WWE Money in the Bank 2018

[Balok's Decoy]

So who here is both a Trekkie and a WWE fan?

I got into WWE this year and I've been eating up Raw, SmackDown, and the PPVs. This Saturday is the Money in the Bank PPV. Pretty excited! Anyone going to watch? Who are your picks to win?

My picks:

• Bludgeon Brothers vs Good Brothers
• Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass
• Nia Jax vs Ronda Rousey (Rousey but only for a few minutes -- this will take place after the women's ladder match and whoever wins that will cash in)
• Carmella vs Asuka (if Asuka doesn't win I will throw something)
• Roman Reigns vs Jinder Mahal (even though Reigns winning does nobody any favors, not even Reigns)
• Bobby Lashley vs Sami Zayn (either Lashley wins clean and it's kind of a beatdown or it ends in disqualification when Zayn does something dirty)
• Seth Rollins vs Elias (this one is a tossup but god I hope Rollins stays IC champion. He is killing it on Raw with this title)
• AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura (Shinsuke is a more interesting character and I'd rather he win, but I think this is the end of the Styles/Nakamura feud and it has to end with Styles)
• Lana, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte, Ember Moon, Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Sasha Banks (Ladder match)
• Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Bobby Roode, Braun Strowman, The Miz, Rusev, Finn Balor, and one of The New Day. (If The Miz wins I will be so fucking happy. With the briefcase in hand every week on SmackDown, he'll be even more joyfully arrogant and smug than normal and that'll be fun to watch.)

 

[Jax]

Been watching WWE again since 2014 after several years away (first started in the late spring of 99)...

RAW been a right struggle to watch since WrestleMania and SDLive has been better (thanks to the better roster IMO) but mixed still, so can't say i'm too excited by Money in the Bank. NXT Chicago should be great though as all NXT Takeover's are compared to WWE Main roster PPV's.

* Bludgeon Brothers vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
* Big Cass vs. Daniel Bryan
* Sasha Banks vs. Ember Moon vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Lana vs. Naomi
* The Miz vs. Braun Strowman vs. Finn Bálor vs. Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe vs. New Day Member
* Seth Rollins vs. Elias
* Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn
* Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal
* Asuka vs. Carmella
* Ronda Rousey (via DQ) vs. Nia Jax
* Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles
* The Miz vs. Braun Strowman vs. Finn Bálor vs. Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe vs. New Day Member

Cass will make it 1-1 so they can end the feud on SDLive or expand it to involve someone like The Miz. If WWE are smart (which is rare) they will let DB regain the Championship this year and have Miz cash in on him because the HEAT that Miz would get would make the devil himself sweat.

Bobby should squash Sami (MMA Fighter FFS) but WWE creative are doing the Roman experience to his character so expect a match where Bobby is getting beat before a late comeback to win. Speaking of Roman, who I have liked every since I saw the Shield back in 2014, his match will be destroyed by the Chicago crowd but the only result must be a win. They have made so many mistakes with a really talented worker but they ruined him for good after the WrestleMania debacle especially the promo given to him the next night after RAW...Turn him heel FFS and it would be gold! for everyone.

Askua should win and should win convincingly because really, this is Askua we are talking about. This match and the rematch at Extreme Rules (Which should help Carmella from a story point of view due to weapons being legal) should then allow Askua v Charlotte II at Summerslam and for Asuka to tie that story at 1-1 to be resumed at a later date. Also Asuka could then face Ronda at Survivor Series later in the year, which would be good enough to main event IMO.

As for Ronda, the time IS NOT right to make her champion so I expect Natalya to cost her friend the championship via DQ either by accident or on purpose but at somepoint we know Natalya will turn full heel and the two will face off. I'd say Natalya v Ronda at Extreme and then let Ronda win the title at Summerslam and she can keep the title until next year when we should see Charlotte v Ronda at WrestleMania (possibly main event).

Nakamura has to win the championship otherwise his fairly entertaining heel run will be for nothing and his character would be DEAD. I love AJ and consider him the best wrestler in the world but he's had two long reigns by modern standards since his 2016 debut so let's switch things up. I would save any re-match for later though because it's been AJ v Nakamura non stop since post Fastlane. Infact I would have at Summerslam Nakamura v AJ V Joe v Bryan because

 

[Balok's Decoy]

NXT Chicago should be great though as all NXT Takeover's are compared to WWE Main roster PPV's.

NXT Takoever Chicago knocked it out of the park. My jaw was dropped for just about the whole PPV. In particular, Ricochet vs Velveteen Dream was stunning. Gargano vs Ciampa was....god, what was that? So brutal. Good entertainment, but goddamn. Half expected the Chicago PD to step in and break it up before someone died.

As for Ronda, the time IS NOT right to make her champion so I expect Natalya to cost her friend the championship via DQ either by accident or on purpose but at somepoint we know Natalya will turn full heel and the two will face off.

I was totally expecting this too. I thought Natalya was going to do what Alexa Bliss () ended up doing -- win the briefcase and cash in at the end of the Jax/Rousey match. Ended up happening right as Rousey was about to arm-bar Nia into oblivion, not after she won. Kinda keeps both competitors safe for now, which was a smart move. Not thrilled about Bliss with the championship though. She's just not that interesting.

Nakamura has to win the championship otherwise his fairly entertaining heel run will be for nothing and his character would be DEAD. I love AJ and consider him the best wrestler in the world but he's had two long reigns by modern standards since his 2016 debut so let's switch things up. I would save any re-match for later though because it's been AJ v Nakamura non stop since post Fastlane. Infact I would have at Summerslam Nakamura v AJ V Joe v Bryan because

BUMMER that AJ topped Nakamura. I think they're both great, but I just don't understand the timing of AJ winning this one. Would've been better for SD to have a gleeful heel like Nakamura rubbing it in the champ's face.

Speaking of outcomes that aren't good for SD, really disappointed that The Miz didn't get the briefcase. That would've been great. But I understand why Braun has it -- it makes sense. He's unstoppable right now. A predictable outcome, but I am very excited to see Braun challenge Brock Lesnar. I do not expect Braun to cash in at the end of a Lesnar/Reigns rematch. It's Braun, so he doesn't need that advantage. He'll let Lesnar know well in advance. That'll be a must-see match for sure!

Overall I thought it was a solid show. Wasn't thrilled with the Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass match, mostly because Cass is a nothing character. Did NOT understand the crowd hatred for the Reigns vs Jinder match. I understand why people don't like Roman Reigns (or at least they don't like how he's booked) but come on, that match wasn't that bad. Not so bad that these guys deserved the crowd turning on them. And they didn't even make it the main event.

NXT Takeover was overall a better PPV, I think. It feels more raw, a little scrappier and rougher around the edges.