After a Hell in a Cell PPV that lacked build and featured nothing to write home about, WWE does indeed appear to be biding its time until fans return. 24 hours after HIAC was over, it was as if the show had never happened and the build to Money in the Bank kicked off in a major way. Aside from WrestleMania 37, Money in the Bank will be the first WWE PPV to take place in front of fans for well over a year, and the company wants to make sure it is one that goes down in history.
Other than fans being back in the building, WWE would also do well to re-establish Money in the Bank as one of its biggest shows of the year. There was a period in which this show almost made WWE's Big Four a Big Five. This year's Money in the Bank could well make that happen. The PPV will air live on the WWE Network, or Peacock for those of you in the US. It starts at 8 pm EST (7 pm for the kickoff show) on July 18, 2021.
Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship
More often than not, all a WWE Superstar needs to do to earn a title shot is be the first person to issue a challenge to the champion. At least in the instance of Kofi Kingston and Bobby Lashley, it sort of makes sense. Kingston defeated Lashley a month ago and never got his title shot after losing a match the following week to Drew McIntyre. Now The Scot is out of the title picture, Kingston wants his shot.
Lashley is clearly feeling generous as he has granted The New Day member that shot at Money in the Bank. As great as it would be to see this become the second coming of KofiMania, it's hard to imagine this is the match that sees Lashley's reign come to an end. It still feels as if Lashley is destined to defend that title against Brock Lesnar sometime soon.
Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women's Championship
Since McIntyre and Lashley's eternal tussle is now over, Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair might well hold the record for longest ongoing feud in WWE right now. As soon as The Nightmare was disqualified at HIAC it was clear the issues between Ripley and Flair were far from over. It's also unclear who fans are supposed to be cheering in this one. Perhaps they'll make their own minds up at Money in the Bank.
As for which way this match will go, between Ripley's reign falling somewhat flat and WWE being so desperate to have Flair break her dad's record that it is counting Tag Title reigns towards her total, odds are this will be where The Queen finally dethrones Ripley. The start of reign number 14 for Flair if it happens, although if you're only tallying up reigns that should actually count, it will really be reign number 10.
Roman Reigns vs. Edge for the Universal Championship
Roman Reigns was about to make a major announcement on SmackDown. That was after Paul Heyman ran down everyone The Tribal Chief has beaten since he returned which in fairness, is just about everybody. That's when Reigns was interrupted by the unexpected return of one of those defeated parties. Edge's music hit and a chaotic clash later, The Rated R Superstar found himself right back in the title picture.
Edge will get his second shot at the title at Money in the Bank, but it probably still won't mark his first championship win since coming out of retirement. Reigns has been champion for more than 300 days now, and that run is only going to continue through Money in the Bank.
Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match
WWE tends to tweak the number of people who will compete in its Money in the Bank matches with each passing year. Despite the recent releases and the roster looking rather thin right now, this year's ladder matches will feature eight Superstars each rather than the usual six. WWE also appears to be making everyone qualify this year rather than awarding spots to some and forcing others to wrestle for their place.
So far in the men's match, Riddle, Ricochet, John Morrison, and Drew McIntyre have qualified from Raw. An exciting trio to have as part of a multi-person ladder match, that's for sure. Meanwhile on SmackDown, Big E has booked his place in a Money in the Bank match for the first time ever, and Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and Shinsuke Nakamura have also made the cut. Of the Superstars to have made it into the match, the most likely candidate to win is Riddle. The Original Bro with the briefcase would be incredibly entertaining, and his work recently suggests WWE wants him to be a World Champion some day.
Women's Money In The Bank Ladder Match
While WWE's male Superstars are competing in singles matches to qualify for their Money in the Bank ladder match, the women have been competing in tag team bouts. At least that's how it was done on Raw. So far on SmackDown it has been a mix of qualifying matches and Sonya Deville deciding who she thinks should be in the match.
As for who has made the cut so far, Naomi and Asuka were the first to qualify. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross also teamed up for the first time in over a year and overcame their opponents to fill up two more spots at Money in the Bank. There isn't a clear winner in this one yet, but the front runner at this point might well be Asuka. The Empress would make it back-to-back briefcase victories if she were to win it again this year. On the SmackDown side, Liv Morgan, Zelina Vega, Natalya, and Tamina have been handpicked by Deville.
AJ Styles And Omos vs. The Viking Raiders for the Raw Tag Team Championships
AJ Styles might have a seven-foot monster in the form of Omos as his tag team partner, but that doesn't seem to have deterred The Viking Raiders from taking the two of them on. Ivar even picked up a win against Styles on the road to this match.
As for the match itself this Sunday, fans might well be treated to another upset. It feels as if WWE is planting the seeds for Omos to think Styles is the weak link in this team, and that The Phenomenal One is just using him. That may be built upon via a Tag Team Title switch at Money in the Bank.
Rey And Dominik Mysterio vs. The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
With these four taking part in a six-person tag match alongside Roman Reigns and Edge on the last SmackDown before Money in the Bank, this match was always going to be added to Sunday's card. It's inclusion on the kickoff show, however, will be one of many times The Usos have been placed there and will want to prove they deserve better. Maybe they'll become seven-time champions in the process.