WWE Money in the Bank Live Results, Highlights and Grades
Today’s the big day. WWE’s first post-WrestleMania pay-per-view and they picked a big one to start the new WWE season: Money in the Bank.
The Raw, SmackDown and 205 Live rosters will all come together tonight to deliver some high octane action emanating from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Tonight’s PPV will serve as the tenth annual Money in the Bank PPV. In addition, the pay-per-view will deliver the 24th and 25th Money in the Bank ladder matches ever since the match type was introduced in 2005.
Beyond two Money in the Bank ladder matches, the event will showcase seven title matches and two grudge matches. For some context, here’s a quick breakdown of the card and a recap of the events that led to the show.
The Kickoff
In the build-up to the show, Lars Sullivan attacked SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz and injured Jeff Hardy in the process. As a result, The Hardys were forced to relinquish their titles. A week later, Daniel Bryan and Rowan were handed the titles by Shane McMahon, but not before being challenged by The Usos, who jumped ship for the night as part of the Wild Card Rule.
Bryan and Rowan defeated The Usos to earn their belts. Tonight, they’ll have to try to beat them again on the Kickoff Show in a rematch.
The Title Matches
As part of the Superstar Shake-Up, AJ Styles jumped to Raw after claiming SmackDown Live as the house that he built for the better part of three years. After winning a triple threat and then a #1 contender’s match against Baron Corbin on the Apr. 22 episode of Raw, Styles earned the right to face Seth Rollins for his Universal Championship. While they respected each other initially, their quest for the title was enough to intensify their rivalry on the road to Money in the Bank.
Meanwhile, Kofi Kingston has had a handful of title matches on the road to Money in the Bank and has successfully defended the WWE Championship every time. However, he faces his greatest challenge yet tonight in Kevin Owens. Owens briefly joined The New Day after Big E found himself on the injury shelf, only for Owens to attack both Xavier Woods and Kofi in an effort to demand his WWE Title shot. He got his wish. Will he get the title?
Becky Lynch felt compelled to defend both of her titles at the pay-per-view as a fighting champion. As such, Becky 2 Belts will defend her SmackDown and Raw Women’s Titles respectively against Charlotte Flair and Lacey Evans. The last time we saw The Man, she was getting slammed through a table by both her challengers on the last Raw before Money in the Bank. Her chances at walking out the PPV with both belts aren’t looking too good.
Samoa Joe will defend his United States Championship once again against Rey Mysterio. He successfully defended his title at WrestleMania with a 10-second victory over Rey. The Innovator of the 619 got his retribution some weeks back with non-title singles victory over Joe. Could he redeem himself once again with a title win over the Samoan Submission Machine?
Last but not least, Tony Nese defends his Cruiserweight Championship against Ariya Daivari. Nese defeated Buddy Murphy for the title near his hometown of Long Island, New York at WrestleMania. Every week on 205 Live, he has quietly built momentum as the new face of the purple brand with star-studded performances against game talent. Simultaneously, Ariya Daivari has successfully carried an undefeated streak over the last few months. Will he continue his winning streak with his first title victory?
The Grudge Matches
After declaring himself the biggest acquisition in SmackDown history after the Shake-Up, Roman Reigns Superman Punched Vince McMahon. In retaliation, Shane McMahon has acquired the services of Elias to avenge his old man. The Living Truth squares up with The Big Dog tonight.
Shane will have his hands full taking on former tag team partner, The Miz. Both men have feuded since losing the SmackDown Tag Titles earlier this year. Following a daring plunge off the stage at WrestleMania 35, Shane got a sneaky victory. Miz is looking to redeem himself inside of a Steel Cage.
The Ladder Matches
As per usual, there will be two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches where the winner will receive a briefcase that they can cash-in at any time on any champion between now and next year. The Men’s match will feature Baron Corbin, Andrade, Randy Orton, Ali, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, and now Sami Zayn. Zayn’s spot was originally filled by Braun Strowman before Zayn toppled the giant on the last Raw in a Falls Count Anywhere match to claim his spot.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Money in the Bank will feature Bayley, Ember Moon, Carmella, Natalya, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Naomi, and now Nikki Cross. Cross’s spot was originally filled by Alexa Bliss before the latter went down with a legitimate injury. Before the announcement on her injury was made, Bliss formed an alliance with the Glasgow native on the last episode of Raw.
The card for Money in the Bank – as of this writing – remains as follows:
Universal Championship Match
Seth Rollins (c) vs. AJ Styles
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Intercontinental Champion Finn Bálor vs. Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. Ricochet vs. Baron Corbin vs. Ali vs. Andrade
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Carmella vs. Natalya vs. Ember Moon vs. Mandy Rose vs. Dana Brooke vs. Nikki Cross
WWE Championship Match
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Kevin Owens
Raw Women’s Championship Match
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lacey Evans
Steel Cage Match
The Miz vs. Shane McMahon
Roman Reigns vs. Elias
United States Championship Match
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
Tony Nese (c) vs. Ariya Daivari
Kickoff Match
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan vs. The Usos
WWE Money in the Bank airs live on the WWE Network at 7 p.m. ET / 5 PT and is expected to last between three-and-a-half to four hours. Not including the Kickoff Show, which kicks off an hour prior at beforehand at 6 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Money in the Bank’s Kickoff Show will stream live on the WWE Network, WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Twitter. Join us back here at 6 p.m. for the Kickoff Show.