The road to Money In The Bank continued this week with Raw and Smackdown. Both shows had their hits and their misses, as is per the norm in this modern era of sports entertainment.
On the red brand, Braun Strowman defeated Finn Balor in a surprisingly even main event; Roman Reigns once again dominated the first hour of the show, but this time he thankfully had some help from Kevin Owens; Ronda Rousey and Nia signed the contract for their PPV Championship match, but it’s not the biggest bout in women’s history no matter how much Michael Cole spouts the contrary; and Sami Zayn may have won the dubious honour of orchestrating the very worst segment in Raw history. Did someone rehire Vince Russo?
Over on Smackdown, with Big Cass unfortunately back on the shelf, Daniel Bryan and Jeff Hardy tore it up in a stunning main event; The Miz tried to get under the skin of The New Day; Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles named the stipulation for their MITB WWE Championship Match; while Naomi and Lana advanced to the Money In The Bank Ladder Match.
Here’s the Top 10 from both shows this week:
10. Braun Strowman Def. Finn Balor.
This was fun to watch, and at the end of the day that’s pretty much all you ask for out of a wrestling match. Finn Balor looked stronger here than he has done since winning the Universal Championship back in 2016. That’s credit to Braun Strowman, I doubt Brock Lesnar would’ve obliged to make Balor look as good. The Monster Amongst Men is super over with the crowd because he says little, and what he does say he backs up in the ring by decimating everyone who steps foot in his path. That’s how WWE should book Roman Reigns. This was an enjoyable conclusion to Raw, and I look forward to seeing the pair lock horns again in the future.
9. Gallows & Anderson Def. The Usos In A Number One Contender’s Match.
Gallows and Anderson are basic, but what they do they do well. Their bout with The Usos was fun for what it was, but the result rams home the point even further that the Samoan brothers should be plying their trade on Monday nights. They’ve outgrown Smackdown. They’ve achieved everything. Now they’re just wasting time waiting for something to happen, while Raw is crying out for a decent tag team. Making Gallows & Anderson the number one contender’s was a refreshing choice. They haven’t done a whole lot in WWE for quite awhile, and as long as they don’t get squashed by The Bludgeon Brothers at MITB the future looks bright for the pair.
8. The Miz Def. Big E.
This bout was the perfect blend of good wrestling and splendid goofiness. Typical of a New Day match really. Having The Bar interfere to gift The Miz the cheap win was smart as it allows Miz to brag, and the rivalry between New Day and The Bar to progress, possibly with a contest at MITB. And once again they managed to get those pancakes over. How they do it is anyone’s guess. Maybe WWE should consider making them the manager for Roman Reigns. It’s worth a shot. I’m a fan of Big E, he certainly has potential to be a main event player. He just needs to lay off the comedy if he’s to make that jump. He’s currently the favourite to win MITB despite not even officially being named as a participant.
7. Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax Contract Signing.
This contract signing would’ve been utter garbage had it not been for Stephanie McMahon. WWE should keep her interacting with the females because they get the best out of her that way mainly due to the fact that the females can hit her back. If WWE play their cards right they have a new Austin/McMahon rivalry with Rousey and Stephanie. Does anyone want to see Nia Jax clash with Ronda Rousey? Probably not, but it will be intriguing to say the least. I want to witness what unfolds, so WWE have done their job there. Rousey is still no better on the microphone but we all know what she can do in the ring as evidenced with her WrestleMania performance. However that was opposite two pros like Stephanie and Triple H. At MITB she will be facing Nia Jax, a whole different kettle of fish. This one will tell us everything we need to know about Rousey going forward. Is she a flash in the pan or is she the next big thing?
6. Miz TV With The New Day.
Kicking off Smackdown with The Miz is always going to be as recipe for success as was the case again here. When you add The New Day to the mix as well, you’ve got comedy gold on your hands. It’s still surprising to me to see how over The New Day are four years into their run as a faction. It’s a credit to all three men. Not many could make unicorns, cereal and pancakes successful but they have. The Miz also did well here to promote the fact that he’s in the MITB Ladder Match, as will be one member of The New Day. There was still no announcement as to which member would participate in the bout, but my guess would be Big E. It would be shocking if it was anyone else. The A-Lister did well by riling up all three men. He’s a natural at getting people to punch him in the face. He also teased a potential New Day split. WWE would be foolish to do that anytime soon.
5. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins Def. Kevin Owens & Jinder Mahal.
As much as I enjoyed this match I am at a loss as to why Kevin Owens had to lose here. What was stopping them doing a count out loss for the heels?
I get that Jinder Mahal couldn’t exactly eat the fall considering he’s set to clash with Roman Reigns at Money In The Bank, but my point is no one had to lose decisively. This was also a waste of Seth Rollins, who has been on a role in 2018, especially as of late with the Intercontinental Championship open challenge. WWE needs to focus on this going forward and give The Architect more to do than being Roman’s lackey, despite how great they are together. Maybe WWE are having Owens lose because he’s going to win the briefcase come June 19th? That is a possibility as WWE love to make their eventual winners look like losers beforehand.
4. Roman Reigns Def. Kevin Owens Via Disqualification.
I know Roman Reigns gets a lot of criticism, and rightly so, but no one can say he’s a bad wrestler. He’s had good to great matches with just about everyone on the roster. This one with the criminally underutilized Kevin Owens was another. These two had some fine encounters in late 2016, early 2017, their sensational bout at the Royal Rumble springs to mind. Having Reigns win but Owens not losing was smart booking, but then they ruined that by having KO lose in the tag bout. This was a great start to in-ring action on Monday night. Why couldn’t they have just started the show off with this? Because a certain Billion Dollar Princess was making her return….
3. Stephanie McMahon Returns.
Okay, so Raw has basically had the same opening for the last ten years, but when done right it can still be really entertaining. The surprising return of Stephanie McMahon certainly fit into that bracket. Stephanie was at her best (or worst) here, putting Kurt Angle, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens in their place in her usual condescending style. She’s no Vince McMahon, but she still entertaining nonetheless. With that said, we could still do with the beginning of Raw being shaken up every now and then. It’s not fun watching Groundhog Day on a loop. Trust me, I’ve tried.
2. Shinsuke Nakamura Names Stipulation For MITB Match With AJ Styles.
Good guy Shinsuke Nakamura absolutely sucks. On the other hand, bad guy Shinsuke Nakamura is the best new character in WWE today. The guy is just awesome. Now let’s just hope he can kick it up a notch when the bell actually rings. He is so entertaining, he’s like a different person. We now know at Money In The Bank he will face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in a Last Man Standing Match. This is meant to guarantee a proper winner, but didn’t they both get counted out in the last match they had together? There is no assurance whatsoever that there will be a conclusive outcome here. I just hope the two will put on a good match at last.
1. Daniel Bryan Def. Jeff Hardy.
This could very well have been the best match of Jeff Hardy’s career. Certainly the best he’s had in the last decade. He and Daniel Bryan had a ton of chemistry and completely tore the house down. This win now sets up a mouth-watering clash between Bryan and Samoa Joe for next week. If they deliver anything close to their epics in ROH we’re in for something special. Speculation is still rife about whether Big Cass is actually injured or not, but whatever the case this is an interesting development and anything that gives us Bryan vs. Joe is good by me.