WWE Money in the Bank 2018: Making The Case For Ember Moon
Photo: WWE.com
Since debuting on the main roster, Ember Moon has stood out with her innovative offense and unique look. Will that propel her to a Money in the Bank win?
I must admit, I was worried about Ember Moon when WWE called her up to the main roster on the RAW following WrestleMania 34. After all, the company has a well-documented track record of taking popular NXT acts and reducing them to nothing. Vince McMahon and the creative team tend to treat NXT call-ups like new toys that kids get for Christmas. They use them for a few weeks before brushing them aside and moving on to someone else.
Fortunately, WWE has avoided the same trend with Moon. Instead of concocting contrived reasons to devalue her, the company has emphasized her strong workrate, cool look, and awesome finisher to help her stand out in a talented RAW women’s division.
Participating in her first Money in the Bank ladder match, Moon probably isn’t the clear favorite to win. However, I would argue that booking Moon to win a guaranteed Women’s Championship match would do her more good than any of the other seven competitors.
An interesting winner
I know a lot of fans and writers–including some of my colleagues–have some interesting fantasy booking scenarios regarding the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match and beyond. Heck, even I picked Natalya to win the briefcase due to the way she constantly points out that possible future RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey is her best friend–and I think we all know that story will play out.
While there are compelling reasons to pick Natalya, Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks–not so much for the other combatants–I think that Moon would be a more interesting choice. WWE could use a Moon MitB win as a chance to allow fans to get to know the former NXT Women’s Champion better.
WWE could conduct sit-down interviews–preferably with Renee Young–where Moon discusses what winning the Women’s Championship would mean to her (frankly, they could have done that with her and the other women before the pay-per-view, but that’s WWE for you). Hopefully, these hypothetical segments would let the viewers know a little more about what motivates the Dallas native while firmly establishing her as a babyface that wants to cash in her title shot in a forthright manner.
I wrote several weeks ago about WWE needing to reform their Money in the Bank booking strategy to keep the concept fresh. One of the thoughts I had was relatively simple: have babyfaces announce their cash-ins ahead of time and use the match to elevate the wrestler, win or lose. WWE could use a story like that to push Moon to the top of the card.
Let’s say that Moon won the ladder match and decided to cash in her briefcase at a pay-per-view or on an episode of RAW. WWE could mine weeks of buildup to the imminent title match. If she calls her shot and wins clean, she comes across as a valiant, smart champion without sacrificing her integrity, which would run counter to babyfaces who have cashed in their respective briefcases nefariously in the past. If she puts up a good fight in defeat, WWE could use that as a launching point to her eventual title win–which may work better if WWE were to book it right.
A fresh face in the title picture
Honestly, the RAW and SmackDown women’s divisions don’t have a lot of depth. The lack of available top wrestlers on both brands more or less forced WWE into giving Rousey a title shot in her second-ever match. It also forced them into putting the SmackDown Women’s Title on Carmella due to the lack of credible heel opponents for Charlotte Flair. Because of this, it stands to reason that whoever doesn’t win the Money in the Bank ladder match will simply get a shot at the championship somewhere down the line.
The Money in the Bank contract should represent a once-in-a-lifetime chance to earn one of the richest prizes a female wrestler can attain in the company. If someone like Alexa Bliss, Banks, Flair, or Natalya–women who have had multiple title reigns and are perpetually in the championship mix–retrieve the briefcase, it would send the message that WWE is fine with the status quo.
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Giving Moon the win would show fans that WWE is willing to shake things up and take a chance on a talented grappler with upside that has already gained a connection with the crowd after only a few months. If could give WWE a fresh face at the top of the women’s division, particularly a face that could remain in that spot for years to come.