WWE Money in the Bank 2018 Predictions

Posted by Peter W on June 15, 2018 in Wrestling | 5 Comments

I think I got too used to WWE having Pay Per Views (or big events on the WWE network) every two weeks due to the brand split.  While it seemed like overkill to many, it was a treat for me and I really looked forward to them.

After WrestleMania, we also had a bunch of big events in a row and then right after Backlash we got a six weeks gap between shows.   WWE programming has been boring because it has dragging it’s ass just to get to this Money in the Bank PPV.

With two Money in the Bank matches, one of the men and one for the women, being on the event,  we’re going to have two people who will be able to cash in their briefcase at any time and become champ. It could even happen during this show! I always love the Money in the Bank ladder match and the suspense someone having a briefcase brings.  Suffice to say, those two matches are enough to make this a must watch but we’re also getting a few other high profile matches.

Here are my thoughts on what I think (and hope) will happen on the show.  If things change on the card, I’ll update accordingly.

 

The Bludgeon Brothers (Champs) vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson –
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match (Kickoff Show)

Considering WWE has done sweet  f-a with the Bludgeon Brothers since they won the Smackdown tag team championship and didn’t utilize Gallows and Anderson like they should have when they first came to WWE, is it any surprise that there’s no hype around this match? If there’s one match that should be on the Kickoff Show, it’s this one.  While I’m a fan of all involved, WWE Creative has sat on their hands with these teams.  Perhaps this will be the start of something we can follow over the course of the next month – a face teams gunning for the titles.  Unless they’re going to disband the Bludgeon Brothers (split these two yet again), I don’t see them taking the belts off the champs.

Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers

 

Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn

Can we say this is probably the worst “feud” of the year so far? Can we also say this is one of the worst starts of a second run of a wrestler in recent years with what WWE has done with Bobby Lashley? This stuff has been so painful to watch.  Hopefully Zayn gets his comeuppances for the boring shit WWE Creative has scripted him to do and they both move on from this crap.

Winner: Bobbly Lashley

 

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass

While some see Bryan vs. Cass as a waste of Bryan’s talents, I think it’s a good way of getting the audience familiar with Bryan’s perseverance in the ring against people larger than him and how he handles himself when WWE writes his opponent to deliver child-like insults.  We’re really doing attacks on “shorter” people in 2018 and making that the basis for a feud? Fire these writers!  Anyway, I don’t think this feud is going to end here for some reason and that means Big Cass will somehow pull off a victory here.  I hope I’m wrong, though.

Winner: Big Cass

 

Seth Rollins (Champ) vs. Elias – Intercontinental Championship Match

Rollins is on fire.  I think everyone knows that.  Elias has been a surprise to many, especially to me.  I didn’t “get” his drifter persona in NXT and that’s exactly how he debuted on Raw.  Since then, he’s come into his own getting wins and still getting over when losing.  This has been a good feud so far that I only think is just beginning.

Some are predicting that Rollins will be challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at Summerslam when that over-paid, lazy-assed “wrestler” finally gets back to work.  I’d love to see Rollins step up and challenge Lesnar to a title-for-title match where he can dethrone Lesnar and send him off back to UFC.

If Rollins is heading toward a show-down with Lesnar, a loss for Rollins, if Elias wins eventually through cheating, won’t damage him if he goes for Lesnar without the Intercontinental Championship around his waist.

Elias is going to be the Intercontinental Champion but I just don’t think it will happen at this show. If it does, I won’t be disappointed either.

Winner: Seth Rollins

 

Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal

I think the thing I’m anticipating most here is the reaction of the Chicago crowd.  I’m also curious as to where they’re going to put this match on the show.

While I’m not a huge fan of either man, I don’t hate either of them.  It’s how they’re presented.  I’m happy that Mahal isn’t using xenophobia tactics to dRaw heat right now and he’s been looking better on Raw in his TV matches.

Unfortunately with Reigns, he never seems to have a balanced match.  There’s some offense at first and then we get the usual Reigns spots where he get thrown into the stairs or turnbuckle, gets his ass kicked for the majority of the match, kicks out of everything and anything, and then fights back quickly to get the win. I expect the same formula here unless we get a DQ.

Winner: Roman Reigns

 

Carmella (Champ) vs. Asuka – Smackdown Women’s Championship Match

If you’ve watched NXT since its inception, imagine writing down or seeing the above match up when these two were a part of that brand still.  It wouldn’t have happened nor would it be fathomable.  Carmella has gotten better on the mic but there should be absolutely no way she could hold a candle to Asuka in the ring.  There may be some interference by the Iiconics that will help Carmella somehow get a win or it’ll go to a DQ finish.  There will be no pinning of Asuka by Carmella.  Depending on who wins the Money in the Bank ladder match and its place on the card, we may see a cash-in if both participants are down.  I believe that Carmella is dropping the title, though.

Winner: Asuka

 

Nia Jax (Champ) vs. Ronda Rousey – Raw Women’s Championship

Here’s another match that could be affected by the Money in the Bank match.  I have no idea how WWE screwed this story up.  They’ve flip flopped with how Nia Jax has been towards Rousey.  Is Jax a heel who is now bullying although she just stood up against it? Is she a face who is a fighting champion and giving Rousey an opportunity? Or is Jax someone who just wants to show she is the best by beating a former UFC champion?  Who knows?!?  Rousey won’t taste defeat here as I think they’ll have her go undefeated for quite a while but I think it’s way too early for her to be a champ.  That’s why I don’t think this match will end clean. I think we’ll see a DQ here.

Winner: Rousey via DQ

 

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Representing Smackdown are Becky Lynch, Lana, Charlotte, and Naomi.  Representing Raw are Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, Alexa Bliss, and Natalya.  I’ll get to the men’s match in a minute but I’m predicting someone from Smackdown to win that.  I don’t think someone from both shows is going to win the briefcases so that leaves me with someone from Raw winning the women’s match.

Sasha Banks doesn’t need the win.   She needs a heel turn and for them to pull an actual heated rivalry with Bayley or Ember Moon.  Alexa Bliss is the kind of girl who will take this opportunity and make the most of it.  She’s by far the best woman on the mic and her ring work isn’t shabby anymore either.  The reason I don’t pick her as an absolute guarantee.

Natalya is a great heel and I’m not buying her buddy-buddy stuff with Rousey.  She’s played it up far too much on Raw that you just know some kind of backstabbing is going to take place.  I think with Natalya winning, she can interfere in the match on the show between these two (or a rematch) and use the briefcase to win the championship and start a feud with Rousey (and Jax).  Mind you, Natalya double crossing Rousey and helping Jax retain can also be done without a MITB win, too.  I think it will be either Natalya or Bliss who will win this, although Lynch would be a great pick as well.

Winner: Natalya

 

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

In this match from Raw, we have Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, and Bobby Roode.  From Smackdown, there’s Samoa Joe, Rusev, The Miz, and one of the members of The New Day.  I don’t think Roode, The Miz, Balor, or one of the members of The New Day will win this.  Strowman doesn’t need the opportunity, nor would it do anything for his character to use it to cash in.  That’s just not the person portrayed on TV.

That leaves Rusev and Samoa Joe, both on Smackdown.  Rusev has gotten some pretty big high stakes wins lately but I have a funny feeling he may be getting into the US Championship picture sooner than later.  Who has had history with Styles already? Samoa Joe.  I think a match between those two is something many want to see, especially with something major on the line.  My gut is telling me that Joe is going to get his massive push and it’s the reason he got drafted over to Smackdown.

Winner: Samoa Joe

 

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship

This should be the end of the feud between these two.  I think the build to this has actually been done well.  It has allowed Nakamura’s heel side to slowly grow and it’s been great to see how it has affected AJ Styles losing his cool and demeanor.  It’s like Nakamura is truly getting under his skin and not allowing Styles to have his focus where it should be.

That being said, Styles should be leaving with the belt and moving on to the next feud but depending on who wins the men’s Money in the Bank match, we could be seeing a cash-in on this show.  It makes perfect sense if a heel wins the MITB match and strikes when both men are trying to get up for a 10-count.  It sets up Styles chasing the person who took advantage of that opportunity all summer and lead to a one-on-one encounter at SummerSlam.  You can even have a triple threat match beforehand at the next PPV with Nakamuara.  Hell, this thing writes itself.

Winner: The person who wins the men’s Money in the Bank match (my pick again for that, Samoa Joe)

 

Make sure to watch the NXT Takeover event on Saturday night, too! Most of the time, the matches and wrestlers on that show outperform the main roster.  It just shows what a difference having a different boss and creative team can do for a product.