We come to our third pay per view in the past five Sundays. Surprisingly, the past few weeks have flowed pretty well. While it's not something I'd advocate WWE to do often, it did work this time around.
The wrestling world still has a heavy heart from the news of Dusty Rhodes' passing on Thursday, and Money In the Bank will be the first major event. I'm sure we'll see a lot of Dusty tributes from the wrestlers, both in the form of videos and we'll see personal tributes with what the wrestlers wear, and the show, of course, will start with the tolling of the bells.
This event truly kicks off the summer for the WWE. While there's always a bit of a post-Wrestlemania hangover, this event kicks off the road to Summerslam, and generally makes the product more exciting for the next few months. So here's a look at Money in the Bank 2015.
King Barrett vs. R-Truth
When Barrett won King of the Ring, people thought that might mark the next step in his career. Presumably, the WWE wouldn't bring back the King of the Ring if they didn't have big plans for a guy, right? Well, maybe not. Since winning it, Barrett has been on the same track he was on before, if not worse. Now he's working on the pre-show, and probably not going to win, again.
Meanwhile, R-Truth is on the way up. Since fully embracing the comedy mantle, Truth has been one of the most consistently entertaining performers on the roster. His bit on Monday night where he didn't know he was in the ladder match was one of the funnier segments in a while on WWE television. When Santino hit his stride as a comedy wrestler, he was getting some of the biggest pops of the night, and was rewarded with a US title run for it. I think Truth is approaching that level, and I'd love to see him in a title picture soon. One wrestler on the rise, one wrestler falling, and to me, this match should be obvious.
Winner: R-Truth
Ryback vs. Big Show for the IC title
This match has been set up incredibly oddly. Despite the match being between these two, they seem to be feuding more with Miz than each other. Add in the fact that they already used what is presumably the biggest spot of the night, the Shellshock to Big Show, on RAW, and this match feels very odd. If Ryback wasn't as over as he is right now, I'd almost expect Miz to somehow weasel his way into the match and win it. I do think that Miz eventually wins the title, but not now. I just don't know exactly what happens in this match now that they blew the big spot. Either way, Ryback wins.
Winner: Ryback
Nikki vs. Paige for the Divas title
I can't figure out this division. That's largely due to the WWE not knowing, or not caring about, the face and heel dynamics. It makes it impossible to get emotionally invested with any of the girls when you don't know what their character will be on a week-to-week basis. Which also makes it very hard to predict where they're going with it, because there's no logical storylines. Attempting to apply logic though, one hopes there's a reason that Nikki is turning heel. The only logical explanation that I can think about is that they want a face to conquer Nikki's run and have that dynamic. Now, it could be in the future, but unless they're planning on bringing up Charlotte as a face soon, the only face on the divas roster is Paige. So I lean toward a title change here, though I'm not confident about it at all.
Winner: Paige
The New Day vs. The Prime Time Players
It's almost a pity that these two are having a match here, because both teams are so over right now. I'd be clamoring for the Prime Time Players to win, but as good as they (particularly Titus) has been, the New Day have been just as good, if not better. It puts the WWE in an awkward position where both teams should be rewarded simultaneously. I expect this feud to carry the tag division through the summer. I think we could see Harper and Rowan entering the fray at some point just to keep things fresh, but these two teams will go at it. While I could see the Prime Time Players win it here and then drop it back at Battleground, I think it makes sense to let New Day ride this wave for another few months. Maybe have PTP win it in a three-way match at Summerslam.
Winner: The New Day
John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
Yes, the match that the WWE is billing as "The biggest rematch ever." Ignoring the hyperbole, there's no doubt that this is a big match, if for no other reason than it'll show exactly what the WWE thinks of Kevin Owens. Everyone expects this to be a clean win for Cena, as he'll get back his loss from Owens, just like he did with Rusev. If anything else happens, it'll be a dramatic shift. Another clean win would propel Owens into the top tier of WWE superstars. That of course leaves the question of what would happen if he did win, as there are very few places for him to go if he wins this feud. Which makes me think it won't be that simple.
Looking at this from a character perspective, there's no reason this match should be happening. Kevin Owens beat Cena cleanly, and they're just having the same match, with no stakes raised at all. No titles on the line, nothing changing to the match. That's unusual, and doesn't make sense for Owens. For a guy whose character has repeatedly said he fights for money, he fights for prizes, just accepting the rematch is odd. Which makes me think that'll play into the finish. Cena will get advantage, and Owens could slide out, grab a mic, and then say he doesn't need the match, he has nothing to prove. It would be perfect for Owens' character, and allows him to continue looking strong. A clean loss here would hurt Owens, after people have been so excited about WWE potentially building a new star.
Winner (by countout): John Cena
Money In the Bank Ladder Match
The result of this match almost isn't in doubt at all. Yes, they've been teasing that perhaps Kane could win it to continue the schism in The Authority, but that would be shocking. There have been rumors about Kofi winning since as of now he's scheduled to face Brock Lesnar in Japan, but that seems convoluted as well, as refreshing an idea as that would be. Instead, this is the Roman Reigns Invitational. He's probably the biggest favorite going into one of these matches since the match was created.
The question isn't so much will he win, but what will he do with the briefcase? There are a number of ways they could go with it. Of course, he could use it and do the face thing and announce he's going to cash in at Summerslam (or hold it til Wrestlemania). And that's certainly on the table. He's building his cheers back, and they may want to see how far they can ride it.
However, if the boos start coming back when he wins, then they can use the briefcase to turn him heel. Just like CM Punk turned heel when he cashed in on Jeff Hardy, Reigns could turn heel by cashing in when Ambrose finally wins the belt. It could even happen as early as tonight, though I feel like they need to let it play out a little further.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Heavyweight Title
To me, the result is only in doubt if Reigns cashes in the briefcase after winning. Dean Ambrose isn't walking out with the title tonight. I am, though, curious about how they get there. The whole divide between Rollins and the rest of The Authority has been odd, and needs a payoff. The payoff could be that they all help him to beat Dean Ambrose. It would make the most sense, especially with Brock Lesnar's return on the horizon. Rollins needs to stay a heel for a while longer, and a split from the Authority would start to build him up as a face. That's how I would expect it to go down. It has been a strange build to this point, though, and I'm curious to see it play out. The question, of course, is also what happens to Ambrose? Does he just get left out of the title picture, and where does he go? It's a tricky position for WWE, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do.
Winner: Seth Rollins