On Saturday, July 2nd, WWE will present its annual extravaganza known as Money in the Bank. Obviously, the featured aspects of the night will include the two ladder matches bearing the show’s namesake. On top of that, WWE has put together some other matches that could very well be entertaining and unique. Let’s take a look at what WWE has in store and what we can expect to see at the WWE’s favorite show with ladders.
Starting on the men’s side, we know that WWE is lining up a very wide array of superstars with different talents to be in the match. At the time of writing, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, and Omos are in. We will soon see if Shinsuke Nakamura or Sami Zayn will join the fray, and there are even more yet to be determined. This matchup can go one of a few ways, but based on who is in so far, Rollins and McIntyre seem like the leading favorites to win. Considering their past with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, who are on a collision course for Summerslam, it seems likely one of them will be lying in wait for the winner of that match as the month progresses. If Zayn makes it in, I view him as the dark horse pick with what he’s been doing alongside the Bloodline in recent weeks. Who may fill out the final spots? Maybe the likes of Judgement Day’s Finn Balor, Ezekiel, and/or Kevin Owens as a payoff to their feud. Someone like GUNTHER entering would be absolutely fantastic for the brand-new Intercontinental Champion. A last-chance matchup could also see someone like Riddle or AJ Styles find their way in. The always reliable hand of The Miz can never be counted out. No matter who rounds out the field, however, I still see either Seth or Drew leaving Vegas as Mr. Money in the Bank.
The women’s side is much less clear-cut, in my opinion, compared to the men’s side. Lacey Evans, Liv Morgan, Alexa Bliss, Raquel Rodriguez, and Asuka have already punched their tickets at the time of writing, and we will see either Aliyah or Shotzi join the fray this week as well. With the women’s division remaining narrow in terms of the amount of top talent, especially since Naomi and Sasha Banks walked out, there aren’t too many candidates left to fill out the field. With Rhea Ripley not medically cleared (we’ll get to that in a bit), and Natalya and Carmella preoccupied with title matches (we will also get to these in a bit), the remaining options can see some like Doudrop or Nikki A.S.H. (last year’s winner) enter the field. Dana Brooke and Tamina have spent the majority of the last year focused on the 24/7 Championship, so I doubt they may be involved. Becky Lynch’s loss to Asuka also feels less final, so her sneaking her way into the match would really fit her character’s desperation right now. Shayna Baszler is an unfortunately lost cause at this rate. Maybe the return of a Charlotte Flair or Bayley could add some intrigue, but based on where things stand, I doubt that would be the case. So, to make a final pick, I will go with Raquel Rodriguez or Liv Morgan as of now, but if Becky finds her way in, she becomes the instant favorite in my eyes.
Sticking with one of the aforementioned women, Rhea Ripley was announced to “not be medically cleared” for Money in the Bank, calling off what was supposed to be a huge match between her and Bianca Belair. Hoping that match comes around again for Summerslam, as now WWE’s EST will face Carmella at MITB. Revisiting an ongoing story from last summer, Mella will serve as a suitable replacement while we await the big Ripley/Belair match for hopefully in Nashville. I don’t see a way Carmella wins the title here, as a swerve just makes no sense given the current booking.
The other aforementioned female is Natalya, who is, strangely, the one challenging Ronda Rousey for the Smackdown Women’s Championship at the show. Not the challenger anyone saw coming, it seems in the haste to cover for Sasha Banks’ absence that WWE does not know where to go from here. Hopefully, there is a much better feud lined up for Summerslam that does NOT include another rematch with Charlotte, but let’s face facts… it’s inevitable that we end up there at this rate. Here’s to hoping Bayley comes back and can have a fresh and fun feud with Rousey in place of the same old same old. Rousey is most certainly winning over Nattie as well, so this is in the same boat as Carmella/Belair.
Another match added to the card on Raw this week was Bobby Lashley and Theory for the United States Championship. These two have been involved in a rather weird storyline where they pose and spray oil on each other…yes you read that correctly. After Lashley won a gauntlet over Chad Gable, Otis, and Theory himself to earn the shot, he gets to have what should be a unique and fun encounter with WWE’s blue-chip prospect. Though Theory is likely to win, Lashley will surely make him look strong and it will set Theory up nicely for his huge likely Summerslam match with John Cena. This may be the summer of a lifetime for Theory, and we should all buckle up for it.
The Street Profits will challenge the Uso’s for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at the show, as they look to end the champs’ year of dominance. Can they do so? I doubt it unless there will be some furthering of a Roman Reigns storyline that can come of it from a distraction by a Zayn, Lesnar, McIntyre, or such.
With only 6 matches confirmed as of now, it’s a wonder if we will see some type of matchup with AJ Styles and the Miz on the show, who seem to have kicked off a new feud on Raw. Maybe Ricochet gets an Intercontinental Championship rematch at the show. Whatever way you slice it, they will likely be filler on the way to Summerslam while the rest of the card shapes up the major portions of the biggest party of the summer and beyond.
That’s all for now. Let’s hope WWE can put together some fun matches for us at Money in the Bank, as it is traditionally one of the better shows of the year, and I don’t see this year’s failing to live up to the hype. We’re on the road to Summerslam, and all eyes will soon turn to Las Vegas!
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