Money in the Bank is quickly here. The latest WWE pay-per-view has four matches so far, which should still result in some darn good wrestling over the weekend. Let’s quickly get started with the first match.
Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Solo Sikoa vs. LA Knight vs. Penta vs. Seth Rollins vs. Andrade vs. El Grande Americano
Let’s get out of the way now, Penta, Andrade, and El Grande Americano are NOT winning this match. Americano is a lower card comedy gimmick. Andrade is just…there and Penta is stuck in the mid-card vortex. Realistically speaking, I don’t see Knight winning either. He seems like a popular pick because Money in the Bank takes place in LA.
However, there hasn’t been any signs that WWE intends to push him beyond the mic card. John Cena is holding down Smackdown for the rest of the year. It’s doubtful that Knight is the guy that will take the belt off of him. Jey is most likely dropping it to Seth Rollins.
Of course, I would love to be surprised and WWE goes with an out of the box name such as the four that were just mentioned. However, I hope WWE actually tries to do something with these four men before they cash in. Penta, Andrade, Americano, and Knight feel cold. They need a strong main event feud to get fans invested into them as possible top stars.
That leaves Solo Sikoa and Seth Rollins. The latter doesn’t need the briefcase. Rollins can win the belt without the need for Money in the Bank. Plus, there are factors such as Sami Zayn and CM Punk. I can easily see those two interfering to stop Rollins from grabbing the briefcase. But, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed can combat those two men.
On the flip side, I had Solo Sikoa pegged as a future world champion several years ago and WWE was treating him as such. But Sikoa has lost his luster in the past two years, though his booking hasn’t been too bad. Solo has ties to Jey Uso, so that can be an interesting feud if done correctly. Heck, I can see Fatu accidentally costing Solo his money in the bank cash-in, fueling their expected rivalry even more. But I feel that predictability is the name of the game here. Rollins doesn’t need it, but he’s the only name with a major story, so…
Winner: Seth Rollins
Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Alexa Bliss vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Giulia vs. Naomi vs. Stephanie Vaquer
I am genuinely more excited about the women’s MITB match because there’s so many more options here. First, cross Alexa and Rhea Ripley off the list. Bliss is still doing the Wyatt thing (which is taking forever) and Rhea is already a star, so she doesn’t need it.
There’s genuinely a good case to be made for the four remaining names. WWE is clearly building towards some kind of clash between Naomi, Bianca Belair, and Jade Cargill, so Naomi winning the match makes sense. Plus, she’s been killing it with this heel character so Naomi also has momentum on her side.
Stephanie Vaquer is over. It’s possible that WWE goes the respectful route and replay her match against Iyo Sky at a bigger stage. This time with an official winner. Out of all four, I would say that Giulia doesn’t have as much direction as the other potential winners, but WWE can build her name as she’s holding the briefcase. She’s still fresh on the main roster and though it was stupid to feed her and Roxanne to Rhea and Iyo, that loss isn’t going to harm her in the long run.
That leaves Roxanne Perez. She was the runner-up in the Royal Rumble and it’s clear that WWE sees something special in her. Perez opens up some fun possibilities and feuds down the line, though given that she’s Finn Balor’s good luck charm, it would actually serve the story better if she won the match.
I’m going with my heart again, it has yet to fail me so far.
Winner: Naomi
WWE Champion John Cena and Logan Paul vs. World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes
This feels like a set-up match. Meaning, Cody and John Cena will meet again. To be honest though, their WrestleMania match was so bad that I would be fine if it never happened again. Nevertheless, I guess Cena and Paul can walk out as winners, but then the question becomes, what’s next for Cena?
I suppose Cena vs. Punk is a possibility. Punk was the first man to call out Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect. However, Punk still seems caught up in the Seth Rollins saga. Then again, Cody and Cena can blow off their feud at Night of Champions, whereas Punk and Cena can still have their Summerslam match. I’m not seeing much purpose in John and Logan winning here, so…
Winner: Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes
Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Title (Lynch can’t challenge for the title again if Valkyria wins, Valkyria must raise Lynch’s hand if Lynch wins)
I said during the Backlash predictions that Becky Lynch will win this feud and I maintain that stance. There’s still options for Lyra if she beats Becky and it seems that Lyra is getting over with the fans. In fact, it would be wiser if the belt did remain on Lyra. Becky doesn’t need to be Intercontinental Champion, but I suspect that Becky vs. Bayley is going to be the next rivalry for that title.
With the addition of Roxanne Perez, WWE can keep Lyra busy without the need for a title. The company has to just commit to more women’s feud without a belt. There’s over 20 women down in NXT; there’s no reason why Lyra couldn’t be kept busy.
Winner: Becky Lynch