Asuka vs. Nikki A.S.H vs. Liv Morgan vs. Naomi vs. vs. Natalya vs. Tamina vs. Zelina Vega vs. Alexa Bliss – Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match

Background: Qualifying matches for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match also began on the June 21 episode of Raw. The brand’s four participants were determined by two tag team matches in which the members of the winning teams qualified. Asuka and Naomi qualified by defeating the team of Eva Marie and Doudrop (formerly Piper Niven in NXT UK) and later, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, the latter incorporating a superhero gimmick and a new nickname of Nikki A.S.H. (short for Almost a Super Hero), qualified by defeating the team of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. On the June 25 episode of SmackDown, WWE official Sonya Deville named two-time Money in the Bank winner Carmella as the first of SmackDown’s four participants. Liv Morgan, who had been feuding with Carmella and defeated her the previous week, took issue as Carmella did not compete in a qualifier match to earn her spot. Deville then had Morgan face Carmella to prove she deserved to be in the match and Morgan subsequently defeated Carmella; however, Deville did not add her to the ladder match. The following week, Deville named Zelina Vega, who made her return to WWE after her release in November 2020, as the second SmackDown entrant in the match. Morgan again confronted Deville about Vega not having to qualify. She also pointed out the fact that she proved herself by defeating Carmella and was not added, but would prove herself again in a match against Vega. Morgan subsequently defeated Vega, but was still not added. On the July 9 episode, Carmella was removed from the match as she was named as Bayley’s replacement in the SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Bianca Belair due to Bayley suffering an injury. Morgan once again confronted Deville about her giving Carmella an opportunity despite not earning one; although annoyed at Morgan’s interruption, Deville named Morgan as Carmella’s replacement in the Money in the Bank ladder match. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina were announced as SmackDown’s last two participants on July 12 and July 15, respectively, via Twitter.

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

Money In The Bank PPV Record: Alexa Bliss is 1-0, Asuka is 1-1, Nikki ASH is 0-1, Tamina is 1-2, Natalya is 0-5, Naomi is 1-3, Liv Morgan and Zelina Vega wrestle at this event for the first time.

Match: The girls scatter as the bell rings with many of them grabbing ladders as Alexa Bliss jyst stands on the ropes and watches. Alexa then holds her hands up as if she has magical powers but she gets taken out. It’s a furious start to the match with Tamina dominating until Asuka fights her off. Asuka is the only girl that was in last years match and also this years and she won it in 2021. Liv Morgan looks impressive, she brings a good pace to the match. We get some hypnosis from Alexa Bliss onto Zelina, which I hate. Nikki flies off a ladder from outside the ring into the ring, taking out everyone. We then get some action between old partners Alexa and Nikki. The girls all bury Alexa under ladders and the crowd boo. All of the girls climb ladders in the ring and go at it which allows Nikki ASH to sneak up a ladder and get the briefcase!

Result: Nikki ASH wins Money In The Bank.

Review: This was a fun match. There were a few good spots but like a lot of these matches it’s tough to keep up with the action and you tend to go from one spot to the next. Nikki ASH wins and as much as I don’t like this gimmick, I do like Nikki. There were times I thought Liv Morgan was going to win. Nikki wins and will she choose to hold the contract longer than a lot of th girls before her?

Rating: 6.75/10

AJ Styles & Omos (c) vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) – Raw Tag Team Championship match

Background: The Viking Raiders won a battle royal to become number one contenders to the Raw Tag Team Championships. Ivar would then beat AJ Styles in singles action whilst Omos beat Erik.

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

Money In The Bank PPV Record: AJ Styles is 2-2, The Viking Raiders and Omos wrestle at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: AJ Styles and Erik start the match but AJ Styles tags out right away to Omos! Omos dominates early but tags out to AJ. The Viking Raiders then make quick tags to takethe advantage against Styles. AJ tags Omos who tosses AJ over the top, he lands on Erik, hitting a hurricanrana. Ivar gets a hot tag and picks up the pace until Omos gets a hot tag, slows the pace down and dominates Ivar. There’s lots of tags in this match. The Raiders double team Styles for a near fall. Styles tags Omos who military presses Ivar off the top rope for a near fall. The Vikings double team both opponents, clotheslining Omos out of the ring and then diving out at him. The challengers hit the viking experience on AJ Styles but Omos saves his team. Omos hits a big throw on Erik which is enough for the three.

Result: AJ Styles and Omos retain the Raw Tag Team Championships by pinfall.

Review: This was a good match. It was back and forth and didn’t follow the same forumla as a lot of tag team matches do. The Viking Raiders were allowed to look good but we all know what was coming, Omos getting the win for his team.

Rating: 6.5/10

Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Kofi Kingston – WWE Championship match

Background: On the June 21 episode of Raw, as WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and his manager MVP were celebrating Lashley’s win over Drew McIntyre at Hell in a Cell the previous night, they were interrupted by The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods). Kingston reminded Lashley that he had defeated him in a non-title match on the May 17 episode of Raw and that he had also never received a rematch for the title after he lost the championship to Brock Lesnar at SmackDown’s 20th Anniversary in October 2019. Kingston then challenged Lashley for the title. Lashley accepted and the match was scheduled for Money in the Bank.

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

Money In The Bank PPV Record: Bobby Lashley is 2-0, Kofi Kingston is 4-5.

Match: MVP grabs Kofi’s foot as the bell rings but Kingsotn manages to shrug him off and take the early advantage. It’s not long before Bobby takes control, throwing Kofi around the ring. Lashley hits a big spinebuster and then tosses Kingston out of the ring. Lashley smashes Kingston into the ringpost twice as MVP watches on. Lashley continues the domination until applying the hurt lock but Kofi breaks it and Lashley hits a fallaway slam. Bobby hits a German and then lays into his challenger with right hands. Lashley hits three dominators and then locks on the hurt lock to which Kofi taps out.

Result: Bobby Lashley retains the WWE Championship by submission.

Review: That was a Brock Lesnar-esque performance from Bobby Lashley. He just dominated this match. Kofi did a lot to help Lashley look so good tonight. I really like this side of Bobby Lashley, he looks unstoppable at the moment. They’ve really built him into a top tier superstar. Who’s next?

Rating: 7/10

Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte – Raw Women’s Championship match

Background: At Hell in a Cell, Charlotte Flair defeated Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley by disqualification after Ripley attacked Flair with the top cover of the announce table; however, since titles do not change hands via disqualification unless stipulated, Flair did not win the title. The following night on Raw, Flair claimed she was “proud” of Ripley and told Ripley that she had never seen her as a “strategic champion”. WWE official Sonya Deville then scheduled a rematch between the two for the title at Money in the Bank.

Previous PPV matches: This is a third PPV match between these two girls. Charlotte has won the previous 2.

Money In The Bank PPV Record: Charlotte is 2-3, Rhea Ripley fights at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: A “we want Becky” chant breaks out early and Charlote doesn’t like it. Rhea takes the early advantage and hits a brutal looking stomp on the apron and a baseball slide. Some of Charlotte’s offence is really stiff. Lots of “we want Becky” chants in this one. Ripley takes control and picks up the pace, hitting a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Rhea hits a nice looking German suplex but Charlotte counters a missile dropkick and locks ona Boston crab which Rhea gets out of. Ripley counters a figure four attempt but gets caught with a big boot for a two count. There’s a sloppy sequence with Rhea pulling Charlotte off the top and then struggling to get her up for a suplex. Charlotte fires up, hitting a big boot off the apron and then a moonsault to the outside. Back in the ring and Rhea looks for a Rip-tide but Charlotte counters with a DDT. Charlotte hits natural selection off the top but only gets a near fall. Rhea hits a German suplex on Charlotte, sending her to the outside but Charlotte traps Rhea’s leg in the ring steps from the outside and dropkicks the steps into Rhea’s knee. Charlotte then gets in the ring, locks on the figure eight and Ripley taps out!

Result: Charlotte wins the Raw Women’s Championship by submission.

Review: This was a really good match. There were near falls and false finishes, the crowd were really into it. Charlotte wins tonight and she got a good pop for it. I don’t think Rhea’s title reign has been a failure but they’ve decided to go in a different direction and by different I mean the usual direction, get the title on Charlotte. A really good match tonight though.

Rating: 8/10

Kevin Owens vs. Riddle vs. BIg E vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ricochet vs. John Morrison vs. Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre – Men’s Money In The Bank ladder match

Background: Qualifying matches for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match began on the June 21 episode of Raw. Ricochet, John Morrison, and Riddle qualified by defeating AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and Drew McIntyre, respectively. Raw’s final spot was determined in a triple threat match the following week, which was originally scheduled to be between Styles, Orton, and McIntyre; however, Orton was unable to compete for unknown reasons. A battle royal was held to fill Orton’s spot in the triple threat match. Orton’s RKBro tag team partner Riddle convinced WWE officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to allow him to compete in the battle royal where if he won, he would represent Orton in the triple threat match. Although Riddle won the battle royal, McIntyre won the triple threat match to earn Raw’s final spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match. SmackDown’s first spot was filled by Big E, who qualified by defeating Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews on the June 25 episode of SmackDown. The following week, Kevin Owens qualified by defeating Sami Zayn in a Last Man Standing match, which was a rematch from Hell in a Cell that Zayn had won. SmackDown’s last two spots were filled on the July 9 episode: Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro, which was another rematch from Hell in a Cell that Rollins had also won, and King Nakamura defeated Baron Corbin, previously King Corbin before he lost his King of the Ring crown to Shinsuke Nakamura, who took on the king moniker.

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

Money In The Bank PPV Record: Big E is 3-2, Kevin Owens is 0-5, Shinsuke Nakamura is 0-2, Ricochet is 0-1, John Morrison is 0-2, Seth Rollins is 5-2, Drew McIntyre is 1-2 and Riddle wrestles at this PPV for the first time tonight.

Match: All 8 men go at it as the bell rings and interestingly Shinsuke Nakamure and Riddle go at it. Seth Rollins and John Morrison then argue over who has more drip. McIntyre and Big E are the last two men standing and go at it. John Morrison is the first man to climb the ladder but doesn’t get far. Morrison then hits a corkscrew over the ladder onto Nakamura. Morrison and Rollins team up to lay into Nakamura, Big E, Riddle and Drew McIntyre with a ladder. Owens hits a springboard moonsault which I’ve never seen before. Morrison and Rollins continue to team up until Seth turns on Morrison, jabbing him with the ladder. Rollins then bounds up the ladder but Big E and Ricochet pull him down. Riddle hits an RKO on Rollins. There’s some lovely back and forth striking from Riddle and Nakamura until McIntyre takes out both men. Drew hits a futureshock DDT on Big E and then an inverted Alabama slam on Ricochet onto a ladder. McIntyre then dives to the outside taking out half the field.

Drew McIntyre hits Rollins with the claymore and then climbs the ladder but Veer and Shanky, two lackeys of Jinder Mahal come out and and pull him down, along with Jinder who attacks Drew with a chair. Veer and Shanky then carry McIntyre to the back. Ricochet climbs the ladder and Riddle pushes over the ladder but Ricochet bounces off the top rope and hits a beautiful plancha to the outside. Lovely stuff from Ricochet there. Riddle hits Big E and Ricochet with RKO’s but gets caught with a stomp from Seth. Morrison uses the drip stick on Nakamura before getting hit with a stunner from Kevin Owens. Nakamura meets the same fate before KO hits Ricochet with a pop-up powerbomb. Rollins powerbombs Kevin Owens through a ladder bridging the ring and the announce desk. Big E hits Seth Rollins with a big ending off the top of the ladder and then climbs the ladder himself and unhooks the briefcase to win the match!

Result: Big E wins Money In The Bank.

Review: This was a really fun match. I always feel that there are too many guys in this match, I think 6 might be the perfect amount. Kevin Owens was barely featured in the match at all besides taking the powerbomb through the ladder. I loved the Ricochet springboard spot. It’s Big E that wins tonight though and it’s the biggest win of his career.

Rating: 7.5/10

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Edge – Universal Championship match

Background: At WrestleMania 37 in April, Roman Reigns defeated Edge and Daniel Bryan in a triple threat match to retain the Universal Championship. On the June 25 episode of SmackDown, Reigns and his special counsel Paul Heyman had a Universal Championship address. Heyman stated that Reigns had defeated all of SmackDown’s top contenders and that there was no one left to challenge Reigns. Edge then made a surprise return after a two-month hiatus and attacked Reigns and also took out Jimmy Uso, who had come to Reigns’ aid. On Talking Smack the next day, it was revealed that Edge had confronted WWE officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville and demanded a one-on-one match against Reigns for the title at Money in the Bank, which he was originally supposed to have at WrestleMania before Bryan worked his way into the match. Pearce then granted him the match. The following week, Edge explained that the loss at WrestleMania affected him mentally, which is why he had taken the past two months off.

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

Money In The Bank PPV Record: Roman Reigns is 2-3, Edge is 0-1.

Match: The crowd sounds split as the bell rings. It’s a very cagey start to the match until Roman takes control. This match certainly has a main event feel as the two men slug it out. Reigns hits a Samoan drop on the outside. Reigns takes the advantage from here, dictating a slow pace. Roman hits a drive-by dropkick which I haven’t seen before and then looks for a superman punch but Edge counters. It’s Edge’s turn to fire up as he gets out of a sleeper and starts his comeback. Edge ties Reigns up in a version of an STF but Reigns gets to the ropes. Roman then counters a spear with a guillotine but Edge manages to force both men through the ropes to break it. Reigns looks for a spear on the outside but Edge moves and Roman goes through the timekeeprs barricade. Edge stops the referee from counting out the Universal Champion and then spears him through the barricade. Back in the ring and Edge gets a near fall. Roman hits a superman punch out of nowhere which collides Edge with the referee.

Reigns leaves the ring anf breaks some metal off a chair and tries to lock a crossface on Edge with it but like Edge did to him. Edge counters with headbutts and locks the crossface on himself! The Usos then comes out from the back but they are fought off by Dominik and Rey Mysterio! They fight to the back but out comes Seth Rollins who kicks Edge in the head! Rollins leaves and Roman looks for a spear but Edge hits a spear of his own! Another referee comes out to count the pinfall but Roman kicks out at 2. Seth Rollins bounces back up on to the apron so Edge kicks him off but then turns around into a spear from Roman Reigns! Reigns hooks the leg and gets the 3.

Result: Roman Reigns retains the Universal Championship by pinfall.

Review: This was a really great main event. It felt like a main between two big stars. There was plenty of controversy with the referee bump, The Usos, the Mysterio’s and Seth Rollins. In the end it was Seth Rollins that cost Edge the match and I’m sure we’ll get a programme between the two over summer. Maybe a triple threat with Reigns, we’ll have to see. But a great main event tonight and another big win for Roman Reigns.

Rating: 8.25/10