Being the first post-Thunderdome pay-per-view in front of a live audience after nearly one and half years, the fans had high expectations from Money in the Bank this year. Fans knew that there would be several surprises in store for them. Needless to say, with seven blockbuster matches, Money in the Bank was a great show from start to finish.
Two Superstars won the men's and women's Money in the Bank contracts respectively, while there were a couple of surprises to set the momentum for SummerSlam next month. Although it was amazing to show, there were missed some opportunities as well, that could have taken the show to the next level.
9 Right: No Main-Event Interference From The Usos
In the past few title defenses of Roman Reigns, The Usos, especially Jey Uso, got involved and turned things around in Roman's favor. An interference was pretty much guaranteed in pretty much every bout involving the Tribal Chief.
During the Universal Championship match between Edge and Roman at Money in the Bank, The Usos tried getting involved again, but Dominik and Rey Mysterio prevented them from entering the ring. It was a great bit of booking, as it allowed Reigns and Edge to go at it without any shenanigans.
8 Wrong: The Mysterios Drop The Gold
Not too long ago at WrestleMania Backlash, Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio won the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, becoming the first father-son duo to capture tag team belts in WWE.
The duo needed a good and solid run to establish dominance in the tag team division. But they lost the gold to The Usos. Their title reign lasted just over two months, and was nothing special. The Mysterios deserved a better hand than the one they were dealt in the grand scheme of things.
7 Right: Bobby Lashley's Dominance
After throwing parties and featuring in segments with women backstage, Bobby Lashley certainly got distracted. As a result, he got pinned by Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston in non-title action on Raw. But The Almighty addressed the issue and promised raw carnage at Money in the Bank.
Lashley was focused and at his indomitable best. He dominated Kofi Kingston throughout the match. After torturing the New Day member for over seven minutes, the champion retained the belt comprehensively. While fans would complain about Kingston's poor treatment once more, this was nothing short of a statement win for the WWE Champion.
6 Wrong: Liv Morgan Doesn't Win The Briefcase
With two former women's Money in the Bank winners in the match, it was hard to pick a winner this year. But given the way Liv Morgan's storyline had played out on SmackDown, a number of fans would have been more than ready to accept Morgan as the winner of the ladder match.
But WWE chose to surprise fans, by going with a winner no one had predicted. Nikki A.S.H won the briefcase, which was certainly a swerve, as she had felt like just another body to fill out the card in the build to the bout.
5 Right: Big E Wins Big
While there were a number of big names in the Men's Money in the Bank ladder match, it was Big E who ended up winning the match after an impressive performance.
It was absolutely the right call because Big E is on the cusp of breaking out as a main event star. The powerhouse of New Day has all the tools necessary to be a World Champion in WWE. At Money in the Bank, WWE sowed the seeds for the big man to begin his ascent to main event glory.
4 Wrong: Drew McIntyre Gets Taken Out
Drew McIntyre was certainly a favorite to win the Money in the Bank this year. However, his dream of becoming the Mr. Money in the Bank was shattered by Jinder Mahal and his henchmen, who ambushed the Scottish Warrior in the middle of the ladder match. This resulted in McIntyre being taken out of the match altogether.
Mahal could have cost McIntyre by just attacking him in the ringside or pushing him off a ladder. It didn't make sense to book McIntyre out of the bout, as he could have added even more drama to proceedings.
3 Right: Seth Rollins Attacks Edge In The Main Event
While neither Jey Uso nor Jimmy Uso got the opportunity to help Roman Reigns, his former Shield brother, Seth Rollins, did the job for him. The Messiah interfered in the main event bout not once, but twice.
First, Rollins entered the ring and rocked Edge with a kick to the head. The Rated R Superstar recovered, but Rollins got involved for the second time, allowing The Tribal Chief to take advantage of a distracted Edge. With a vicious Spear, Reigns pinned Edge. Rollins' interference was the right call to officially start a feud between the two former WWE Champions, setting up a titanic showdown at SummerSlam.
2 Wrong: Another Title Win For Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair faced Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women's Championship. It was probably one of the best women's matches fans have seen in recent months. So it was not surprising to see fans chant that the match was awesome.
After many close calls, it was Charlotte Flair who prevailed at the end, making it her fourteenth title win. Another title win run for The Queen will test the patience of fans, especially considering that Rhea Ripley should have had a longer run with the gold.
1 Right: John Cena's Return
The highlight of the Money in the Bank was the big return of the sixteen-time World Champion, John Cena, whose music hit after the main event and the crowd erupted in joy. After making his presence felt, The Leader of Cenation went to the ring and had a stare down with Roman Reigns, kicking off the build to their match at SummerSlam.
Cena's return was perfectly executive in front of a rabid audience. While he didn't interfere in any match, he made his intentions perfectly clear and fans ate all of it up.