Naomi vs. Carmella vs. Nikki Cross vs. Mandy Rose vs. Ember Moon vs. Dana Brooke vs. Natalya vs. Bayley – Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder match

Background: The four participants from Raw in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match were also revealed by Alexa Bliss during a separate “A Moment of Bliss” segment on the April 29 episode of Raw: Natalya, Dana Brooke, new draftee Naomi, and Bliss herself. SmackDown’s four participants were revealed on the following night’s episode of SmackDown: Bayley, Mandy Rose, new draftee Ember Moon, and Carmella. On the May 13 episode of Raw, Bliss, who had lost her luggage, was replaced by new draftee Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way match between Raw’s four participants. Cross won the match and later replaced Bliss in the ladder match as Bliss was not medically cleared to compete.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match involving all 8 of these ladies.

Money In The Bank Record: Natalya is 0-4 at Money In The Bank, Naomi is 1-2, Ember Moon is 0-1, Carmella is 2-0, Dana Brooke is 1-0, Bayley, Nikki and Mandy wrestle at this event for the first time.

Match: All 8 girls pair off as soon as the bell rings but it’s Nikki Cross who is the first lady to being a ladder into the party. There’s an awkward part with Carmella selling a legit injury, Mandy trying to get to her but Carmella keeps shoving her away. Naomi then jumps off a couple of ladders and takes out Mandy. Carmella then walks to the back injured. Naomi has been the early star of this match, she hits a moonsault. Sonya Deville is at ringside for Mandy. Dana squanders a good chance and then Ember hits the eclipse off a ladder onto Natalya. Carmella comes back out and goes straight for Mandy. Deville comes into play when she pulls Carmella down from a ladder and helps Mandy Rose up the ladder. Bayley is the girl to climb up the other side and knocks both girls off the top before claiming the briefcase for herself!

Result: Bayley wins the Money In The Bank contract.

Review: This was a pretty good match. It didn’t feel as long as some of the prior Money In The Bank ladder matches but it was entertaining enough. There were a few good spots. Bayley was probably the favourite going into the match and she would end up winning. I think Dana Brooke and Naomi had a really good showing in this match. Hopefully Carmella isn’t too injured.

Rating: 6/10

Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio – United States Championship match

Background: At WrestleMania 35, Samoa Joe defeated Rey Mysterio in one minute to retain the United States Championship. Both were then drafted to Raw in the Superstar Shake-up, and Mysterio defeated Joe in a non-title rematch on the April 29 episode of Raw. The following week, another title match between the two was scheduled for Money in the Bank.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two men, Joe beat Mysterio very quickly at Wrestlemania.

Money In The Bank Record: Samoa Joe is 0-1, Rey Mysterio is 1-2.

Match: Rey’s son Dominik is shown watching backstage. The two men exchange kicks, Rey Mysterio hits a couple of hurricanranas and then rolls up Joe for the quick win!

Result: Rey Mysterio wins by pinfall.

Review: Well this match was as short as their match at Wrestlemania. A little more drama with Joe getting busted open but it’s an upset win and one I did not expect!

Rating: N/A

The Miz vs. Shane McMahon – Steel Cage match

Background: At WrestleMania 35, Shane McMahon defeated The Miz in a falls count anywhere match; during the match, Shane attacked Miz’s father. Miz was then drafted to Raw during the Superstar Shake-up and attacked Shane as retribution. On the April 29 episode of Raw, during Miz’s match against Bobby Lashley, Shane distracted Miz, causing him to lose, leading to a brawl. Later, Miz challenged Shane to a steel cage match at Money in the Bank and Shane accepted.

Previous PPV matches: This is the second PPV match between these two men, Shane won the first at Wrestlemania.

Money In The Bank Record: The Miz is 1-4, Shane McMahon wrestles at this event for the first time.

Match: The bell rings and Shane makes a dart to get out of the cage but Miz pulls him back into the ring. Shane soon takes the advantage and is the first man to get a near fall. McMahon looks for coast to coast but Miz counters and locks on a figure four! Shane manages to break the hold by crawling out of the cage door but Miz pulls him back in. Shane brings a chair into the ring but Miz kicks it out of his hand. Miz lays into Shane with the chair and then hits him with the skull-crushing finale on the chair. Miz hooks the leg but Shane gets his foot on the bottom rope. Michael Cole screams at the referee that there are no disqualifications in a steel cage match so the foot on the rope shouldn’t count. A “bullshit” chant also breaks out. The two men go at it and Shane climbs the cage again. Miz goes up to look for a superplex but Shane manages to slip down, slipping out of his t shirt and falls to the outside for the win!

Result: Shane McMahon wins by escaping the cage.

Review: This match was ok. I wasn’t blown away by it but it wasn’t terrible. Shane gets the win but in a fashion where this feud will continue. It’s two jammy wins for Shane over The Miz. It wasn’t the best cage match of all time but it was alright.

Rating: 5.75/10

Tony Nese (c) vs. Ariya Daivari – Cruiserweight Championship match

Background: On the April 23 episode of 205 Live, Ariya Daivari defeated Oney Lorcan. General Manager Drake Maverick then scheduled Tony Nese to defend the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Daivari at Money in the Bank.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Money In The Bank Record: This is a first Money In The Bank PPV match for both of these men.

Match: Daivari starts the match well, if I’m not mistaken this is a WWE PPV debut for him. Lots of fast action in the early going from both men. Daivari hits some jabs and slows the pace when Nese tries to quicken it. Aiden English joins Nigel McGuinness and Vic Joseph on commentary for this match. There’s a couple of miscommunications and botches in this match. Daivari locks on an inverted Boston Crab after falling over the first time but Nese breaks the hold. Tony won the Cruiserweight Championship at Wrestlemania, beating Buddy Murphy. Nese hits some nice kicks and then a springboard moonsault for a near fall. Daivari kicks Nese to the outside. Nese cartwheels on the apron, kicks Daivari and then rolls him back into the ring. Nese then hits a lovely corkscrew plancha to the outside before hitting a 450 splash for a near fall. Daivari hits a superkick, frog splash and a lariat for a near fall. Nese hits a hurricanrana and running knees for the three.

Result: Tony Nese retains his Cruiserweight Championship by pinfall.

Review: This match was ok. It wasn’t terrible but did fall a bit flat in places. There were a couple of botches but generally Tony Nese is very smooth and I like watching his matches. This was pretty average though. The crowd were a little bit dead and it was probably because the cruiserweight aren’t as featured on Raw and Smackdown these days.

Rating: 5/10

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lacey Evans – Raw Women’s Championship match

Background: At WrestleMania 35, Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in a winner takes all triple threat match to win both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships. She was then double-booked to defend both championships at Money in the Bank. For the Raw Women’s Championship, NXT call-up Lacey Evans attacked the double champion on both Raw and SmackDown following WrestleMania. Evans was subsequently drafted to Raw during the Superstar Shake-up and defeated Natalya to earn a Raw Women’s Championship match.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two girls.

Money In The Bank Record: Becky Lynch is 0-3 at Money In The Bank, Lacey Evans makes her debut at this event tonight.

Match: Lacey walks out with guns shooting money out. We’re told that no superstar in WWE history has defended two titles in two separate matches on the same night before. Becky wastes no time in laying into Lacey Evans as the match gets underway. Lacey tries to escape through the crowd at one point which makes no sense. Lacey soon takes the advantage and uses the ringpost. Evans also hits a nice sweep from the apron and then a big elbow drop. Becky fires up with clotheslines, kicks and a Bex-plex. Lynch hits a pretty terrible looking missile dropkick. Evans hits some sort of springboard cutter for a near fall. Lynch looks for the disarm-her but Evans is very quick to get to the ropes before hitting a chopblock but Becky counters and locks on the disarm-her to which Lacey Evans taps out quickly!

Result: Becky Lynch retains the Raw Women’s Championship by submission.

Review: This was a pretty decent match. Becky wins the match which I expected but I do like Lacey and I think she will be a huge star one day. She’s still a little bit green but shows a lot of potential. Becky Lynch continues her momentum.

Rating: 5.5/10

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte – Smackdown Women’s Championship match

Background: Former champion Charlotte Flair took offence that she lost her title despite not being the one who was pinned at WrestleMania. Lynch exclaimed that she would not freely give Flair a rematch and demanded new challengers. Among the named challengers was new SmackDown draftee Bayley. Flair then defeated Bayley to earn a SmackDown Women’s Championship match.

Previous PPV matches: This is the 6th PPV match between these two girls. Becky has won 3 of the previous 5 and Charlotte the other 2.

Money In The Bank Record: Becky is now 1-3 at Money In The bank, Charlotte is 1-2.

Match: Charlotte is keen to get the match started quickly and Becky obliges. It’s all Charlotte as the match gets underway. There’s a classic Ric Flair spot as Charlotte cartwheels to the apron and then heads to the top but Becky throws her to the mat. Charlotte applies a Boston crab but Becky breaks it by getting to the bottom rope. Charlotte looks for natural selection off the apron but Becky hangs on and Charlotte takes a nasty bump to the outside. Lacey Evans then returns and hits Becky with women’s right! Charlotte then gets in the ring, Becky rolls her up for a near fall, Charlotte is up first and hits a big boot for the three!

Result: Charlotte wins the Smackdown Women’s Championship by pinfall.

Review: A pretty average match here by two girls that have had much better matches in the past. They weren’t given as much time as they usually would due to it being Becky’s second consecutive match so it didn’t measure up to their previous matches. Charlotte wins the Smackdown Women’s Championship which makes sense and takes a little bit of pressure off Becky.

Rating: 5/10

Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley – Smackdown Women’s Championship match

Background: We’ve just seen the background! Bayley won the Money In The Bank briefcase earlier tonight and she’s cashing it in right now!

Previous PPV matches: This is the third PPV match between these two girls, they have both previously won one match each.

Money In The Bank Record: Charlotte is 2-2, Bayley is 1-0.

Match: Bayley drags Charlotte to the middle of the ring and heads to the top, hitting an elbow drop for the three!

Result: Bayley wins the Smackdown Women’s Championship by pinfall.

Review: Well it was short and sweet but Bayley wins the Smackdown Women’s Championship and perfectly sets up a feud between her and Charlotte going forward.

Rating: N/A

Roman Reigns vs. Elias

Background: On the April 16 episode of SmackDown, WWE Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon introduced Elias as “the biggest acquisition in SmackDown history”. Both were then interrupted by fellow new draftee Roman Reigns, who attacked Elias and performed a superman punch on Mr. McMahon. The following week, Shane McMahon challenged Reigns to a fight for attacking his father. Reigns came out and was attacked from behind by Elias, who assisted Shane in beating up Reigns. Elias then challenged Reigns to a match at Money in the Bank and Reigns accepted.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two men.

Money In The Bank Record: Elias is 0-1, Roman Reigns is 1-3.

Match: The bell rings and Reigns hits a big spear, hooks the leg and gets the three!

Result: Roman Reigns wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a very quick match. It was a spear and a pinfall. It’s the third very quick match so far tonight. We all knew Roman Reigns was winning but this was over quickly. It’ll be interesting to see how Roman is navigated to the main event scene with fellow babyface Kofi Kingston as the current champion.

Rating: N/A

Seth Rollins (c) vs. AJ Styles – Universal Championship match

Background: On the April 22 episode of Raw, Chief Operating Officer Triple H scheduled two triple threat matches with the winners facing each other to determine Seth Rollins’ next challenger for the Universal Championship. New Raw draftee AJ Styles defeated fellow draftees Rey Mysterio and Samoa Joe in the first triple threat match, while Baron Corbin defeated Drew McIntyre and new draftee The Miz in the second. Styles then defeated Corbin to earn a Universal Championship match against Rollins at Money in the Bank.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two men.

Money In The Bank Record: Seth Rollins is 4-1 at Money In The Bank, AJ Styles is 2-1.

Match: This is 100% a dream match for me. It’s a cagey start to the match with both men looking for the early advantage. Both men get some big shots in but you get the sense this match will go long. AJ looks for a Styles clash off the apron but Seth manages to get out of it just for Styles to hit a brutal running knee. The pace starts to quicken as Seth hits a suicide dive and a slingblade and then a springboard clothesline for a two count. Rollins hits a powerbomb sand a frog splash for a near fall. Styles counters a superplex and hits a German suplex and rack bomb for a near fall. Rollins counters a phenomenal forearm, sweeping AJ off the top rope. Seth hits an inverted superplex and then a modified falcon arrow for a near fall. The two men slug it out as the crowd chant for both men. AJ counters a stomp and hits the Styles Clash for a near fall. Rollins hits a big knee and a kick to the face before hitting a stomp. Seth is slow to make a cover and gets the three.

Result: Seth Rollins retains the WWE Universal Championship by pinfall.

Review: This was a great match. I hate to be the critic but I actually think they could have had an even better match. But this was good. It’s a shame that this is Rollins’ first defence since Wrestlemania as it was fairly predictable. I guess this feud may continue but being that it was a clean victory for the champion I suspect Seth will move on to somebody else.

Rating: 7.75/10

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Kevin Owens – WWE Championship match

Background: On the April 16 episode of SmackDown, New Day members Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were guests on “The KO Show” where host Kevin Owens congratulated Kingston for winning the WWE Championship by defeating Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35. With fellow New Day member Big E out with injury, Owens wanted to join New Day as their third member. Kingston and Woods accepted “Big O” as an honorary member and the three won a six-man tag team match later that night. The following week, after Rusev attacked Kingston during his match with Shinsuke Nakamura, a brawl broke out also involving Woods and Owens. Owens then turned on Kingston and attacked him and Woods, proclaiming that he wanted the WWE Championship. Kingston then challenged Owens to a match at Money in the Bank with his title on the line and Owens accepted.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time singles PPV match between these two men.

Money In The Bank Record: Kofi Kingston is 2-5, Kevin Owens is 0-4.

Match: The fight soon goes to the outside where Kofi takes down Owens with a flying forearm. It’s all Kofi on the outside but KO takes the advantage back in the ring. Owens always talks a lot of trash when he’s laying into an opponent. The middle of the match is pretty back and forth, Owens counters a boom drop and locks on a Boston crab. Kofi looks for a corkscrew double axe handle to the outside but Owens counters with a superkick. Kofi counters a pop-up powerbomb and hits SOS. Owens counters trouble in paradise and locks on another Boston Crab. Owens hits a pop-up powerbomb but Kofi kicks out of the pinfall attempt. Kofi counters a stunner with trouble in paradise which sends KO to the outside. Back in the ring and Owens hits a stunner but Kofi grabs the bottom rope on the pinfall. Owens pulls Kofi’s trainer off and launches it out of the ring before looking for a senton but Kingston gets his knees up. Kofi hits a bootless trouble in paradise and gets the 3!

Result: Kofi Kingston retains the WWE Championship by pinfall.

Review: This match was decent. For some reason there were times when the crowd didn’t seem to into it. There were lulls that’s for sure and the match probably went on a little too long. But it was a decent match and good first defence for Kofi. Another clean win for the champion here which suggests that this feud is probably over.

Rating: 7/10

Finn Balor vs. Ali vs. Ricochet vs. Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin vs. Andrade vs. Drew McIntyre – Men’s Money In The Bank ladder match

Background: During “A Moment of Bliss” on the April 29 episode of Raw, Alexa Bliss revealed Raw’s four participants for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Braun Strowman, new draftee Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, and Baron Corbin. On SmackDown the next night, SmackDown’s four participants were revealed: Ali, new draftee Finn Bálor, Andrade, and Randy Orton. On Raw the following week, Robert Roode (formerly Bobby Roode) had the chance to replace Ricochet in the ladder match if he could defeat Ricochet, but was unsuccessful. Sami Zayn then defeated Strowman in a falls count anywhere match on the May 13 episode of Raw after interference from Corbin and McIntyre, taking Strowman’s spot.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match involving all of these men.

Money In The Bank Record: Finn Balor is 0-1, Corbin is 2-0, Drew McIntyre is 0-1, Randy Orton is 1-5, Ali, Ricochet and Andrade make their Money In The Bank debut tonight.

Match: There are just 7 men in this match as Sami Zayn was taken out earlier in the night. All 7 men go at it in the early going and it’s Randy Orton who stands alone and sets up a ladder in the middle of the ring. Andrade hits a springboard dropkick to send Orton flying. Ali hits a suicide dive through a ladder on to the outside into Drew McIntyre. Ali and Ricochet slug it out at the top of the ladder until Corbin and McIntyre pull them down. Finn Balor has his moment to shine as he takes down McIntyre and Corbin. Brutal spot with Andrade hitting a sunset flip powerbomb on Finn Balor off the top of a ladder and into a ladder laying from the ropes. Ali hits an inverted hurricanrana on Ricochet. Ali then hits a Spanish fly on Andrade off the top of the ladder. Corbin chokeslams Ali though the Spanish announce desk. A “you still suck” chant breaks out. Corbin disposes of his mate Drew McIntyre and then chokeslams Finn Balor onto a ladder. McIntyre hits a claymore on Corbin. McIntyre hiptosses Ricochet out of the ring and through a ladder laying from the ring to the announce desk. Randy hits an RKO off the ladder on McIntyre. Ali hurricanrana’s Corbin out of the ring and then climbs the ladder. He has his hands on the briefcase but Brock Lesnars music hits! Brock runs down to the ring, pushes Ali off the ladder and then climbs it himself and unhooks the briefcase to win the match!

Result: Brock Lesnar wins Money In The Bank.

Review: This was a fun match. Lots of good spots and a really open field. Ali and Ricochet were great in their roles whilst the bigger guys like McIntyre and Corbin were great dominant heels. Randy Orton was very quiet. But the big surprise was Brock Lesnar coming out at the end and costing Ali the match before winning it himself. I look forward to seeing how Brock is booked with the contract.

Rating: 7.75/10