With the injury to Daniel Bryan leading to the WWE World Heavyweight championship to be vacated, there is a lot of uncertainly in what direction the WWE will go in the next coming months. That uncertainly won’t be necessarily snuffed at WWE Money in the Bank tonight but we could have more answers. Last Word on Sports writers Aaron Wrotkowski, James Carlucci, Shawn Wilken, Adam Contant, Jeff DeHaan and Phillipa Hopwood look into the PPV and see what answers they can predict themselves before it all kicks off at the TD Garden in Boston. For those tuning in at 7:30PM for the Kickoff, former champion Daniel Bryan will be answering your questions.
Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match
Kofi Kingston vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Jack Swagger vs. Bad News Barrett
WINNER:
Phillipa, Aaron, James and Adam: Seth Rollins
Shawn: Dolph Ziggler
Jeff: Bad News Barrett
THOUGHTS by Phillipa Hopwood: Seth and Dean Ambrose will be the two stars of this match up, who knows if Bad News Barrett will be able to compete, but if he doesn’t, could Daniel Bryan be a last minute replacement? Or will we just have a six man? Either way the two former members of The Shield’s feud will be the stand out part of this match and hopefully one of them will unhook the briefcase and cement their place as the future of the company.
Big E vs. Rusev
WINNER:
Philippa, Shawn, James and Aaron: Rusev
Jeff and Adam: Big E
THOUGHTS by Jeff DeHaan: Rusev got the victory at Payback, but it looks like WWE feels this feud has legs. Although, the only way it can last is if Big E can get a victory here. Two decisive PPV victories in a row for Rusev will negate any need for this to continue. Also, E is a young guy who hasn’t been around much longer than Rusev. He may have a couple years on Rusev, but much of that was as Ziggler’s muscle. As a solo act, he’s still fairly new. Having him lose again to the Bulgarian Brute will bury him further than his Intercontinental title run did.
Special Guest Referee: Fandango
Summer Rae vs. Layla
WINNER:
Philippa: Layla
Jeff, Shawn and Aaron: Summer Rae
James and Adam: No Contest
WHO WILL FANDANGO SUPPORT:
Philippa and Adam: Layla
Aaron: Summer Rae
Jeff: Both
Shawn, James: Neither
THOUGHTS by James Carlucci: This feud is ridiculous and the interactions between Summer Rae and Layla are everything that is wrong with the portrayal of women in the WWE. Hopefully this whole situation dies quickly and painlessly with both ladies turning on Fandango and nobody getting covered in any sort of liquid.
Stardust and Goldust vs. RybAxel
WINNER:
Philippa, Jeff, Shawn, James, Aaron and Adam: Stardust and Goldust
THOUGHTS by Adam Contant: Although it is possible that we will see Cody turn on his brother after a luke warm reception to his Stardust character, the safe money is that The Dust Brothers will establish themselves as top team again since the tag team division is a little lacking in baby face teams.
WWE Divas Championship
Naomi vs. Paige (c)
WINNER:
Philippa, Shawn, James, Adam and Aaron: Paige
Jeff: Naomi
THOUGHTS by Shawn Wilken: It’s hard to take a wrestler seriously when they refer to themselves as Funkadactyls and wear aqua-colored lipstick. Naomi is very athletic, yet she is reduced to butt-bumping and dancing with pom-poms. I’m happy she has this match and wish she would be taken more seriously but as long as this gimmick continues, her career will continue the way it has. Paige, on the other hand, has been the biggest breath of fresh air in the Divas division, despite getting minimal air time since her Championship win against AJ Lee. She has the charisma, the wrestling ability and the unique look to have a long run in the WWE. The company just needs to find a suitable Omega to this Alpha. A Trish Stratus to this Lita, if you will. One thing I have also noticed is that when fans tune into matches involving Paige, there isn’t much whistling going on — if any at all. People appreciate her wrestling talent enough to see past her looks and enjoy what she does in the ring. It’s rather refreshing.
WWE Tag Team Championship
The Wyatt Family vs. The Usos (c)
WINNER:
Philippa: The Usos
Jeff, Shawn, Aaron, James and Adam: The Wyatt Family
THOUGHTS by Aaron Wrotkowski: I was at first considering a victory for RybAxel so that Cody Rhodes could turn on Goldust but decided that even for the WWE that’s too soon. Instead, the Dust Brothers are the perfect choice to go up against the Wyatt Family at SummerSlam (or BattleGround) once Rowan and Harper capture the tag titles from the Uso’s. I think the Uso’s have tried as hard as they could to be respectable champions but they really never had the support from the WWE and they always just looked like undercard guys. Time to bring some gold to the Wyatt Family.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match
Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Cesaro vs. Roman Reigns vs. John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
WINNER:
Philippa, Jeff, Shawn and James: John Cena
Adam: Bray Wyatt
Aaron: Roman Reigns
THOUGHTS by Adam Contant: Although the internet is buzzing with the release of a Summer Slam poster featuring John Cena and Brock Lesnar on it, there is still another WWE pay per view before then (Battleground), so if the plan is indeed to have John Cena face Brock Lesnar (a smart move in my opinion) I think it would be more interesting to have Cena win the title at that event rather than tonight. Roman Reigns is a possibility to win, but with Kane, Orton and likely interference from Seth Rollins, he will likely be prevented from walking away. Alberto Del Rio is sadly an afterthought, and Sheamus is not far behind. Cesaro is a possibility but my money is one Bray Wyatt. If they are indeed going to give Cena the belt next month, he and Wyatt already have a history, plus, having Wyatt win the title would help evolve the character. Imagine the direction WWE can take the character if they give him the ultimate power of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and then take it away from him?
WILL THE MITB WINNER CASH IN AFTER:
Phillipa, Jeff, Shawn, James and Adam: No
Aaron: Yes
Watch WWE Money In the Bank on WWE Network, kick off at 7:30PM EST. See you tonight. Photo by WWE.com
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