WWE Money In The Bank 2019 Final Rating: Unpredictability Yields Mixed Results
WWE Money In The Bank 2019 was one of the most unpredictable nights the WWE has seen in a while with much of that unpredictability being a mixed bag of success and failure.
From start to finish, WWE Money In The Bank 2019 was one of the strangest pay-per-views in a long time with some of the highest of highs the WWE has seen in a while, but at the same time, plenty of creative blunders along the way.
The opening match of the night featured the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, and these women pulled out all the stops. There were plenty of big spots and memorable moments along the way before Bayley surprised everyone and won the briefcase. This was a very good match, although it probably could have gone on a bit longer.
The United States Championship was on the line next when Samoa Joe defended against Rey Mysterio in what turned out to be nothing more than a joke. Mysterio won in semi-controversial fashion to capture the U.S. Championship in about two minutes before Joe attacked him after the match while Mysterio’s son watched it go down.
Shane McMahon vs. The Miz inside a steel cage followed, and for a match that had high expectations heading into it, this didn’t quite live up to the hype. It was decent enough, but the cage wasn’t used properly and Shane lucking into another win over The Miz doesn’t make a lot of sense if this feud is over with.
The Cruiserweight Championship was at stake next when Tony Nese defended against Ariya Daivari in what turned out to be a solid match. The action was stellar throughout before Nese put Daivari away to retain his title. The attention then shifted to Becky 2 Belts, who took part in her first match of the night.
Becky Lynch defended the Raw Women’s Championship against Lacey Evans and for a while, this match had plenty of promise. Evans put on a solid performance and Lynch helped make her look good as well, but the finish messed things up to an extent.
When it looked like Evans had Lynch pinned in a roll-up, the ref didn’t count it and Lynch countered into a Dis-Arm-Her, which Evans tapped out to quicker than Lynch could lock the move in.
‘The Man’ wasn’t finished there however, and Charlotte Flair stepped up next to challenge her for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. This match was pretty good, but much like its predecessor, the finish hurt it.
It looked like Lynch had Flair defeated, but Evans’ interference was enough to give Charlotte the advantage and the win to become SmackDown Women’s Champion.
The two decided to attack Lynch even more after the match. Ms. Money in the Bank had other ideas, however, and Bayley came out to help ‘The Man’. Once Evans and Flair were taken out of the picture, Bayley decided to roll the dice and cash in her Money in the Bank opportunity.
She hit Charlotte with an elbow drop from the top rope to shock the world and capture the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
It was supposed to be Roman Reigns vs. Elias up next, but Elias attacked Reigns backstage with a guitar cheap shot. He then gave an Elias-like performance to the live crowd before attempting to walk out, only to run into ‘The Big Dog’.
He got Elias in the ring, the bell rang, and after a spear, Reigns got the win in a match that ultimately didn’t deserve to be on the card.
The Universal Championship was on the line next when Seth Rollins defended against AJ Styles in a dream match years in the making in WWE.
This match lived up to the hype, and then some with one of the best matches the WWE has seen in a long time. The action was stunning at times, including some of the best counters seen in a while. But in the end, ‘The Architect’ stomped his way to victory and the two showed a sign of respect after an incredible match.
Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship was at stake following that classic when he defended against Kevin Owens. This match wouldn’t reach the level of Rollins vs. Styles, but this was a very stellar match in its own right. These two put on a great show for the WWE universe with some high-quality wrestling before Kofi ultimately retained his title after a Trouble in Paradise.
More from Money in the Bank
- WWE Money In The Bank: Top 3 Moments from the PLE
- The top five WWE Money in the Bank cash-ins of all time
- Three major themes heading into the 2023 Money in the Bank PLE
- Ricochet vs Logan Paul for the MITB briefcase would be an interesting feud for SummerSlam
- A tale of two very different Money in the Bank ladder matches
It was then main event time when the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match closed out the show with a bang. Every man involved had superb performances and this has to be considered one of the most action-packed Money in the Bank ladder matches in history, it was that great.
However, with Sami Zayn out of the equation after being attacked earlier in the night, Brock Lesnar ran in late and replaced him in the match before winning the whole thing.
This show was just confusing in a lot of ways. Some of the booking was pitiful, but then again, some of the matches were major highlights and it can be argued that two match of the year candidates came out of this show.
Styles vs. Rollins was incredible and lived up to expectations and the men’s ladder match was breath-taking at times, but the finish of that match brings it down a notch. Not to mention, seeing Bayley’s return to glory was awesome as well.
The fact that WWE can’t move past Lesnar at this stage is as nonsensical as it gets. He brings nothing to the WWE anymore, and the fact that we likely have to sit through another obnoxious and title-degrading reign at some point in the future is disappointing to say the least.
It wasn’t long ago that the McMahon family said things were going to change. But it looks much like the same when it comes to shoving a played out Lesnar down fans’ throats and taking opportunities away from deserving superstars.
Next. WWE MITB: Bayley steps out of Sasha Banks' shadow to win the SmackDown Women's Championship. dark
This show was haunted by some less than stellar finishes and creative blunders, but the good helps outweigh some of the inconsistencies. Only time will tell where things will go after a wild and unpredictable night at Money In The Bank.