WWE Money in the Bank is this Saturday. Yup, they're still doing this tired-ass gimmick where they give someone a free title run instead of actually taking the time to build them up as a credible challenger with plans to permanently elevate them. Laziest booking team this side of Vince Russo.
Anyway, this lineup looks like....a show. Ladder matches in both major companies are too common nowadays but WWE's version tends to be tame and skippable. Then we have three other bouts, two of which are forgone conclusions, the third could go in any direction.
Oba Femi vs. Bronson Reed
It's the "meat" match of the night and they're billing it as a battle of giants. I wouldn't exactly call Bronson Reed a giant, he's a big short dude who's lost a bunch of weight recently. This could be fine if given enough time and if Oba's matches going forward aren't booked like Brock's were. Oba's the current chosen one so he's obviously winning.
Pick: Oba
Women's World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan
They put the title on Stephanie in an untelevised match in South America, because Steph is from South America, which to me signals that it was a one-off feelgood moment for someone they aren't planning on sticking with. She's only the best wrestler in this match.... Anyway, Becky Lynch has finally gone back to being a babyface, so that's a plus. I can't help feeling like the feud is gonna be Becky vs. Liv again, with Steph playing the third wheel, sans championship.
Pick: Liv
World Championship: Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight
So Knight came out and challenged Roman for the title, Roman said he wasn't deserving, they concocted a tournament to crown a new #1 contender, Penta won, challenged Roman for the belt and lost, and Knight attacked him afterwards to set up this match. Wow, Penta's a grade-A sucker. All he had to do apparently was attack Roman at some random time and he could've skipped the grueling tournament. The plan for Mania for a while has been Roman vs. Femi, so Knight ain't winning here.
Pick: Roman retains
Women's Money in the Bank: Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice vs. Jacy Jayne vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Lash Legend vs. Tiffany Stratton
A lot of new-ish faces in this one, so that's a plus. They hardly ever do anything long term with these MITB winners though, so picking one is difficult, and not in a good way. Tiffany's the only one I've seen more than in passing, but she's already had a title run. Roxanne is in Judgment Day which gets lots of TV time, so I'll go with her I guess.
Pick: Roxanne Perez
Men's Money in the Bank: CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens vs. Penta vs. Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams vs. Je'Von Evans
Punk's old and doesn't need the briefcase, Owens is so far beyond damaged goods at this point I think they're done investing in him except as a gatekeeper, Penta just had a title match with Roman and they seem to see him more as a top AAA guy, and Trick and Je'Von seem to be solidly in the midcard long-term. That leaves Bron Breakker, who's been a victim of stop-and-start pushes since being called up. Perfect candidate for the stupid briefcase gimmick.
Pick: Bron
Another WWE diet PPV. I know MITB usually does very well financially but goddamn am I tired of it. It's a lazy person's idea of elevating a new star, usually on a temporary basis, when simply investing in young talent long-term always works better.
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