WWE Money In The Bank 2019 Preview & Predictions
The tenth annual Money In The Bank event is Sunday May 19th at the XL Center in Hartford, just outside the shadow of WWE Headquarters in Stamford. With the exception of the Intercontinental & RAW Tag Team Championships, every other title will be on the line. The prize of the Money In The Bank match is a guaranteed contract for a world title shot at any time the winner chooses to "cash it in". This concept overwhelmingly favors heels (counting every Money In The Bank match male and female) with heel wrestlers winning 18 Money In The Bank matches while fan favorites have only won 5 of them. This show also features Becky Lynch competing twice in the evening. Lynch will defend both the RAW & SmackDown Women's Championships against Lacey Evans & Charlotte Flair, respectively.
Below is a preview of each match on the card including what to watch for and predictions of how things may play out based upon recent booking. In the comments below, share your thoughts on the show and other favorite moments from past Money In The Bank events.
Seth Rollins (c) vs. AJ Styles
Universal Championship
This is the dream match WWE fans have been waiting for since AJ debuted in 2016. In multiple interviews Seth credits a match with AJ Styles in his home state of Iowa as a major inspirational moment early in his career. After the match, AJ got on the mic and told the crowd that Seth was the future and that he is one of the most talented young wrestlers he had worked with at that point. Now these two get to clash for the WWE Universal Championship fifteen years later.
It will be interesting to see if frustration gets to AJ here, forcing him to resort to cheating to get the upper hand. There have been hints of heel AJ coming out over the past few weeks and he may dip further into that well to win his first Universal Championship.This match should be absolutely fantastic and incredibly close but Rollins will steal one here. Here's hoping we get a few more matchups between these two.
WINNER
Seth Rollins via pinfall
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Kevin Owens
WWE Championship
Kofi Kingston's story got put in limbo after WrestleMania. It really seems like Kofi & Daniel Bryan were supposed to continue their feud after WrestleMania but Daniel's injuries and the subsequent injury to Big E put things in line for Kevin Owens to step into the picture. The WWE doesn't stop for anyone and so the Big O was born and Kevin Owens joined The New Day for a stint that was almost as short-lived as Y2AJ. At least they didn't get t-shirts made. Sami Zayn sneak-attacked Kofi on this past week's SmackDown, showing that he and Kevin are friends again and foreshadowing that Kevin Owens has an equalizer in case Xavier Woods gets involved. Kofi's popularity is still high in each town WWE stops in and he walked out of SmackDown standing tall after fending off an attack from Owens and delivering Trouble In Paradise to Zayn. If Kofi retains here, it will be via DQ. It seems like there's going to be some shenanigans involved in this match.
WINNER
Kofi Kingston via Disqualification
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
SmackDown Women's Championship
As the video above shows, these two have a tremendous history together as friends and rivals. There is some buzz about fans losing interest in the feud but these women will find a way to make this match just as exciting as the matches they've had before. This is the first PPV show after women main evented WrestleMania, these women will not drop the ball now that they have it. Becky Lynch has two matches on this show and she will deliver a hell of a performance. Charlotte keeps adding new wrinkles to her repertoire as a performer and is a joy to watch. Charlotte will continue her brutality while dabbling in lucha libre style moves. Becky will get a decisive victory over Charlotte Flair in this match, ending their feud for the time being. It would be nice to see some frustration coming out of Charlotte or maybe even some self-doubt since she hasn't been able to defeat Becky in over 6 months. That frustration could lead to a more vicious and conniving Charlotte that could wreak havoc on the SmackDown women's roster.
WINNER
Becky Lynch via submission
Roman Reigns vs. Elias
Elias has been given prime spots on shows for the past 6 months while limiting his in-ring action. His feud with Jeff Jarrett made Double J look young again. At WrestleMania, Elias was a perfect foil for John Cena. Elias even got to share the ring with Undertaker on this year's RAW after WrestleMania. Elias has been working diligently to improve his musicianship & singing, making his segments on shows a highlight. Vince McMahon clearly loves Elias and has high hopes for him. This match will be a big opportunity for the Drifter. Elias hasn't held any titles and his biggest win on a PPV was over Lashley on the TLC kickoff show. Roman Reigns is clearly still the man Vince wants as his top star and Roman is positioned to finally take the top spot he was chosen for a little over 4 years ago. It would be nice if we could see something surprising here, but it's likely this will be an extended squash with Roman looking stronger than ever.
WINNER
Roman Reigns via pinfall
The Miz vs. Shane McMahon
Steel Cage Match
The Miz & Shane McMahon have had a fantastic run together as friends turned enemies and it looks like a classic steel cage match will be the blow-off for the feud. The former best friends and tag team champions told a great story at WrestleMania with The Miz, who has been accused of being "too safe" and "boring" as a wrestler, taking the big leap with Shane McMahon off of a tower to finish their match. That leap was a tremendous one for Miz in the eyes of the fans. The Miz, after being booed for the entirety of his career, is now a full-blown hero.
Although Shane will once again take some big bumps in this match, expect The Miz to have some surprises in store for this match. The Miz will put his body on the line and utilize a more fast-paced and exciting move set that will get him even more over as a fan favorite. This match will be a thrill-ride that will end with the good guy coming out on top as The Miz continues this new phase of his career as a fan favorite.
WINNER
The Miz
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lacey Evans
RAW Women's Championship
Lacey Evans has been stopping shows for over four months now using WWE programming as an opportunity to model her dresses. Lacey has quietly been working with Natalya on Main Event since January until they finally got their match on the April 15th episode of RAW. Lacey is almost as athletic as Charlotte Flair. Natalya also was the one who feuded with Charlotte before her big push started in 2014. It looks like Vince has big plans for Lacey and Natalya has been putting in the work to get her ready. Becky's comparisons between her two challengers aren't just for humor's sake, they are legitimate. Lacey is a former Marine MP officer in a SWAT-like division who served for 5 years before honorable discharge to work in construction and independent wrestling.
This is Lacey's first title match on any WWE program. They've had a lot of time to build her and the contract signing segment on RAW actually added to the hype for this match. It's hard to imagine Becky coming out of both matches victorious, but it feels like there's more business to do here. Charlotte may interfere in this match to soften Becky up for her match later in the evening. Becky has won all of her matches this year while nursing some sort of injury. She'll pull it off again at Money in the Bank.
WINNER
Becky Lynch via Disqualification
Ember Moon vs. Mandy Rose vs. Dana Brooke vs. TBD vs. Bayley vs. Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Carmella
Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match
The ladies of RAW tore it up in their fatal 4-way match this past Monday with Nikki Cross, competing as a surrogate for Alexa Bliss, stealing a victory over Dana Brooke, Natalya, & Naomi. All three women looked dangerous and capable of coming out on top this Sunday in spite of being upset by Nikki Cross. When Cross won the match, RAW cut to a shot of Bliss grinning like a Cheshire cat. Alexa then walked down to personally congratulate Cross on her victory. It was announced on Thursday that Alexa is not medically cleared to compete on Sunday and that Nikki Cross will replace her.Hopefully, the former Money In The Bank winner gets well soon. This development doesn't necessarily mean that Alexa won't be involved in the match helping her new friend, Nikki.
The women of SmackDown only got a video package to promote the match on their show. Mandy Rose has a big opportunity in this match to show what she can do against top women in the division, she had good showings in the women's Elimination Chamber match and in a victory over Asuka on SmackDown but she won't come out on top this night. Ember Moon has been getting more time on the mic and is always great after the bell rings. The only Superstars in the Women's division to win the briefcase have been heels: Carmella & Alexa Bliss. It feels like this is the time that a fan favorite will win the match. Something about the way Bayley is being positioned on SmackDown makes it seem like she'll get the surprise victory here. Bayley had a good match with Becky Lynch two weeks ago on SmackDown and she has great chemistry with Charlotte as well, who will likely be looking for a new feud after moving on from Becky.
WINNER
Bayley
Andrade vs. Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Ali vs. Randy Orton
Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match
As Andrade celebrated his victory over Finn Balor, Randy Orton, & Ali by climbing a ladder to touch the Money in the Bank briefcase, Ricochet ran from the back, spring boarded off the ropes on to the ladder and knocked Andrade off, taking the briefcase for himself. Andrade is a favorite to win this match, but it doesn't quite feel like his time yet. Andrade will get to showcase what he can do against top babyfaces in this match and hopefully inspire Vince McMahon to continue use him & Zelina Vega in high-profile feuds.
Thanks to the help of Drew McIntyre & Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn pinned Braun Strowman on RAW to take his place in the Money in the Bank match. McIntyre & Corbin think they've eliminated their biggest obstacle to victory in Strowman, but this will blow up in their faces. Strowman got his revenge on Sami at the end of RAW by chokeslamming him through the announcers table, but he has yet to get his revenge on Corbin & McIntyre. Strowman will clear the way for Sami Zayn to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, opening up new doors for Sami in the main event scene.
WINNER
Sami Zayn
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Joe dominated Rey into submission at WrestleMania to win his first title on the main roster. Samoa Joe has all of the tools to be a top guy in WWE or anywhere he goes. He can carry a feud with anyone and right now it looks like we're getting this feud as a way to introduce Rey's son, Dominick. Rey Mysterio has been having a career resurgence since January. He looks better than ever, physically, and his work in the ring is just as innovative, smooth, and exciting as ever. His match against Cesaro this past week on RAW (highlights in the clip above) was a joy to watch and his matches with Andrade on SmackDown this year have turned back the hands of time. The deciding factor in this match will be Rey's son, Dominick. Dominick will get involved in the match and likely cost Samoa Joe his United States Championship. This feud will not end here as both men work well together and have more to do with one another.
WINNER
Rey Mysterio via pinfall
Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari
Cruiserweight Championship
Tony Nese has wrestled on NXT and 205 Live shows since the beginning of 2018. This double duty has allowed Nese to grow into the champion he is today. He's currently a completely white hat babyface good guy in storylines right now, highlighting his athleticism and performance in the ring while hiding his flaws on the mic and depth of character. Since returning from injury in December, Ariya Daivari has vaulted himself into title contention. Daivari has had no trouble with his character whatsoever and this feud has potential to showcase some of Daivari's athleticism while bringing out new elements of Nese's character. These two can physically put on a fantastic match, but what remains to be seen is can they tell a compelling story that draws us in emotionally? This is more likely the beginning of this feud than the end. Nese will find a way to thwart Daivari's underhanded tactics and leave Money in the Bank victorious.
WINNER
Tony Nese via pinfall
Daniel Bryan & Eric Rowan (c) vs. The Usos
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
This match got thrown together after the Hardys had to forfeit their titles due to injury and the Revival refused to sign their contract extensions. So The Usos, after being moved to RAW, are back on SmackDown two weeks later to challenge for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
In terms of story, this matchup doesn't quite make sense. On the bright side, Daniel Bryan is amazing and his partnership with Rowan has been a joy to watch. Reports of Rowan being raucously cheered in Norway while Bryan smiled from the corner were a highlight of the recent European tour. The videos on WWE's YouTube channel featuring the new tag team champions have also been hilarious. Go out of your way to watch these and you'll see that even when WWE's booking doesn't make sense, the Superstars can make the most ridiculous booking into compelling content. All of these men can wrestle and this match will be one of the best kickoff matches we've seen in a while. It remains to be seen if the Usos will stay on RAW, but it's hard to imagine the newly crowned SmackDown tag team champions losing here.
WINNERS
Daniel Bryan & Eric Rowan