WWE
Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com 6y

Money in the Bank preview: Who gets a vote of confidence from WWE?

WWE

Over the last few weeks, it felt like WWE got everything in place early for Sunday's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, and then did their best to scramble to find any way to build up stakes to keep Raw and SmackDown from feeling like mere filler.

There was mixed success, though each show had strong moments in the week leading up to Money in the Bank, and now we've arrived at a moment that will have a great deal of influence on the next few months in the WWE.

The Money in the Bank ladder matches will always be the biggest focus on a night like this, but two title matches in particular will tell us a lot about the direction that the men of SmackDown and the women of Raw will go toward on the road to SummerSlam.

Without further ado, let's dig in.

Men's Money in the Bank ladder match: Bobby Roode vs. Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Samoa Joe vs. New Day member (TBD)

The field of eight for the men's Money in the Bank ladder match is as strong as any of the 20 previous editions of this high-stakes, high-risk match -- and it should make for both a tremendous show and an incredible boost to the wrestler who walks out with the briefcase in hand.

So how do we cut through all the hype to figure out who walks away with the guaranteed world title shot? We could try to read into who's already held the briefcase aloft in celebration, that Braun Strowman won the Fatal 4-Way match on Raw or what happened on SmackDown. The truth is, you could make a logical case for any of the seven confirmed participants in this match and at least one member of The New Day to win.

Strowman has to be a clear favorite, because that all but locks in your SummerSlam main event against Brock Lesnar. Samoa Joe could write his one-way ticket to a match against AJ Styles for the WWE championship. Former Universal champions Finn Balor and Kevin Owens could either thrust themselves immediately back into the title picture on Raw or hang onto the briefcase and wait until the Lesnar era finally comes to a close.

After SmackDown got both briefcases last year, by virtue of Money in the Bank being a SmackDown-exclusive event, it makes sense that at least one of the two briefcases will be Raw-bound this year. The seemingly endless number of ways the Money in the Bank briefcase can be used as a tool makes it as dynamic an opportunity as WWE gets in a given year.

It can be the cause of Bobby Roode's heel turn and elevation to the upper echelon of Raw. It could allow WWE to cash in on Rusev's wave of popularity before it crashes due to indifference, further bolstering the already stacked SmackDown men's roster. Most dramatically, it could take a guy like Big E, who has done incredible things as part of the New Day, and make him the bona-fide world title contender he has always had the potential to be without breaking him away from Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and what's made him so popular.

For once, even with 10 potential outcomes, there's very little chance for WWE to go wrong no matter who ends up winning. But once that winner pulls the briefcase down, the pressure is on.

The pick: The Miz. What better way to utilize the most calculating superstar on SmackDown than to give him the ultimate opportunity? Putting the briefcase in his hands ultimately gives him the keys to the kingdom on Tuesday nights, adding a chaotic energy to everything that comes after Money in the Bank.

Dark horse: Big E. The other seven participants in this match could find their way into a world title rivalry organically, but the briefcase would make Big E a force to be reckoned with right out of the gate. It would also give New Day another prop to play with.

Women's Money in the Bank ladder match: Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Ember Moon vs. Lana vs. Naomi vs. Natalya vs. Sasha Banks

Just as it would be hard to top the men's Money in the Bank field, the women's Money in the Bank ladder match also boasts its fair share of heavy hitters. Six of the eight women in this match have held either the Raw or SmackDown women's championships -- Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair have won both titles -- and relative newcomer Ember Moon was the NXT women's champion before moving to the Raw roster.

But the differences between a winner from Raw or a winner from SmackDown couldn't be much more drastic. On the SmackDown side of things, the winner will either have to deal with a newly crowned champion in Asuka or Carmella -- drastically different scenarios that will each offer very different options for the banner rivalry atop SmackDown heading toward SummerSlam. It would seemingly be a little too on the nose for Charlotte Flair to win and immediately revisit either of her previous animosities, but there would be a story to build upon. Either Naomi or Becky Lynch could believably tangle with either champion, while Lana ... well, that would be quite the upset.

On the Raw side of things, the women's championship will almost assuredly be tied up with Ronda Rousey in some way. As long as WWE doesn't want to derail Rousey's momentum this early in the game, most Raw winners would likely play the long game -- with one key exception. If Natalya manages to fight through the knee injury that's been played up in recent weeks, her role in the tensions between Rousey and Nia Jax could immediately set up for Rousey's first major rivalry.

The pick: Natalya. While the Money in the Bank briefcase can be the start of a story, or a device to kick-start a story at any point in the next year, there's only one woman who's had a particularly dynamic story leading into this match. It seems like Rousey is being hot-shotted to the title, with her first dynamic story with Natalya already established. Whether it's a same-night cash-in or a slow degradation as champion and briefcase-holder, this is the most logical way to organically bring balance between Rousey and the rest of the Raw roster.

Dark horse: Sasha Banks. After the WWE monumentally messed up a can't-miss rivalry between Banks and Bayley, to the point where they abandoned it entirely, Banks could use the shot in the arm. She has had some impressive showings in recent weeks, including Monday's Fatal 4-Way match and a one-on-one against Ruby Riott. Have her hold on to the briefcase for a while, rebuild her swagger, and then have her break someone's heart to re-establish Banks as the ruthless villain the Raw women's division needs.

Last Man Standing for the WWE championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

We might have said it once or twice before, but this match is the point of no return between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. From the OK WrestleMania match and shocking Nakamura attack, to an unsatisfying Backlash rematch; from the hope of a strong match in Saudi Arabia that ended in a unsatisfying way, all the way to their best WWE match to date on SmackDown, it's all been leading up to this night.

If Nakamura takes advantage of the stipulation and walks out as WWE champion, his rivalry with Styles can carry on and continue to build. It would be difficult to reach a point where the over-reliance on low blows early on in this rivalry could be fully justified, but making a master manipulator like Nakamura the champion with the upper hand on Styles could carry all the way to SummerSlam. Alternatively, if Styles walks out as champion, there's little doubt as to who has won this increasingly personal battle of wills.

The Money in the Bank briefcase could come into play after a match this intense, which would dovetail nicely into all of the other screwy things that have happened thus far, but it would be a heavy underline in imagining what might have been had this rivalry been more straightforward from the beginning.

The pick: AJ Styles. Nakamura can lick his wounds, win the WWE championship and start something up with Daniel Bryan or Samoa Joe. Styles can battle the other, or perhaps The Miz, on the way to SummerSlam.

Raw women's championship: Nia Jax (c) vs. Ronda Rousey

What's left to be said that hasn't yet been said? After short-circuiting an instant and mindless swap between hero and villain for Nia Jax to suit making Rousey the hero, the last few weeks have been spent trying to more naturally build tension between champion and challenger. There have been rough bumps along the way, as Rousey struggles to find herself on the microphone, but when it comes to aggression and getting it done in the ring, Rousey's actions speak louder than words.

Without dramatic outside influences, it's hard to imagine an outcome that doesn't end with Rousey getting the win over Jax -- just in time to plaster Rousey holding the Raw women's championship all over New York City in the lead-up to SummerSlam. The narrative and execution in this match and over the next couple of months will tell us a lot about what kind of WWE performer Rousey will ultimately turn out to be.

The pick: Rousey.

Intercontinental championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Elias

Before his recent interlude of trying to lift Roman Reigns up in the minds of fans and guitar smashing with Elias, Seth Rollins was on the biggest roll in ages in the WWE. From his hourlong gauntlet performance to multiple matches with Finn Balor and the Miz to multiway matches that also featured Samoa Joe, every time out, Rollins had a different match that was endlessly entertaining while also building upon what came before it.

When it comes to Sunday night, well, it's simple -- this is the biggest match of Elias' career, and an opportunity to prove that he can be as big a player in the ring as he can be on the microphone. It's sink or swim, and while it seems unlikely that Rollins will see his title reign fizzle out just yet, this match is another chance to make both guys look better at the end than they did walking in.

The pick: Rollins. Though, if the Money in the Bank briefcase heads over to SmackDown, there's an outside chance of Rollins pushing Braun Strowman out as Brock Lesnar's next Universal title challenger.

Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal

If the goal is to make fans at Raw and pay-per-view events cheer Roman Reigns by default, against the overwhelmingly unpopular Jinder Mahal, results thus far have been mixed. Reigns continues to sit in purgatory following his controversial Greatest Royal Rumble loss to Brock Lesnar, because Lesnar hasn't been around once to respond. If you thought fan reaction to WrestleMania and Greatest Royal Rumble was bad, wait until you hear what happens at Barclays Center should they decide to try to squeeze one more match out of this rivalry.

The pick: Reigns. If this goes any other way, we'll get more from Reigns versus Mahal, which does neither man any favors.

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass

I could write about 3,000 words on demand about why this rivalry has been an absolute waste of Daniel Bryan's momentum and still have plenty of room to work with, but I'll leave it at this. Bryan's shocking return to action could've carried SmackDown through 2018, giving us epic 25-plus-minute matches against AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe. You could've hopped right into an intensely personal showdown against the Miz that could carry through months of storytelling based on a long history, but it has essentially been forgotten in recent weeks.

Instead, he has been used to try to prop up Big Cass, who has been a wayward, wandering soul since a terrible rivalry against his former tag team partner and an injury that cost him the better part of the year. Big Cass could easily be tearing his way from the bottom of the SmackDown pecking order on up, rebuilding his reputation along the way, but instead he has been thrust into a rivalry in which he has been outclassed in every way, shape and form by Bryan. Cass's delivery is as stiff as if it was being read directly off the page, and despite a few solid moves in his arsenal, he's still finding himself in the ring.

The thought of having to ease Bryan back into action is a joke as well, as is evidenced by his matches against AJ Styles and Rusev as well as his ironman performance in the Greatest Royal Rumble. And if, for some reason, the WWE is trying to garner the same kind of fan angst that brought Bryan the kind of popularity he received the first time he was being underutilized, it would just be another sad example of trying to manufacture something, which is nowhere near as effective as letting things develop naturally.

The pick: Bryan. If this rivalry hangs on for a single SmackDown beyond Money in the Bank, it would speak volumes.

SmackDown women's championship: Carmella (c) vs. Asuka

On paper, this is about as lopsided a matchup as you could get. Asuka, even as she's struggled to build much momentum after the end of her two-year winning streak at WrestleMania, is a physical force to be reckoned with. Despite a pair of wins over Charlotte Flair, it's still hard to consider Carmella as much more than a paper champion with a lot left to prove.

Unless someone else gets involved, Asuka is walking out with the championship in hand. But there are a lot of directions it could go.

The pick: Carmella Whether it's the IIconics, Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville, or an old, chinless friend, Carmella doesn't seem likely to drop the title this quickly -- even though it might be for the best for the SmackDown women's division from an in-ring perspective.

SmackDown tag team championships: The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson

All it took to get the "Good Brothers" a title shot at the Bludgeon Brothers was one win over The Usos. This might be a fun match, if it's given any time, but despite getting a big boost in talent in the Superstar Shakeup with Gallows & Anderson and The Bar, the SmackDown tag team division feels like it has been spinning its wheels for a while. Time for something fresh.

The pick: Bludgeon Brothers, unless we're heading toward a dramatic left-hand turn or there seems to be some need for another title change on this card.

Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn

I want this to be the last time I write anything about the Bobby Lashley-Sami Zayn rivalry until we hand out our ESPN end-of-the-year awards. Between the Bobby Lashley's sisters segment, accusations of stolen valor and weak attempts to prop Lashley up with U.S. patriotic pride, you couldn't have done much worse in giving fans a proper reason to care about Lashley.

The pick: Lashley. Both guys deserve so much better.

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