Money in the Bank 2019 recap

The 2019 Money in the Bank event has come and gone. This was a very interesting show, to say the least. It had its moments but for me, it didn’t fully live up to expectations. Mainly because of the ending. Money in the Bank has become one of my favorite shows of the year along with the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. The concept of winning that briefcase and cashing it in anytime you like for a championship match is fascinating to me. Giving the woman that same opportunity is even better. It makes for good tv. Now let’s break down this show.

I didn’t get to watch the Pre-show but I heard that The Uso’s beat Daniel Bryan and Rowen in a non-title match. I’m surprised this was on the pre-show and not the cruiserweight Title Match. Perhaps that’s progress for the 205 Live show. There is a lot of talent over there. They deserve their shine. I hope Bryan and Rowen get a long run with those belts. Bryan is so good as a heel. The tag team division really needs help and these two are the right guys to lead the charger. They showed a graphic honoring the late Ashley Massaro. I still can’t believe she is gone. She will be missed.

The Money in the Bank card kicks off officially with the Woman’s Money in the Bank Match. The opponents are Nikki Cross (who replace Alexa Bliss), Dana Brooke, Natalya, Bayley, Ember Moon, Mandy Rose, Carmella, and Naomi who was rocking her Bumblebee attire. It was very cool. I enjoyed this match. Nikki Cross had some nice moments in this match. The helicopter spin with the ladder was fun to see. Naomi showed off her amazing athleticism numerous times in this match. My favorite was when she did a split to avoid being sandwiched between two ladders.

Carmella hurt her leg in the match and was taken to the back. She would eventually return. Nikki Cross was fingertips away from grabbing the case only to come up short. Dana Brooke was close to getting the case too but was stopped by Mandy Rose and she ended up dangling from the chain holding the case. Rose looked like she was about to win. She got a big assist from Sonya Deville who was literally carrying Rose up the ladder to the case. Bayley got on the ladder to break this up and she would go on to grab the case for the victory.

This was a great moment for Bayley. After all, she’s been thru since she’s been called up to the main roster this was a chance to hit the reset button with her career. Especially after Wrestlemania and all that followed with her and Sasha losing the tag team belts. Great match to kick off the show. These ladies brought it. Big props to Ember Moon who hit an amazing Eclipse from a ladder on the outside of the ring to the inside on Natalya. This was another great spot in the match.

Rey Mysterio won the United States Title from Samoa Joe to become a Grand Slam Champion. Just like at Wrestlemania, this wasn’t a long match. It was a bit of a controversial decision. Rey countered a powerbomb into a huricanrana for the pinfall. When they showed the replay, you could clearly see Joe’s shoulder was up. All this does is continue the storyline with these two men. Joe got busted open too. It wasn’t pretty. As Rey was celebrating with his son Dominic, Joe comes back out to attack him. I have a feeling Dominic will play a bigger role in this feud. He’s been training in the ring and I’m sure his father will wanna past the torch to him. This is something to keep in eye on in the coming weeks.

Next up was Shane McMahon vs The Miz in a steel cage. This was another match that had controversy in it. Shane tried to escape the cage early on. He hit his signature coast to coast on Miz. Shane tried to escape thru the door but was dragged back in by Miz. This time he brings a chair with him. Here’s where the controversy comes in. Miz hits Shane with the skull crushing finale on the chair. The ref breaks the count because Shane’s foot was on the rope. There is no rope break in a steel cage match. Another mistake in back to back matches by the officials. Miz tried to superplex Shane off the cage. Shane would slip thru his jersey to hit the floor to pick up the win. Shane 2 Miz 0. This feud has been better then I thought and I feel it’s far from over with.

Tony Nese retained his cruiserweight title against Ariya Daivari. This was a solid match. The 205 Live guys always deliver. Like I mentioned earlier, I’m surprised this made the main card. It’s good exposer for the cruiserweight division. Daivari came to the ring in style in a nice car. Great entrance. Nese hit a corkscrew over the top rope which he followed up by a 450 splash. He would win with a running knee in the corner. The crowd wasn’t too into this match. Most people probably don’t watch 205 anyway. When I have watched, I’ve enjoyed the matches. Nese is one of the best on the roster. I look forward to seeing who his next opponent will be.

It was now time for the first of Becky 2 Belts title defenses. Up first was her match against Lacey Evans for the Raw woman’s title. She made a great entrance decked out with her green attire and matching hat. She shot money out into the crowd. With her picture on it of course. That match was ok. Nothing special. Lacey tried but it wasn’t enough. She rubbed her dirty handkerchief in Becky’s face. That is not very ladylike if you ask me. Evans tried to go after Lynch’s leg and go for a roll up. The ref didn’t count because her shoulders were not down. Lynch countered with a dis-arm-her and Evans tapped out immediately.

Lynch didn’t get much time to rest. Charlotte Flair’s music hit and she’s ready for her smackdown Woman’s Title match. Becky didn’t back down. So the match took place. Flair tried to hit the natural selection on the ring apron to no avail because Lynch held onto the ropes. Lacey Evans would play a role in the outcome. She came back down to hit Lynch with the Woman’s Right while the ref was distracted. Flair couldn’t capitalize after Becky rolled her up for a near fall. Flair would go on to win with a big boot finally getting a victory over The Man.

Lynch would go after Evans after the match. Both Evans and Flair team up on Becky back in the ring. The crowd is chanting for Bayley. Next thing you know her music hits and she comes to the ring to help Lynch. Bayley throws Charlotte into the turnbuckle and she’s out cold. She looks over at her newly won briefcase and decides to cash it in on Charlotte. Normally the ref lets the champion get to their feet before the match starts. That wasn’t the case here. Bayley drags her out of the corner and brings her to the middle of the ring. Bayley hits an elbow drop from the top rope to pick up the victory. Two title changes on the same night. I was happy for Bayley picking up two big wins that night. With that win, she becomes the first female grand slam champion. She’s won the Raw Woman’s Title, NXT Woman’s Title, Woman’s Tag team Titles, and now the Smackdown Woman’s Title.

Roman Reigns picks up a quick victory against Elias. Elias tried to get the upper hand by hitting Roman with a guitar on his way to the ring. Elias comes out and talks trash to the crowd. He figured the match wouldn’t take place. He leaves the ring and out comes Roman. He hits a Superman punch to Elias. Gets him back in the ring for a spear and the victory. The Big Dog’s work was quick and to the point in this one.

Here one of the matches we all been waiting for. Pound for pound two of the best in the world (sorry Shane) AJ Styles vs Seth Rollins for the Universal Title. It did not disappoint. Their offense started off technical in the early stages of the match. Rollins reverse suplex into a reverse falcon arrow was a thing of beauty. Styles dodged a curb stomp and put Rollins into the calf crusher. Rollins was able to escape. Styles went for the phenomenal forearm only to have it countered. Rollins hit a superkick and a curb stomp for the victory. Styles extended his hand to Rollins after the match. Rollins wasn’t too sure but he went on to shake his hand. Good match by these two. I’m sure they will mix it up again.

Lars Sullivan came out to squash the Lucha House Party. This was pretty much filler and wasn’t really needed. It was a very random segment. Lars did get bust open by Kalisto. I don’t know if it was on purpose or not. Some may think it was punishment for Lars old comments that recently came out to the public. Lars ended up being fined for $100,000 because of it.

Kofi Kingston vs Kevin Owens for the WWE Title was the next match. Kofi brought the fight early on to KO. Owens almost made Kofi tap when he turned trouble in paradise into the Boston Crab. Owens hit Kofi with a stunner but he grabbed the rope to break the count. KO removes Kofi’s shoes in frustration. Owens goes for a somersault senton. Kofi got his knees up to break it up. Kofi hits the trouble in paradise to retain his title. This was a good match. I’m happy to see Kofi retain. I hope he gets a long run with the title.

The main event was the men’s Money in the Bank Match. Ricochet vs Randy Orton vs Finn Balor vs Ali, vs Baron Corbin, Andrade vs Drew McIntyre. Sami Zayn was supposed to be in the match but he got taken out earlier in the night. Ricochet starts the match off with springboard to the outside taking out the competition. Andrade hits Balor with a crazy sunset flip powerbomb over the ladder onto the steel. It looked brutal. The action continued with some decent spots. McIntyre looked like he was gaining the upper hand. He hits the Claymore on Corbin. Suplexed Balor on a ladder and tossed Andrade on top of him. Ricochet tried to get involved but McIntyre tossed out the ring.

McIntyre was on the ladder but pulled off by Orton who hit him with an RKO. Corbin would take out Orton. Ali would get involve and would start to climb the ladder. All of a sudden Brock Lesner’s music hits and he storms to the ring. Knocking over ladders and taking out two cameramen. With the open spot left by Sami Zayn, Brock stepped up and won the match. He tipped the ladder over to knock Ali off. Climbs up and grabs the briefcase. No one saw this coming at all. This ruined the night for me.

Why does Brock need this win? If you want him to fight Seth again he should have been due to a rematch because he lost at Mania. If you want a challenger for Kofi you have plenty of options on Smackdown. I get Brock is a name with the mainstream appeal but his act had grown stale. He comes and goes as he pleases and is not the same Brock from the early 2000s. The only good thing about him is Heyman. Overall this show was just ok. The ending is what really made it bad for me. Anyway, I’ll be recapping Raw and NXT this week as well. I look forward to that.