comes out only to get attacked by Lars Sullivan. Lars ended up getting colour from a cut on his head.

WWE Championship
Kofi Kingston (C) def. Kevin Owens
in 14:10 by pin fall
It’s Kofi Kingstons first big PPV defence since becoming the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania. These two kicked things off with a brawl as you would expect since the feud has been personal. It quickly spilled out to the outside. Owens hit a big frog splash onto Kofi from the apron to the floor. Owens worked on the back of Kingston with kicks and knees to the back. Kingston came back with a back body drop that sent Owens into the turnbuckle. Kingston hit chops to the chest, a dropkick and a leaping clothesline followed by the boom drop leg drop. Owens came back with a Boston Crab as he continued the offense working on the lower back of Kingston with Kofi getting to the ropes to break it. Later in the match, Owens went for a Popup Powerbomb, Kingston avoided it and Kingston hit the SOS for two. Kingston went for Trouble in Paradise, Owens blocked it and slapped on another Boston Crab submission. Kingston tried for a submission hold, Owens shoved him away and Owens hit a Popup Powerbomb for a two count. The fans rooted for Kingston, so Owens told the fans to stop clapping. Owens went for a Stunner, Kingston shoved him off and Kingston hit a Trouble in Paradise kick leading to Owens bumping to the floor. What a veteran maneuver by KO! Back in the ring, Owens hit a Stone Cold Stunner with Kingston bumping near the ropes, so when KO covered, Kingston got his hand on the bottom rope to kick out. Owen got frustrated and took Kingstons shoes off to throw outside of the ring. Owens went to the top for a swanton but Kingston got his knees up. This was followed by a Trouble in Paradise which allowed Kingston to retain his WWE Championship. This was exactly what I predicted would happen as it would have been too early for Kingston to lose the belt. It was also a hard spot to be in to follow Rollins and Styles. I think this was a good match and I might enjoy it more with a second watch.

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Brock Lesnar def. Baron Corbin, Ricochet, Ali, Andrade, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor
in 19:00 by retrieving the MITB briefcase
Talk about a wild turn of events. There was no replacement for Sami Zayn when the match kicked off but we all saw how things played out in the end. These seven guys went all in during the Money in the Bank match. Randy Orton played the veteran role and got the best of everyone early on. He hit those back body drop slams on Ali, Balor and Richochet on the announcers table early on. The fans really got behind Orton while he had this momentum even thought he’s supposed to be the bad guy. Orton tried to make this quick and ride the wave of momentum so he set up a ladder to climb only for Andrade to springboard drop kick the ladder knocking Orton down. This broke down in a chaotic crash course of flesh and metal. Ali and Ricochet took out their opponents with speed and an arial attack. Corbin and McIntyre used their power and size advantage to slow them down and their history of working together to work together in this match. Andrade and Balor continues to be workhorses in this match taking some of the more nastier bumps. Balor literally gave his back for this match with three painful looking back bumps on to ladders throughout the match. One when Andrade hit a sunset flip on Balor over a ladder onto another ladder that was bridged off the ropes which an awesome “Yowie Wowie” chant. The second one was later in the match when Corbin chokeslammed Balor onto a folded ladder. The final one was when McIntyre suplexed Balor onto a folded ladder which was followed by Drew Alabama Slamming Andrade on top of him. Ali hit a reverse hurricurana Ricochet which he sold perfectly. Orton played the veteran ring general who like a snake would slither his way back into match when necessary. Orton hit an awesome RKO on McIntyre near the end of the match by pulling him off the ladder catching him with the finisher. Andrade and Ali hit an awesome spanish fly during this match as well. Richochet was put through a big ladder that was bridged from the ring apron and to the announcer table when McIntyre launched him outside of the ring onto it.
In the end, Ali made it to the top of the ladder and when he was just fingertips away from winning, Brock Lesnar’s music hit. This got a mixed pop but definitely a loud pop overall. Brock Lesnar ran down to the ring, shoved a ladder over and it hit two camera guys at ringside. Lesnar went into the ring, shoved the ladder and knocked Ali off the ladder leading to Ali bumping into the ropes.Paul Heyman was at ringside with Lesnar. Lesnar set up the ladder under the briefcase, Lesnar climbed up to boos, Lesnar laughed while on top of the ladder and Lesnar unhooked the Money in the Bank briefcase. He continued to laugh and taunt the fans as he sat on top of the ladder with the briefcase. I never thought we would see Lesnar in a MITB match and I’m not even sure how he got involved in this one. Was Lesnar supposed to be the eighth man? Regardless, these 7 men gave us all they had in this match and it was a really entertaining twenty minutes. There were some ridiculous and concerning bumps for sure. I was really hoping for an underdog like Ali, Ricochet or Andrade to win but instead they swerved us with the Beast. I really enjoyed everything about this. The Lesnar finish made me laugh more than anything else. 

Final Thoughts
It was a fun show that was a mixed bag. There were some really memorable things such as the Rollins/Styles match, two MITB matches, the Bayley cash in and the Lesnar finish. Lesnar’s appearance was a huge shock that I doubt anybody saw coming. It might stress out a portion of the fanbase who are sick of seeing him as a champion who barley appears and now he’s the MITB winner who might not be appearing every week. Another theory someone commented on my page which I thought would have been brilliant is having Wyatt reappear at this event to win the briefcase but that of course didn’t happen. Styles and Rollins is definitely a nominee of match of the year so far. I wasn’t that excited about Bayley winning the MITB but her cash in will be memorable. It also included the end of Becky two belts and Charlotte becoming a nine time champion. Kofi and Owens was really good too but other than that everything else sort of fell flat. I would definitely recommend you check out the two ladder matches, Owens/Kingston and Rollins/Styles if you get a chance. Dig it?!
Final Rating – 6.5/10

What were your final thoughts on Money in the Bank? What final grade would you give the event? Where would you rate it on a scale of ten? Do you agree with my review? Leave your comments, opinions and thoughts below in the comments section.