WWE Money in the Bank 2017 Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

WWE.com

Women’s Money in the Bank Match
Becky Lynch vs. Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya vs. Tamina

Result: Carmella wins the Money in the Bank match.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

The Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match was hyped for weeks, and is now here. It’s a unique opportunity for WWE’s Women’s Division, as it might shape the landscape of how the female stars are booked for years to come.

Everyone got a chance to shine here, but the match only took off when Natalya became the first to climb the ladder. She knocked Charlotte off the ladder twice, but was ridiculously slow at grabbing the briefcase. There’s odd logic in gimmick matches sometimes.

The first big spot came when Tamina pushed the ladder down, which had Charlotte and Carmella at the top. It allowed Becky Lynch to get her first real action of the match, until things broke down again.

Lynch had the crowd behind her from the start, much more than the other four women. She took a lot of offense, however.

The second big spot saw Charlotte hit a dive from the top turnbuckle, taking out Tamina and Natalya at ringside. It left Lynch and Carmella in the ring.

Well, with this going on, James Ellsworth stopped Lynch from climbing up the ladder. He then climbed it and dropped the briefcase to Carmella for the official win.

Uh, okay? So anyone not in the match can grab the briefcase and hand it off to someone in the match. Yeah, that was just established here. Weird and strange, and very heel-ish. Also, not having a woman grab the briefcase in the first-ever WOMEN’S Money in the Bank match is just an odd call here, too. Let this match have some prestige, and not be known as part of The James Ellsworth Diaries. If this was the second or third year of the match, then sure, why not? But doing it in its debut is way too early.

If the goal was to give Carmella heat, it worked. She’ll get it for not technically “winning,” but receiving assistance from Ellsworth.

This means Carmella is guaranteed a chance at the SmackDown Women’s Championship. She can cash-in at any point, even at Money in the Bank. However, a heel usually holds the briefcase for a while, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see that happen into the summer, with the Princess of Staten Island.

The match was great and warranted four stars. The finish knocked the grade down, though, something that often happens with WWE matches.