WWE: Big Cass, Lana Made Strides At Money in the Bank

Prior to WWE Money in the Bank 2018, some fans wondered if Lana would be the clear weak link in the Women’s Ladder Match. It’s safe to say that Lana didn’t prevent the match from being one of the best on the card, as she showed that she belongs in this division. Meanwhile, Big Cass also made big strides in the ring, as he and Daniel Bryan kicked off MITB with a solid match.

Lana wasn’t able to grab the Money in the Bank briefcase to make Sunday a very happy #LanaDay, but she did something more meaningful in a match that was won by Alexa Bliss (who is now the Raw Women’s Champion). By hanging in the ring with the likes of Naomi, Ember Moon, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks, Lana showed that she belongs in the SmackDown Women’s Division as something more than just a manager or sporadic character.

No, Lana wasn’t perfect, but all the training and hard work she has put in certainly came to fruition at Money in the Bank. She took bumps, she sold, she hit Ember with an X-Factor on the ladder, and she had a pretty nifty Machka kick to boot. Just by looking at her, you can tell Lana’s work her ass off to improve as a wrestler, because she’s put on a solid amount of muscle mass in the past few months. Putting on muscle is always impressive, sure, but the effort that it signifies is even more important.

I’m not sure what the future holds for Lana in the SmackDown Women’s Division, especially since I’m not entirely sure if she’s a heel or a face. Carmella, Absolution, and the IIconics are locked in as the five heels on SmackDown, and the division has four great babyfaces in Naomi, Asuka, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch. So it would make more sense for Lana to be a face, and based on Sunday’s performance, there is now no reason to boo Lana, who is part of the massively popular “Lana Day” faction. (OK, fine, it’s actually called “Rusev Day”.)

I was also impressed with Big Cass’s performance on Sunday, especially since I’ve been even more critical of his work lately. His promos on SmackDown Live have been lengthy and rather boring. Cass rambles about his height, cracks jokes about Daniel Bryan being small, and makes some of the weirdest faces I’ve ever seen a wrestler unironically make while staring straight into a camera.

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Worse yet, Cass looked absolutely lost in a Triple Threat match involving Samoa Joe and Bryan a few weeks ago on SmackDown Live. Normally, being in the ring with Joe and Bryan at the same time should be a positive, because a wrestler should, in theory, be aided by working with two legends. In Cass’s case, being with Bryan and Joe only magnified his own weaknesses in terms of timing and selling, as he held those two men back and looked even worse in comparison.

But on Sunday at Money in the Bank, Cass more than held his own in his second singles match with Bryan. The result, Cass tapping out to a Heel Hook, was familiar, but the journey to get from Point A to Point B was far more interesting. Cass pulled out some awesome moves, showcasing slams that I didn’t even know he had in his arsenal. This match wasn’t a case of Bryan carrying Cass, though Bryan was, as usual, absolutely brilliant.

No, Cass, like Lana later in the night, showed that he belonged by keeping up with Bryan. Although big men do have it easier in terms of receiving a “push” in WWE, it is harder for big men to have a similar work rate to that of a smaller wrestler.

While Cass obviously isn’t on the same level as Bryan, the fact that he had a good match and didn’t look out of place last night speaks volumes about the improvements he’s made. His feud with Bryan hasn’t always made for interesting television, but it’s served the distinct purposes of elevating Cass as a heel and making him a better wrestler.

Next: Money in the Bank Highlights And Grades

I’m excited to see what Lana and Big Cass do on SmackDown Live during the remainder of 2018, and I’m sure these two made many people eat their words last night. And I fully admit that I am included on that list of naysayers.