Depending on your tastes, the Money in the Bank ladder match – the main event of Sunday’s titular WWE pay-per-view event – could fall anywhere in the spectrum between brilliant experiment in creativity and fun, or a complete debacle that desecrated the storied tradition of professional wrestling. No matter what your thoughts, there’s no question that the match will never be forgotten.
With professional wrestling having to adapt in response to the current global situation, WWE has had to change the presentation of its product. This includes going beyond the traditional “live” matches, and introducing more cinematic-style matches, like the Boneyard Match and the Firefly Funhouse match at last month’s WrestleMania, and indeed the Money in the Bank ladder match on Sunday. Or more accurately, the matches, since the men’s and women’s matches were held simultaneously, took place at WWE’s world headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
All of the competitors started off in the ground floor, with the objective being to get to the roof of the building, atop of which there was a ring over which the MitB briefcases were hanging.
The women — Lacey Evans, Nia Jax, Carmella, Shayna Baszler, Dana Brooke and Asuka — started off in the building lobby, and the men in the ground floor gym, with all participants gathering in their respective areas one at a time during the introductions.
Asuka didn’t show up for her introduction, puzzling everyone. The women heard her screaming and everyone looked up, and saw her perched up on the ledge of the atrium overlooking the lobby, presumably giving her the advantage, as she was already one storey ahead of the pack.
At the bell, all the men — AJ Styles, Otis, Aleister Black, King Corbin, Rey Misterio and Daniel Bryan — collided in the centre of the gym, while Asuka leaped from her perch onto all of the women, taking them down. She then danced her way to the elevator and hit the button, hoping to make a quick escape to the top floor. Nobody was able to get to the door in time, so the others made a beeline for the stairs, while the elevator camera showed her laughing and celebrating her genius move.
The men paired off in battle, with a mirror wall being the first major casualty of the night when Corbin frisbeed a weight plate into it when Bryan avoided its path. The battle resumed in the gym, with all of them using the exercise machinery to punish one another. In a funny move, Otis trapped AJ underneath a heavy bar stacked with weight, and everyone ran out, leaving AJ begging for help.
The first fun cameo of the night came when the men raced past the bathroom where Brother Love was coming out of a stall. Thankfully he washed his hands, as the action continued. They ran into the office hallways, and everyone fought it out in front of the elevators. They all got into the elevator, except for Rey, who continued to find an alternative way.
The women battled in the stairwell and then ran into a different elevator lobby. The door opened, and the men – still fighting – spilled out. Hilariously, a second elevator opened as well, and Asuka was in there – even though she had gotten in several minutes earlier and should easily have been at the top floor by this time. She left the elevator, saw the brawl, and took off, with only Shayna noticing her and giving chase.
In another funny moment, Bryan had Corbin tied up in the ropes in a mock ring that was sitting in the elevator lobby, and was delivering a series of kicks to Corbin’s chest, while Otis screamed “Yes!” after each one, in support. So Bryan then turned his attention to Corbin, and peppered him with some. With both men down, Bryan took off down the hall, following Black who’d left moments earlier. After they left, a bootleg Doink the Clown in a dress shirt popped his head out from behind a chair that was in the corner of the fake ring. That was surreal.
The women all collided in a hallway intersection, leading to a fight in a conference room. This led to a neat confrontation between Jax and Baszler. Nia used her size to stampede Baszler down, but as she gloated, Dana Brooke came up from behind and clocked her with a steel chair – wait, why was there a steel chair in a conference room full of comfy office chairs? Dana looked up at the ceiling and there was a Money in the Bank briefcase above the table. She climbed the table, and pulled it down. Her music played, and she celebrated what she thought was the win.
But then Stephanie McMahon came out of nowhere and told her that this was only the Money in the Bank conference room and reminded her that the real briefcase was on top of the building. She then asked Dana to clean up her mess, as Nia was drooling all over the floor. Dana was shocked. As she sat there in disbelief, Carmella took a framed poster of the wall and smashed it over Dana’s head, leaving her laying. With all the women down, Carmella took off to resume her quest to the roof. Instead, after a sweet moonwalk out the conference door, she was blindsided by a Woman’s Right that knocked her out. Lacey, the deliverer of that punch, then took off.
AJ, after somehow escaping the gym, was out for revenge on Rey, who pointedly left him trapped. He saw a giant poster of Rey on a wall, and punched it. Then he saw a poster of the Undertaker that freaked him out. His fears continued when he went into a darkened office, saw a casket, and had flashbacks of the Boneyard Match at WrestleMania where he was buried alive. A sadistic Black closed the door, leaving AJ in the room to face his fears.
In a catering area, Paul Heyman was eating his meal, and everyone barged in fighting. He tried to calm everyone down, but Otis channeled his inner John Blutarsky and called out for a food fight, starting it by throwing a plate of food onto Heyman. The looks of shock on everyone’s faces – including Dana, who was inexplicably still wearing the picture frame, said it all, and the fight was on.
More great moments ensued, including Rey getting choked out by Shayna, and when she release him, he got Karachi Krunched by Otis and Nia. After that, Nia caught Dana and threw her into a pop machine, powerbombed Carmella through the catering table, and then had a staredown with Otis.
After Nia left, Otis wandered into the cafeteria and excitedly picked up a pie. All of a sudden, who should drive up in his motorized chair but John Laurinaitis. “People Power” wasn’t able to save him from a face full of pie, unfortunately.
Elsewhere, Asuka ran by a janitor who was cleaning up, and used his mop to stave off the others. In what may have been the nastiest bump of the night, Dana ran into that area, spilled on the mop water, and slipped – it looked like she brained herself pretty hard when she fell. But she got up and followed everyone else as they chased Asuka into the stairwell.
AJ and Daniel spilled into an office which it turns out was Vince McMahon’s – which was only revealed when they saw the Chairman sitting at his desk. He stood up, his music hit, and he ordered them out of the room. Like two little kids being scolded, the two shame-facedly tried to blame each other for the transgression. They sheepishly put the chairs they’d bumped into back into place and left. Outside, they reflected on what had just happened, before Corbin and Black ran in and the brawling resumed. Corbin, getting the better of things, made his intentions known that he was heading to the roof.
Asuka and Nia were the first to arrive there, followed shortly thereafter by Lacey. The three of them battled it out, alternating between climbing the ladder, pulling someone else off the ladder, or hitting someone else with the ladder. Nia seemed to get the worst of it when Asuka pushed the ladder over and it looked like it beaned Nia right on the top of her head. In the end, Asuka was on top of the ladder with Lacey right behind her one step behind. Asuka elbowed Lacey which knocked her down and onto Nia, and they both tumbled down.
Baron Corbin climbed up the other side of the ladder to try to grab the men’s briefcase, but Asuka would have none of it, not wanting to risk any balance issues. She kicked him in the face, knocking him down, and then got to the top of the ladder and grabbed a briefcase to win the women’s match.
As Corbin shook off his fall, Otis made his way into the ring. He tried climbing the ladder, but the rungs kept breaking. Corbin cut him off, using another ladder to bash him. But then Otis avoided a Corbin corner smash, and Corbin was prone for the Caterpillar. Otis hit it, but then Black blasted him with a Black Mass out of nowhere. Black tried to scale the ladder, but Rey ran into the ring and scaled the other side. AJ entered the fray, and tipped the ladder over, sending them both to the floor around the ring.
Corbin picked them up, and one after the other, threw them over the edge of the building to loud thuds. After this double homicide, Corbin tried again to go for the main prize.
He and AJ were on either side of the ladder, and together they unhooked the briefcase, both of them gripping it and playing tug-of-war with it. All of a sudden, Elias ran in and clocked Corbin in the back with a guitar. The shock caused the briefcase to violently pop out of both Corbin’s and AJ’s hands. AJ tried to hang on to the case, but fumbled it, and the case fell down and into the waiting arms of Otis who was standing underneath. And with that, Otis won the match and fluked his way into a guaranteed title opportunity. The show ended with Otis celebrating his win.
Other than the unlikely winner in Otis, this reviewer thought this was a heck of a fun ride. While I may quibble with the lack of exciting in-ring spots once the action got to the roof, and the dubious winner in Otis, I found it to be entertaining, hilarious at times, and a very unique way to present the match in light of the circumstances.
While this PPV will never be considered an all-time classic (indeed, much of the rest of the card was lack-lustre), the match was definitely unique, and as I said in my introduction, certainly memorable.
Money in the Bank detailed results:
Kickoff Show
The pre-show, hosted by Scott Stamford and Peter Rosenberg, consisted of video recaps of the feuds leading up to the show, a combination of backstage and selfie-style interviews, and predictions made by remote panelists. Not much to say here, except that in her emoji-filled video, Tamina may have introduced the absolute worst catchphrase of all time, “There’s nobody meaner than Tamina.” Even Scott Stamford had to acknowledge how terribly clunky the non-rhyme was.
Pre-Show Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Cesaro
The commentators pushed this match as being the first step on the road to redemption for Hardy, who was making his first in-ring appearance in about a year. This was pretty good, with Cesaro using his power to punish Hardy, including a vicious whip into the ring apron, a legdrop off the ropes, and a double stomp. Hardy hit a number of his signature moves, including a Whisper in the Wind, and later a Twist of Fate, but surprisingly wasn’t able to get the pin after that one. In the closing moments, Hardy threw Cesaro into the ring steps, and then ran the ringside barrier to hit a flying clothesline. After that, he got Cesaro in the ring and put him away with a Swanton Bomb.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Match Rating: 7/10
Main Show:
Match 1: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) (c) vs. The Miz and John Morrison vs. the Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler w/ Jaxson Ryker) vs. Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) – Fatal 4-Way Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship
Kofi and Gran Metalik had some smooth moves in the opening minute, but things got more chaotic once the Sons blind-tagged themselves in them, and the match got blown wide open. Soon, all four teams were brawling on the floor, and Morrison hit a Front Spanish Fly on Metalik from the top to the floor, flattening everyone. Metalik tried for another aerial assault, but Ryker cheap-shotted him from the floor. Metalik was able to tag Dorado, who dazzled with a series of quick moves, including a Dropsault that took out both Miz and Morrison and nearly scored a fall. The New Day hit a nice Super DoubleKnee Stomp on Cutler, but only got the two-count. After the Sons flattened Big E, Miz tagged in and he nearly stole the pin, but it got broken up in an exciting sequence. Metalik then got back in, and he and Lince double-teamed Big E, with successive aerial bombs, which would have ended things if not for the Sons breaking it up. The Sons and New Day had a nice exchange, which led to the referee sending Ryker to the back when he caught him interfering yet again. As everyone dealt with that situation, the LHP hit stereo flying dives that took out Miz and Morrison and the Sons. This led to a 2-on-2 situation between New Day and LHP, and in short order, Big E’s power game made the difference, and he hit the Big Ending on Gran Metalik to get the pin.
Winners, and still Smackdown Tag Team Champions: The New Day
Match Rating: 8/10
In a selfie video, Lacey Evans said that her Marine training helped her memorize the layout of the corporate HQ building, so that would give her the advantage in the MitB match.
Backstage, Drew McIntyre told Charly Caruso that he was not the underdog in his title match against Seth Rollins, despite their respective histories. Drew warned Rollins he was going to break his jaw in order to shut Seth’s mouth once and for all.
Match 2: R-Truth vs. MVP
R-Truth rapped his entrance, but obviously there was silence during the “What’s up” call and response – Truth is so much fun, though, it didn’t really matter. The match never happened. MVP grabbed the mic and started jawing with MVP, arguing about who did the “Ballin'” thing better. This brought out Bobby Lashley, who told MVP to take the night off. Truth asked for the night off too, but in his nervousness, ended up slapping Lashley, leading to:
Match 2: R-Truth vs. Bobby Lashley
Lashley squashed Truth, ending the beating with a Spear in about a minute.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Match Rating: Not Rated. More of an angle to show Lashley as an angry monster.
In a selfie video, King Corbin ran down his recent beatings of Elias, Drew Gulak, and Daniel Bryan, and then said he would be soon known as “King Money in the Bank”.
Backstage, Bayley yelled at Kayla Braxton who asked if she blamed Sasha for losing to Tamina which gave Tamina her title shot tonight. Bayley vehemently denied blaming Sasha, who gave a strange look to the camera after Bayley had left.
Match 3: Bayley (w/ Sasha Banks) (c) vs. Tamina – for the Smackdown Women’s Championship
In a funny touch, Sasha and Bayley booed Tamina during her introduction and cheered for Bayley. Bayley’s goading was a bad move, as it just angered Tamina, who pummeled her for her efforts. Bayley used some strategy to get Tamina down, and then savagely smashed the challenger’s leg around the ring post. Tamina was able to get up, and she resumed her pummelage. But when she went for a Superkick, Bayley caught the bad leg, and cranked on a kneebar, causing damage before Tamina could make it to the ropes for a break. An over-confident Bayley tried to lift Tamina, but collapsed under the weight, and they were both down. Bayley tried to humiliate Tamina by dumping a bottle of water on her face, but Tamina just got angry like she was Bruce Banner. And Bayley didn’t like her when she was angry. Especially when Tamina sent her flying over the announce table and hard onto their chairs. Bayley climbed back in the ring, and was prone for a Superkick and a Samoan Drop. This would have been the end, but Sasha Banks ran into the ring to break things up. Tamina chased her, and the distraction cost her, as Bayley rolled her up for the win. After the match, Banks attacked Tamina and celebrated with Bayley.
Winner, and still Smackdown Women’s Champion: Bayley
Match Rating: 7/10
Backstage, Seth Rollins said he would do Drew McIntyre by relieving him of the burden of being the champion.
Match 4: Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman (c) – for the Universal Championship
Bray came out in his “normal” non-fiend persona, and had a cheery demeanour, even when getting beaten up. While beating him down, Strowman kept reminding Bray that he wasn’t the same person he was while he was with the Wyatt Family. Bray took it outside, where he bashed Wyatt from post to post, though Bray kept up with the happy talk. Browman went for his running Freight Train attack on the floor, but Wyatt side-stepped him, and Braun crashed hard into the commentary table. As he tried to get up, Huskus the Pig puppet popped up from behind the ringside barrier to cheer Bray on. Bray then turned up the aggression, spiking Braun with a DDT on the floor, but was only to get a two-count when he rolled Braun back into the ring. The match spilled outside again, and Wyatt introduced Braun to the ring steps. This act of aggression seemed to distress Bray, and he actually apologized to Braun for it. Back in the ring, Bray hit a Tornado DDT and then Sister Abigail, but Braun kicked out! This shocked and confused Bray, who then started arguing with the voices in his head. He went for another Sister Abigail, but Braun blocked it by grabbing Bray’s throat and and planting him with a chokeslam. Another exchange of moves saw Bray dump Strowman to the floor. As he planned his next move, Braun’s head slowly emerged above the apron, and he was wearing his old black sheep mask. This affected Bray, who laughed in delirious joy, fell to his knees, and welcomed Braun back into the family. Braun fell to his own knees, and put out his arms, as if to welcome a hug. They both stood up, and hugged, bringing out the rest of the puppets to celebrate the return of Bray’s prodigal son. But it was a ruse, and Braun took off the mask, dropped it on the ground, and stomped on it. As Wyatt looked on in confusion, Strowman picked him up and powerslammed him for the pin. After the match, Braun hollered at Bray, saying he was his own man and that he would never rejoin Wyatt. Wyatt lay in the ring, angry, and there were flashes on the screen of The Fiend.
Winner, and still Universal Champion: Braun Strowman
Match Rating: 6/10
A video aired of the Smackdown hacker. He sat in front of a wall of video screens watching the goings-on of various superstars. He said that nobody was safe, and that the truth would be heard.
Match 5: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre – for the WWE Heavyweight Championship
This one started off with McIntyre getting the slight edge as a result of his strength advantage. But Seth attacked Drew’s knee, and when Drew left the ring to try to walk it off, Seth hit a flying dive, taking control. He locked on a few leg submissions, but Drew finally got to the ropes for a break. Seth hit another dive to the floor, and then hit a series of flying knees, nailing Drew in the head in succession. Seth went for another flying dive, but Drew caught him and tossed him onto the announce table, giving Drew a chance to take control. He pounded Seth with a series of moves, and was going to end things with a Claymore, but Rollins was able to thwart the attempt. He then went back to Drew’s knee, and chopped him down with a series of kicks to the head – but couldn’t keep Drew down for the count. Frustrated, Seth went outside and grabbed a chair, threatening to use it. He thought better after the referee’s warning, but he did hit a few other moves, including a Superplex and a Falcon Arrow, but Drew refused to be beaten. He fought back with a Future Shock DDT, and then, in a great sequence, he launched Seth with a beautiful release German suplex off the turnbuckle that sent Seth flying halfway across the ring. Drew went for a Claymore, but Seth avoided it, and hit a Stomp, but only got a two-count! A great finishing sequence saw Seth got for another Stomp, but Drew popped up and gave him the Glasgow Kiss. Seth rebounded off the ropes and delivered a Superkick. But Drew then rebounded off the ropes and hit a Claymore to get the pin. After the match, Drew extended a hand to Seth. After some hesitation, Seth shook his hand, and Drew thanked him for the match. As Drew went up the ramp, he acknowledged his respect for Seth, and Seth grudgingly appeared to do the same.
Winner, and still WWE Heavyweight Champion: Drew McIntyre
Match Rating: 7/10
In the back, Charly interviewed R-Truth, who confusedly thought he beat MVP earlier on. He then challenged Tom Brady for his 24/7 Championship, though he meant Rob Gronkowski, which Charly pointed out after Truth had walked off.
Matches 6 and 7:
Lacey Evans vs. Nia Jax vs. Carmella vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Dana Brooke vs. Asuka
AJ Styles vs. Otis vs. Aleister Black vs. King Corbin vs. Rey Misterio vs. Daniel Bryan
Winner of the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Asuka
Winner of the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Otis
Match Rating: Depending on your tastes, 10/10 or 1/10 (I say 10)
