WWE Money in the Bank 2018 will feature Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles clashing for the WWE Championship in a Last Man Standing match, marking the fifth time these two will face each other in WWE.
It will be incredibly interesting to see which match main events WWE Money in the Bank 2018, because three matches seem to have a legitimate case. The Men’s and Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Matches contain eight superstars each, and the implications of winning the briefcase are obviously huge. But if WWE doesn’t want to choose between one of them or wants to tease the idea of the winner immediately cashing in, Nakamura and Styles could main event.
There are several matches at the Pay Per View that don’t involve titles and briefcases. These are grudge matches between Daniel Bryan and Big Cass, Roman Reigns and Jinder Mahal, and Sami Zayn and Bobby Lashley. Outside of Roman vs. Jinder, the build for these matches has been questionable and simply seem like a means of getting key superstars on the show.
With Pay Per Views now dual-branded, shows will last longer with more stacked cards, as evidenced by the fact that Money in the Bank will contain five title defenses and two ladder matches. So let’s take some time to predict each officially announced match.
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
Daniel Bryan already defeated Big Cass at Backlash, and I actually thought Cass would come out the winner in that match as a means of prolonging their feud. But WWE probably didn’t want Bryan to take a loss to Cass, especially since it was only his second Pay Per View match since being cleared to compete again.
Since Bryan tapped out Cass at Backlash with the YES! Lock, he’s also caused Cass to tap out to the Heel Hook and has seemingly turned aside Cass every step of the way. Meanwhile, all Cass can do is boast about how tall he is, and it’s gotten to the point where I’m honestly tired of hearing the man speak. He doesn’t say anything new, and his promos are usually the worst part of SmackDown Live. Of course, SmackDown is admittedly great, so it’s quite easy for Cass to end up being the lowest point of the show.
On the bright side, Cass has something crucial going for him, and that’s the fact that he is almost universally hated by the fans. Everyone wants to see this guy on the floor, tapping out to Bryan, whom he’s victimized verbally. Yet, Bryan not only has Cass’s number in the ring, he also has his number on the mic, as exemplified by his wonderful promo above.
I could maybe see Cass pulling a shocker here after losing at Backlash, but at this stage, beating Bryan in a singles match should be special. Through his inconsistent performances and even worse in-ring work (he was downright awful in a Triple Threat match with Samoa Joe and Bryan), Cass has not shown that he’s earned the rub from beating Bryan.
Prediction: Daniel Bryan
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Elias For The Intercontinental Champion
Last week on Raw, Seth Rollins and Elias essentially kicked off their rivalry when Rollins forced Elias to exit the ring before his Intercontinental Championship defense against Jinder Mahal. After the match ended in disqualification because Rollins smashed Mahal with a steel chair, Elias got his revenge on Rollins by shattering his guitar over Rollins’s back. A match between these two was officially announced just days later.
Elias seems like a real sleeper to win this match, but that’s mainly if you believe the online speculation that Rollins could face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Since Roman Reigns lost to Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 and The Greatest Royal Rumble, some fans are optimistic that Rollins, who is the hottest superstar in WWE right now, could be the one to win the Universal Championship off of Lesnar.
While I would be all for that, I simply don’t see it happening. The circumstances surrounding Reigns’s loss to Lesnar at The Greatest Royal Rumble were dubious at best, and Reigns remains, by all indications, WWE’s top star. Therefore, he remains the most likely option to win the Universal Championship, because, like Rollins, he has yet to win this title.
I think this match should be fantastic, and it will end up being the best match of Elias’s career, win or lose. Rollins unequivocally stole the show at Backlash, and I’m sure he’ll do his absolute best to make that happen at Money in the Bank.
Prediction: Seth Rollins
Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley
Yes, my reaction to this match is “ugh”, because I am honestly so done with this feud. I mean, every week, this program devolves into something that just totally insults the audience, and it’s so far beneath the quality of these two performers that it isn’t even funny.
Sami Zayn is one of the best professional wrestlers on the planet, but you wouldn’t come away thinking that after watching this feud develop. While Zayn has done his best on the mic to try and make these segments work, there’s only so much you can do with transphobia, fake apologies, and trying to lie that someone never served in the military.
Meanwhile, calling Bobby Lashley “just another guy” would be a compliment at this point, because WWE have treated him like a joke. Far from the bad-ass who ruled TNA and Impact Wrestling as either an arrogant jock or a stoic machine, Lashley seems confused and awkward. He’s still a bad-ass because the man behind the character is just that damn cool, but at this point, I no longer critique fans who wonder why Lashley decided to rejoin WWE.
Lashley is winning this match without any shadow of a doubt, especially since he’s never gotten his hands on Zayn throughout these segments. Zayn has done his best to stay away from Lashley, since he wants no part of a man who gave him vertigo. This is the one part of the build to this feud that WWE has done exceptionally well, so it will be satisfying when Lashley finally destroys Zayn. Sadly, I wonder if so much damage has been done as a result of these unentertaining and, quite frankly, embarrassing segments that the live crowd reactions will be less forceful than they should.
Prediction: Bobby Lashley
The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan, c) vs. The Club (Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows) For The SmackDown Women’s Championship
Karl Anderson defeated Harper on the most recent episode of SmackDown Live, and to say his win was a shock is an understatement. We’ve seen Jimmy Uso defeat Rowan off of a roll-up, but that was thanks to a distraction from Naomi. Anderson’s roll-up victory was way more out-of-the-blue, and it gives the Club some momentum (read: false hope) ahead of their match against the Bludgeon Brothers at WWE Money in the Bank 2018.
I still believe that the Budgeon Brothers will eventually drop the SmackDown Tag Team Championships to Sanity (Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain, and Eric Young), whenever the chaotic trio eventually make their official debuts on SmackDown Live. Sanity is headed for special things, and the Bludgeon Brothers can’t run rampant over the tag division forever. They’ll have to lose at some point, but that loss won’t come against the veteran duo of Gallows and Anderson.
That said, I hope this match is competitive, and I hope Gallows and Anderson test Harper and Rowan in ways that other tag teams haven’t been able to. Gallows and Anderson are definitely wily veterans, which was clear in the way Anderson picked up his win over Harper. Again, I can’t see the Club winning here, but, man, I am so glad they are in a title match just months into their stint on SmackDown.
Prediction: The Bludgeon Brothers
Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal
I’ve honestly thoroughly enjoyed the Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal program thus far, though I do admittedly enjoy most of what Reigns does on Raw. The Mahal and Reigns rivalry has felt far less contrived than I feared it would be, and it’s featured some big moments, particularly Reigns’s spear of Mahal through a wall backstage.
Reigns is one of those wrestlers who is willing to go all-out to sell for his opponents, and it will be interesting to see how he does this against a wrestler whose offense is far less imposing than his size would indicate. That said, Mahal’s improvements in the ring are tangible, and his work in tag matches with Reigns so far have been great, far superior to his oft-criticized Great Royal Rumble showing that still hangs over his head.
It will be intriguing to see just how negatively the Chicago crowd reacts to both competitors, since neither Reigns nor Mahal are popular in these types of crowd environments. The weirdest thing is that Reigns is serenaded with boos upon entering the arena, but, usually, he’ll have good matches and the crowd will start cheering him (or just the match in general when big moves happen). Reigns was robbed of this in both the Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe matches at WrestleMania and Backlash, respectively, so it will be interesting to see how Reigns vs. Mahal is set up.
To me, Reigns winning is an absolute no-brainer. I like what Mahal has done on Raw, and his promos are pretty hilarious. But yeah, there’s no reason for Reigns to lose this match.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Carmella (c) vs. Asuka For The SmackDown Women’s Championship
Weirdly enough, I worry in the back of my mind that Carmella could pull off another major upset here and defeat Asuka to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship, but am I actually worried? I mean, as head-scratching as it might be for Asuka to suffer a fluke loss to Carmella, The Princess of Staten Island has been absolutely brilliant as the champ. So while I want nothing more than for Asuka to win the title and kick Carmella’s head off, I also don’t want Mella’s reign to end. When wrestling fans are conflicted about who they want to win, that’s a sign both performers have been doing a tremendous job.
I think Mella DQ's herself. Keeps the fued going and then have Asuka win at Extreme Rules
— KCDave85 🇺🇦 (@KCDave85) June 6, 2018
The above tweet is a reminder that, of course, Asuka could win and Carmella could retain the title to help extend this feud to Extreme Rules, where Asuka could really do some damage to the so-called “Princess”. That could be the right move here, since Asuka is fresh off of defeating Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose in a handicap match and wouldn’t immediately face one of those two at Extreme Rules. The IIconics are natural feuds for Asuka following a title victory, whereas Charlotte, Naomi, or Becky Lynch would be SummerSlam-worthy feuds (with the issue there being that all three of those women are babyfaces…right now, at least).
In the end, I’ll take Asuka here, but I’m not exactly confident that she’ll win the title. I think she should, but, man, Carmella has impressed me so much over the past month.
Prediction: Asuka
Nia Jax (c) vs. Ronda Rousey For The Raw Women’s Championship
I feel terrible for saying this, but I feel compelled to keep things “100” on here. Right now, I absolutely do not care about this Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey feud, and this week on Raw, Natalya was by far the most interesting performer of the three. Her selling of a knee injury sustained at the hands of Nia was the best part of their lackluster match, and Natalya’s backstage performance with Jax and Rousey warring over their concern for “Nattie” was also quite good.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to tell if Jax is a heel or a face, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it just makes it so much harder to invest in what’s happening. One week, Jax is bullying a local talent after being a part of an anti-bullying feud against Alexa Bliss, and then the next week she’s all concerned about Natalya’s knee injury (and doesn’t immediately turn around and attack Nattie’s “injured” knee).
Rousey’s acting in all of this has been quite poor, which is to be expected, but it’s still concerning. She was arguably THE standout performer of WrestleMania 34, but she’s on her own against Nia at Money in the Bank. Triple H, Kurt Angle, and Stephanie McMahon won’t be in the ring with her.
The story of this feud is non-existent, so I don’t care. It’s that simple. And that should never, ever happen in a feud involving the biggest draw in your company.
That said, Rousey should win this match, even if most people think it’s too soon. Why should she win? Because it’s Rousey. She shouldn’t ever lose for at least a year (hopefully more).
Prediction: Ronda Rousey
AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura For The WWE Championship In A Last Man Standing Match
Even if AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakmaura doesn’t main event Money in the Bank, I am so invested in this feud, and I cannot fathom why some fans are upset with seeing these two fighting for months. These are two of the best performers in the world at the top of their games, and I’m not just talking about in-ring work here.
Go watch their contract signing on SmackDown Live this week, if you haven’t already. There were no Kinsasha. No low blows. No big table spots. The contract signing occurred in a low-key setting backstage, and the extent of the physical contact was Styles slapping Nakamura in the face.
But what made this segment so special was the emotions behind it. Before WrestleMania 34, Nakamura predicted that he’d defeat Styles because Styles is too emotional, and it seems like Nakamura has finally gotten into his head. Every little thing he does, such as breaking a pen or yawning, sets Styles off, to the point where Styles doesn’t have his emotions in check.
All of the teases Nakamura has pulled ahead of this Last Man Standing match have added so much intrigue. Their most recent match against each other on SmackDown Live was their best match in WWE so far, which only makes me more excited to watch them go at it on June 17.
I’m not 100% confident, but I believe Nakamura will win this match to finally capture the WWE Championship and entrench himself as an elite heel in WWE. More importantly, I’m expecting this match to be an all-time classic that ranks there among the best Last Man Standing matches in WWE history.
Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura.
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
(Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor vs. Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Roode vs. Samoa Joe vs. Rusev vs. The Miz vs. Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, or Big E)
I am absolutely in love with all of the segments involving The New Day and The Miz, because The A-Lister is just desperate to find out which member of The New Day he must contend with at WWE Money in the Bank 2018. Meanwhile, Xavier Woods, Big E, and Kofi Kingston want to keep him guessing, and they’re all too willing to prank him. They even tricked Miz into sticking his hand into a hat filled with pancake batter.
At this point, I’ve picked The Miz every week, and I’m not about to deviate from that. My dream remains for Miz to cash in on Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship, and I don’t think I have anything higher on my wishlist, save for maybe a Seth Rollins run with the Universal Title, than Miz reclaiming the WWE Championship.
Finn Balor’s Coup de Grace off the top of the ladder is one of WWE’s most hair-rising spots, and we were treated to it on the last episode of Raw. Balor and Owens will do some beyond crazy stuff at Money in the Bank, and I could see them joining Strowman and Joe as standout performers.
Rusev is a big-time sleeper, too, but, ultimately, I can’t pick against The Miz. But then again, if Finn Balor cashes in on Brock Lesnar…
Prediction: The Miz
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
(Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Ember Moon vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Naomi vs. Lana)
I could see something crazy like Lana winning, but, to me, the field is absolutely wide open here. Notice that I inserted Bayley on the card to replace Natalya in the Women’s Ladder Match, because I think WWE just wrote Nattie out of the match with her knee injury to Nia Jax. While I’d absolutely love to see Natalya catching Charlotte Flair’s moonsault to the outside or powerbombing Sasha Banks through a ladder, it makes more sense for Bayley to be involved, especially with the inextricable bond she and Banks share.
If Bayley is in the match, the friendly rivalry she has with Banks will be taken to the next level, and misunderstandings could finally yield some intense action. It’s wistful thinking to expect Bayley and Banks to finally come to blows “for real”, and yet, it’s something I really don’t want to see just because I don’t want to have to pick a side.
For three straight weeks, I picked Alexa Bliss, only to change my pick to Natalya last week under the impression that she’d win and cash in during the match between Jax and Rousey. Since Natalya isn’t competing, I should pick Bliss, right? She’s a sure-fire heel, an elite promo, and a centerpiece of the Raw Women’s Division who is usually around the title picture. So she’s the safest pick.
But I’ll be foolish, and I’ll pick Becky Lynch, even though she just tapped Charlotte Flair out to the Dis-Arm-Her for the second time since last year’s Superstar Shakeup. Becky’s story on the road to the SmackDown Women’s Championship writes itself. So I’ll have fun in this totally non-serious predictions piece and select Becky, even though I know her chances are slim.
Prediction: Becky Lynch