WWE Money in the Bank 2018: Ember Moon Profile
Ember Moon was the first woman on the Raw roster to qualify for the women’s WWE Money in the Bank 2018 ladder match by defeating Sasha Banks and Ruby Riott in a show-stealing Triple Threat match. But can she steal the show at the big Pay Per View, too?
For as much flack as the WWE gets for messing up NXT call-ups, I have to say that they’ve done a splendid job of making Ember Moon feel special. Although Moon is a tried-and-true babyface who wins the right way, says all the right things, and sells brutal submission holds better than 90% of the roster, Moon is still supposed to be an enigma. The wild look in her blood-red eyes, the primal scream, the shadow she casts in her entrance, and her breath-taking finisher are all befitting of a woman referred to as the “Shenom”.
So far, Ember Moon has defeated Sasha Banks, Ruby Riott, Mickie James, and recent Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss in matches. Moon hasn’t come close to being defeated, and it’s never felt like she’s been tested. “The Eclipse” remains one of WWE’s most protected and awe-inspiring finishers, and Moon has been allowed to showcase her technical wrestling ability and athleticism whenever she gets a match.
Moon must compete against Bliss, Banks, Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Lana for the briefcase in the women’s ladder match at WWE Money in the Bank 2018. Although the likes of Becky, Natalya, and Alexa are largely seen as the favorites to come down with the contract this year, Moon is a viable sleeper.
What works against Moon is, primarily, the fact that she is a babyface. We’ve grown accustomed to seeing heels win the Money in the Bank briefcase, as both Carmella and Baron Corbin secured the contract in 2017. The only babyface to win the contract in recent memory was Dean Ambrose at the 2016 MITB PPV, and you could argue that this was done so that Ambrose would cash in on Seth Rollins, who had just defeated Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship.
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Bliss and Lana are the only heels in the match, and since there’s essentially no chance that someone as inexperienced in the ring as Lana wins, it seems like Bliss would be a very wise prediction.
But doesn’t that seem a little too obvious? So in 2018, it isn’t out of the question for a babyface to win the women’s MITB ladder match, bucking the common trend over the years of heels winning.
Another general principle is that Money in the Bank winners are generally up-and-coming stars who use their time with the briefcase as a means of increasing their star power.
Carmella somewhat did this last year after winning, though she had a long wait until cashing in. Of course, Carmella has blossomed since cashing in on Charlotte for the SmackDown Women’s Champion, producing entertaining promos on a weekly basis.
Although Moon is arguably the best in-ring performer in the women’s division right now (I said “arguably”, because the general consensus is that Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch are better), she is lacking as a promo. This comes down to a lack of experience, but it is also because it is harder for babyfaces like Moon to cut promos that get people talking. Moon has her ideals, and she stays true to them.
A run with the briefcase, as unlikely as it may seem to some, could be a way for Moon to continue to show her character. The problem is that the briefcase also doesn’t fit Moon’s character. Moon is the type of babyface who never backs down from a straight-up fight, and she wants her opponents to know that she’s coming for them. She showed no fear in the face of Asuka and Shayna Baszler on multiple occasions, taking the fight to two of the most dominant (and scary) women in WWE today.
Next: Alexa Bliss MITB Profile
I like that fans are thinking of Moon as a potential sleeper to win the ladder match, and I love the fact that she qualified for the match so easily. Moon is a candidate to be one of the top performers on the entire Pay Per View, and I’m sure many fans will hope for a high-risk, Eclipse-off-the-ladder spot from her on June 17.