money in the bank

The annual pay-per-views included two Money in the Bank ladder matches. a contract for the unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship became the prize of a single Money in the Bank ladder match. The contract in the ladder match was for a WWE Championship (formerly WWE World Heavyweight Championship) match.
The event was dual-branded, involving both the Raw and SmackDown brands. There were two Money in the Bank ladder matches, one for men and one for women, each having eight participants with spots equally divided between the brands. The men competed for a contract for a match for either Raw's Universal Championship or SmackDown's WWE Championship, while the women competed for a contract for either a Raw Women's Championship or SmackDown Women's Championship match, with the winner being able to challenge for the title of their home brand
Money in the Bank is the only WWE pay-per-view event with a regular theme song, as all but the first event have used by in-house WWE composer Jim Johnston as its theme song. This is in stark contrast to other pay-per-view events, which use songs sponsored by mainstream recording artists, Before the advent of the pay-per-view, the song was used as the entrance music for future U.S. President Donald Trump for his numerous guest appearances on WWE television.
That familiar sound of flesh cracking against ladders is coming, as WWE Money in the Bank delivers a double dose of its trademark match Sunday.
On the pay-per-view, Braun Strowman will look to continue his domination and wipe out the field in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks, meanwhile, are set to compete in a loaded ladder match of their own. By the end of the night, two Superstars will be one cash-in away from claiming championship gold.
Chicago's Allstate Arena will host both of those bouts, a so-so midcard lineup and the potential conclusion to the AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura WWE Championship saga.
The Intercontinental Championship clash promises to be a surprise hit. Money in the Bank, though, is no dream show, as evidenced by the underwhelming contests ahead for Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan.
In a way, the mixed bag of an event is a microcosm of where WWE is as a whole right now.
The midcard lacks momentum. Rising stars are front and center. And Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship are nowhere to be seen.
James Ellsworth may be fated to influence the Money in the Bank ladder match again.
PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson reported: "Ellsworth looks to be returning to WWE soon, PWInsider.com has learned. There have been several recent creative pitches for Ellsworth to pop up in some capacity, and PWInsider.
The New Day has yet to reveal which member will battle in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. One report, though, pointed to it being the trio's powerhouse who gets the nod.
If Jax wins, Rousey will have lost her first singles match, damaging her aura from the get-go. After all, Rousey is supposed to be a badass set to conquer an unfamiliar world. Going 0-1 in one-on-one bouts doesn't paint that picture.
Should Rousey win, though, WWE will have missed out on telling a long, engaging story about her rise to the top. too early.
WWE has played up Jax's experience advantage. The champ has taunted the former UFC star,
Rousey, though, took to her new home, putting on arguably the best match at WrestleMania 34.
Former champions crowd the ladder match field. Banks, Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch Naomi and Natalya have all won gold in the past.
Unless Lana or recent NXT call-up Ember Moon emerges victorious on Sunday, one of those previous titleholders will step closer to redemption.
This will mark just the second year WWE has put on a women's Money in the Bank ladder match. The first time out, the company made the mistake of creating some unfortunate optics. Ellsworth essentially won the match, giving a man the big moment in a historic bout.
Braun Strowman has been unstoppable of late. broke a ladder with his bare hands and is fresh off defeating Kevin Owens, Finn Balor and Bobby Roode in a Fatal 4-Way match.
That kind of result has inspired Owens to conspire against The Monster Among Men. On the final Raw before the PPV, KO tried to recruit his fellow ladder match combatants to gang up on Strowman.
Strowman doesn't need the briefcase anyway. It is supposed to be a means to gain an unfair advantage on the champion. The behemoth's unworldly physical gifts already give him one.
A decisive end is coming. After a double count-out at the Greatest Royal Rumble and a no-contest at Backlash, Nakamura is set to challenge Styles once more.
Nakamura's extra-painful new weapon is sure to come into play in what is likely his last chance at the WWE title for a while.
After a shoddy stretch for Raw and a Backlash PPV that flopped, Money in the Bank has the tools to shake all that off. The roaring Chicago crowd, two ladder matches and two enemies looking to leave each other unable to stand are poised to add up to a big win for WWE.
Hailing from the Allstate Arena just outside of Chicago, kicks off the summer in the world of WWE with a card full of matches that should dramatically change the trajectory of Raw and SmackDown. The centerpiece of the show is a pair of eight-person Money in the Bank ladder matches, with one man and one woman earning a world title shot at the time of their choosing at any point over the next year -- and potentially as soon as the same night.
There's also the matter of Ronda Rousey's first title shot in WWE against Raw women's champion Nia Jax, the culmination of months of tension between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka's challenge of Carmella for the SmackDown women's championship, for starters. Add a raucous Chicago crowd and the history tied to the Allstate Arena, and by the end of the night, the road to August's SummerSlam pay-per-view will be well in sight.
Tim Fiorvanti covered the action throughout the night with assistance from Matt Wilansky and ESPN Stats & Info's Sean Coyle. This file was updated in real time.
As their names were called, there was a palpable sense that probably six competitors in this eight-man crucible had a legit shot to walk away with the biggest carrot of the wrestling year and a free shot at the WWE title.
One of those six stood out most: Braun Strowman, the biggest, baddest, most intimidating monster in the business. Strowman has been waiting for a moment in a high-end pay-per-view, and his reign of terror with Nicolas at WrestleMania hardly was going to cut it.
Every superstar in this match had a moment and shined. The chaos was widespread, and the match was all the better for it. This was an excellent Money in the Bank match.
Storytelling: 0.50In-Ring Execution: 0.75Match Psychology: 1.00Timing: 1.00Innovation: 1.00-- Sean Coyle
Though, This included Kofi Kingston, who was selected as their guy. And why not? He's an aerial genius.
The focus seemingly continued to shift back to Kofi, who early on in the match dove into five of his opponents' competitors on the outside of the ring. That group caught Kofi and was poised to have their revenge when Balor flipped over the top rope to accomplish the same mission. Balor celebrated and went to retrieve a ladder when something prevented him from bringing it back into the ring. That something was Strowman. Strowman took out Balor and Roode and stared down the rest of the field.
Kevin Owens and others then ganged up on Strowman again. who began to climb down in order to escape.
Owens begged for Strowman to let him get off the ladder, but instead, Strowman brought him back up and tossed Owens off and through a table in a Shane McMahon-esque kind of fall. That was it for Owens in this match.
Back in the ring, Rusev thrilled the crowd with a two-person then three-person Accolade, but that was just for show. Samoa Joe stopped that hold, then fell victim to the other ensuing chaos.
Minutes later, Strowman approached the ladder to stop a climbing Balor. As Finn went up, Kingston jumped from the ropes onto Strowman's back to try to stop him. Both Balor and Kingston eventually found the mat, leaving Strowman the only one staring at the briefcase.
This matchup was one all WWE fans were looking forward to heading into WrestleMania 34. Two months later and with mediocre results, the feud had seemingly run its course ... until tonight. They entered Chicago to contend for the WWE Championship for the fourth straight WWE pay-per-view event. It was just the fourth time in WWE history that the same two superstars competed one-on-one for the WWE title at four consecutive pay-per-views. But once again, it ended without the title changing hands.
This version was a Last Man Standing match, and it commenced with some crisp, strike-heavy offense out of both men. The first big blow came when Styles yanked Nakamura over the top rope and nailed a slingshot forearm to the outside of the ring. Nakamura responded with a back body drop onto the steel entrance ramp, but Styles answered referee Mike Chioda's count at six.
This was, by far, the best of the series of matches Styles and Nakamura have had in the WWE. They told a fantastic story, and the Last Man Standing stipulation allowed for some creative and innovative sequences.
Storytelling: 1.00In-Ring Execution: 0.75Match Psychology: 1.00Timing: 0.75Innovation: 0.75-- Sean Coyle
A few sequences later, as Styles attempted a phenomenal forearm, Nakamura kicked Styles' feet out from under him, sending him to the outside of the ring -- and then the announcer's table came into play. After tossing Styles onto one of the tables, Nakamura stormed across the two other tables and nailed his Kinsasha knee strike, but Styles made it to his feet at the count of nine.
The table trend continued when Nakamura pulled a table out from under the ring and ended up viciously tossing Styles through it and into the turnbuckle, but Styles once again made it to his feet.
The tide turned when one of the top turnbuckles was removed, and Styles escaped a charging Nakamura who went knee first into the exposed steel. Styles locked in a calf-crusher and released it, but Nakamura answered the 10 count.
As Nakamura begged Styles to stop, and as Styles got back to his feet, Once again, though,
Styles' retaining the WWE Championship likely brings this multi-month rivalry to a close, but it ended on an excellent note.
It would've been a dramatic upset had Carmella beaten Asuka cleanly to defend her SmackDown women's championship. It also would've been an abrupt moment for the SmackDown women's division to change directions with a new champion, so the question remained: How could it all play out?
That question was answered late in the match, when a shadowy figure slowly climbed up the stairs and onto the apron, distracting both Asuka and Carmella for a few moments. After a failed roll-up attempt by Carmella earned her a knee to the face, Asuka stared the unknown person down until the slow reveal.
While the conclusion of the match is bound to be loved or hated, the encounter itself was solid. Carmella put forth a very good performance in the ring with the great Asuka. This was one of Carmella's best singles matches in the WWE.
Storytelling: 0.75In-Ring Execution: 0.50Match Psychology: 0.75Timing: 0.75Innovation: 0.25-- Sean Coyle
It was Carmella's longtime compatriot, James Ellsworth, who is back after a few months away from the WWE to give Carmella the chance to walk out with her championship intact. With the distraction, Carmella recovered, nailed a superkick to Asuka's face and earned the pinfall victory in one fell swoop. As they celebrated all the way back up the ramp, it felt like closure.

As for the match itself, it was a solid if not great effort all around. Carmella slowed things down for the bulk of the contest, and every time Asuka grabbed the momentum, backfists and other strikes from her arsenal. Carmella had a few bright moments of her own,