Airing an episode of RAW from London has become a yearly tradition for WWE. Fans in the United Kingdom are renowned for their enthusiasm, due in part to how rarely WWE visits.
Last week’s edition of RAW kick-started the build to Money in the Bank, and my heart. So far, Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, The Miz, and Rusev have clinched a spot in the Men’s match, while Ember Moon and Charlotte have their place in the Women’s. Qualifying matches continue tonight - who will seize the day?
A Brief Recap
- Money in the Bank Qualifier: Braun Strowman def. Kevin Owens
- Baron Corbin & The Revival def. No Way Jose & Titus Worldwide
- Money in the Bank Qualifier: Ember Moon def. Ruby Riott & Sasha Banks
- Jinder Mahal def. Chad Gable
- The Show def. Slater and Rhyno
- Bob Roode def. Elias
- Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins def. Mojo Rawley
- Deleter of Worlds def. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel
- Money in the Bank Qualifier: Finn Balor def. Roman Reigns & Sami Zayn
This Week’s Preview
As noted earlier, 4 out of 8 male superstars have qualified for this year’s Money in the Bank ladder match. An equal split of 4/4 between RAW and SmackDown Live leaves two vacant spots for red branded athletes. Two proverbial main event players in Bigtits McStrongman and Finn Balor set the bar high for whomever wants a shot at the briefcase. It is safe to say Viktor, Akam, TJP, Mike Kanellis, and John Cena won’t be climbing the ladder. However, serious momentum lies with the recently reunited Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler, both of whom have been money since WrestleMania. Ziggler is a former MITB Winner, which alone should earn him a qualifying matchup. McIntyre is a 6’6 Scottish man, in addition to being a former NXT Champion. Discounting teams still leaves a strong pool, with Bobby Lashley, Bobby Roode, and former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal all being viable candidates.
Perennial sucker Roman Reign was screwed out of the Money in the Bank match by the aforementioned Jinder Mahal. Reigns has made it very clear that he is the uncrowned Universal Champion, losing only because of backstage politicing - in the same way I am the uncrowned King of Ocerraclya in my LARP group, where “real halberds are not allowed, Hayden”. I foresee a qualifying match involving Jinder, in which the tables are turned on the Modern Day Maharaja, leading to a singles matchup at MITB.
On the Women’s end, only Ember Moon has qualified from the RAW Roster. 3 spots remain to be filled. Dana Brooke and Alicia Fox have not been seen in weeks, but could make a re-appearance for the sake of filling out the match, while Bayley is almost certainly going to take part. Although two large players in Ruby Riott and Sasha Banks have seemingly lost their spot in the match, a redemption qualifiyng match could take place at any time, giving these young ladies a second shot at the briefcase. This is a match I’m most interested in, primarily for the possibility of surprise.
The Champion’s Corner
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins has been on a roll, successfully defending the belt against Mojo Rawley last week in an open challenge. Tonight’s challenge is no different, though Kevin Owens has already made it known he will be challenging for the title tonight, defeating the purpose of an open challenge. These two are no strangers to eachother, within and without (you) the WWE. Both are former Ring of Honor Champions, in addition to being former WWE World Champions. It seems like tonight’s match will be a one-off, meant to give the Man some momentum, but who knows? The author won’t pretend to.
As with the Intercontinental Champion, RAW Tag Team Champions The Deleter of Worlds are without any clear challengers. The Bar have moved to Smackdown Live, the rest of the RAW Roster made out to be non-threats. Perhaps things will work themselves out tonight.
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is not here tonight, in a similar fashion to most parents not attending piano recitals.
That’s it for this article; but what are your thoughts? Let us know. See you next week, and as always, thanks for reading!
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