Why I Love Wrestling: Money in the Bank predictions

Another week, another PPV. Man these seem to be coming at a furious rate recently. I expect us to be at a every other day schedule by September. (oh god no, please…) In all seriousness, Money in the Bank, MITB, has to be a great show. WWE is running the risk of event fatigue, hey just like in comics which you can hear about weekly on the Paper Cuts Podcast brought to you by your friends at Geekade, and must have a solid show top to bottom this time out. What are the odds of that? Read on and find out.

PreShow match – R-Truth vs King Barrett

Well, this is happening. I’m not sure why it is happening. I mean, sure, Barrett has to do something as King of the Ring, but R-Truth? He continues to get spots on PPV shows that he doesn’t belong in. (No offense to Mr. Truth, I’m sure he is a great guy and all but enough already) There is little to no reason for this match to take place, even as a kickoff show match. R-Truth’s spot in this match could have been given to almost anyone else on the roster and it could have been the start of a feud or… well anything really. Barrett can only be hurt by losing this match. He gains nothing with a win but loses almost all credibility with a loss. Prediction: Barrett by a mile.

Ryback (c) vs The Big Show – Intercontinental Championship match

Ryback, in his first title defense, goes up against the Big Show in a match that is sure to be super boring. Show is done as a performer. He hasn’t been interesting in years and having a program with Ryback does nothing to change that fact. Even the big power spot, where someone does the unthinkable and lifts up Show, has been so overdone that it’s not impressive at all (even though the commentary team will scream about how amazing it is). Ryback does nothing for me personally as a performer so quite honestly I am just not into this match. Prediction: Ryback gets the win in a terrible match.

John Cena vs Kevin Owens

This match though, holy shit am I excited. Their match two weeks ago at Elimination Chamber was absolutely stellar and may have been the best match of Cena’s career. Owens is getting a huge push on the main roster and deservedly so. He is already the number two heel behind Seth Rollins and should be in the main event scene sooner rather than later. That said, this match could go a lot of different ways. With the win last time out, Owens doesn’t “need” this one as well. Cena can get his revenge and they can move on. BUT, a second win over the face of the WWE for the last decade does a bunch to firmly establish Owens as a top level threat. Either way this is going to be the match of the night. Expect big spots, lots of close finishes, some really impressive technical work, and great storytelling. Prediction: Owens goes over, and starts a path of destruction.

The New Day: Big E & Xavier Woods (c) vs The Prime Time Players: Titus O’Neill & Darren Young – Tag Team Championship match

The New Day has gone from being a relative drain every week to being one of the must watch segments of the show. This time out Woods steps in for Kofi, more on him in a minute, to take on the recently reunited PTP. This match should be really fun. Woods is not in the ring enough for my liking, the guy is really good. Big E is continuing to get better and Titus and Darren work very well together. I fully expect an entertaining match with some big time power/speed combo moves. Prediction: The New Day retain their titles.

Neville vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus vs. Kane vs. Roman Reigns – MITB Ladder match for the contract

Here’s the thing, I usually love this match. There is so much room for surprise, for the making of a new main event level guy, that the match is always interesting. We’ve seen it with Rollins, Punk, Bryan, Edge, all huge names pushed to the moon from this match. In fact, other than Damien Sandow and John Cena, every other wrestler who has won the contract has cashed it in and become World Champion. But the 2015 version, I just don’t know. Looking at the line up, the most surprising two would be Neville or Kofi. Reigns would be the safe choice. Everyone else would be boring. The match itself should have a few insane spots as Kofi and Neville are men without fear. I honestly have no idea where they are going with this. Prediction: Neville because that would be the most fun.

Nikki Bella (c) vs Paige – Divas Championship match

Nikki Bella has been champion for quite awhile now. She has fended off all comers and had a few decent matches. Paige is still the young upstart looking to get the belt back. As a popcorn match, a break really, this should be fine. These two can go and know each other well. I don’t expect it to be crazy good or anything, just by the numbers. Prediction: Nikki Bella after some interference.

Seth Rollins (c) vs Dean Ambrose – Heavyweight Championship Ladder match

After a very entertaining match at Elimination Chamber, even with the “Dusty” finish (a finish where the face wins the match but the heel keeps the belt because of some sort of DQ), my anticipation for this match is super high. Rollins and Ambrose work so well together. Very few can get as much out of Ambrose as Rollins can. The storyline has developed well over the last few weeks with Ambrose stealing the belt and posting ridiculous pictures of it on instagram. Adding the ladder component to this match ups the violence aspect a bit and should give way to some fun spots. Ultimately though, it isn’t time for Ambrose as champ. He doesn’t need it yet. In a year or two, maybe. My hope, and the rumor mill’s hope, is that Reigns will be turning heel on Ambrose. that would be awesome. Prediction: Rollins gets his belt back after Reigns spears Ambrose.

So there it is. I honestly don’t expect a ton from this PPV. The card just doesn’t thrill me outside of Owens/Cena. It could be great. Or it could be filler until the season finale of Game of Thrones. Either way follow me on twitter, @geekadedan, and discuss.

WWE Money in the Bank airs Sunday, June 14 at 8pm.

Dan Ryan

Dan Ryan was once the most feared and respected luchador in the world until the "Great DDT Disaster of '85" where Dan unfortunately DDT'd his opponent so hard into the ground that he opened a gate to the underworld that let unholy things into this world. After that, Dan refused to wrestle anymore but he's found new life writing and talking about his favorite hobbies here at Geekade. He pens the weekly Why I Love Wrestling series, co-hosts The Stone Age Gamer Podcast, expertly pairs video games with beer, and much, much more. Dan is a personality that Geekade simply would not be the same without.

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