WWE SmackDown 5 Predictions: Samoa Joe Imposes His Will And Wins

2. Samoa Joe Defeats Daniel Bryan

For the most part, I haven’t given Daniel Bryan much of a chance at participating in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, and part of that is because I’m kind of leery about a wrestler who was recently cleared to return from a possible brain injury competing in a ladder match. I’m also not sure if the briefcase fits Bryan, so if he isn’t going to win anyway, I’d rather see someone like Joe, who would be a menace in a ladder match that also contains Braun Strowman, in there.

Samoa Joe is coming into tonight’s match fresh, whereas Bryan is a little bit worn down. He had to face Jeff Hardy in a second-chance match last week, and while he tapped Hardy out to a Heel Hook, he’s been battling week-in and week-out against the likes of Big Cass and Rusev. We saw Bryan lose to Rusev after getting beaten down by Big Cass a couple of days earlier, and while he’s had a week to rest before facing Joe, “The Destroyer” has had even more time than that.

Bryan has been beating up Cass, who is essentially twice his size, and tapped him out twice. But Joe is a different kind of beast, and he has to be seen as the favorite in this match, despite everything Bryan has done in the month of May.

I expect Samoa Joe to win this match, to head to Money in the Bank, and to be a legitimate sleeper to take the briefcase to SmackDown Live.