Will The Club finally strike it big with Gallows and Anderson, taking the tag team gold and AJ Styles, delivering the defeat of the WWE’s own Goliath at Money in the Bank? Can the champion of the WWE Universe overthrow the champion the WWE wants? Who’s going to turn and who will be corrupted by the Money in the Bank briefcase this year? Let’s try to answer these questions ahead of Sunday!
Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler
This feud that should have been done and forgotten long time ago needs to end this Sunday. Ziggler has a solid position in the WWE. He’s been consistently reliable for years and so a loss at Money in the Bank won’t be of any harm to his future.
Baron Corbin, however, is still new. With the long list of NXT superstars who have come to the main roster, only to get buried, the danger of the Lone Wolf following is very real. Corbin has potential and if he’s to ever realise it, he must win the match and the feud, and move on.
Prediction: Baron Corbin
Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus
From a wasted run as a WWE World Heavyweight Champion, through a pitiful time in the League of Nations, to absolute obscurity, Sheamus has had a bad year. He has to go back to his vicious heel routes, in order to get back up. However, this feud is a straw to cling on to for both men involved.
Much like Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews is another superstar who cannot afford to lose this weekend. His call-up came out of the blue and it seemed to lead nowhere. Sheamus is a household name, regardless of his recent downfalls. Crews, on the other hand, needs to make a mark before the window of opportunity closes and he ends up a permanent jobber.
If the WWE wants the fans to take Apollo Crews seriously, he can’t lose on Sunday. Sheamus will most probably underestimate him and it would ultimately get the Celtic Warrior defeated.
Prediction: Apollo Crews
The New Day vs. Ezno & Cass vs. The Vaudevillains vs. The Club /WWE Tag Team Titles Match/
The one team that truly doesn’t have a chance is the Vaudevillains. Sadly, the WWE didn’t do enough to get Gotch and English over. The parallel debut of Enzo and Cass simply overshadowed theirs. It would be a huge surprise if the Vaudevillains were to win.
This is the perfect opportunity for the New Day to drop the titles. This, being a Fatal-4-Way, would shield the champions from the fall. The New Day can lose the gold without even being defeated, thus keeping their momentum.
The real question is whether The Club or Enzo and Cass will end up pinning one of the Vaudevillains. There’s a strong case to be made for both teams. Gallows and Anderson need the belts to become credible after the shaky start of their run in the WWE. Enzo & Cass, however, are the most over team in the division and although they only recently arrived on the main roster, they’ve been fighting for a championship reign for years at NXT. Quality deserves to be acknowledged.
I believe that the WWE needs to strike the iron while it’s hot. Enzo and Cass could not be more hyped. The crowd erupts every time they are in a ring, regardless of whether they fight or just talk. The WWE Tag Team Championship would benefit greatly from that energy.
Prediction: Enzo & Cass
AJ Styles vs. John Cena
If AJ Styles was to lose here, it would be a huge blow not only to him, but to The Club, as well. If my prediction is correct and Gallows and Anderson fail to claim the gold, a loss by AJ Styles would put The Club at 0 out of 2. That would be bad for their already spoilt image.
Also, AJ Styles agreed to wrestler John Cena on his own. Therefore, a loss to John Cena would be entirely absorbed by Styles. He already was fed to Roman Reigns. He could hardly survive being buried by Cena too.
Then again, the WWE’s done nothing to build Styles and The Club as a real threat. Ever since they united and Styles became a full-fledged heel, the stable has been looking weak. In different interactions, the Club as a group have tried to be funny, ending up as the butt of the joke.
The way AJ Styles is playing heel, he makes it easy for Cena and the New Day to turn his words on him. He’s not the ruthless, brutal type of a heel Kevin Owens was. Owens managed to defeat Cena once but he was the type of a villain people hate. AJ is not. He was huge as a face but feels watered down as a heel. Realistically, despite all the negative consequences, I can’t picture him taking Cena down clean with his current character.
It seems more plausible that Cena is going to win and AJ Styles is going to suffer once again. The Phenomenal One will get a lifeline with SmackDown, turning into a separate show. Then AJ will have the chance to regain momentum.
Prediction: John Cena
Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zain vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho /MITB Ladder Match/
The Money in the Bank ladder match is stacked up with talent this year. The top two strongest players on the board are Ambrose and Owens.
Kevin Owens is the perfect heel. Being given the briefcase, he’d be dangerous. He’s ruthless and cunning. He doesn’t care for pride or morale. The only thing he cares about is winning, so he’d be the ideal Mr. Money in the Bank. Any other year, I’d have picked him as the best choice for a winner. However, this year, one thing that can’t be ignored and that is the Shield.
The Money in the Bank briefcase eventually leads to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and there, right now is the Rollins/Reigns feud. The WWE can’t miss the opportunity to play the three members of the Shield against each other, with no alliances involved. It has always been Seth – the traitor vs. Reigns & Ambrose – brothers forever. Now it’s different and the Ambrose Asylum on RAW showed us a glimpse of the atmosphere this feud could have. It’s something that must be capitalised on.
Prediction: Dean Ambrose
Charlotte & Dana Brooke vs. Natalya & Becky Lynch
This is a match no one cares about. The way the story’s been told, Dana Brooke’s relationship with Charlotte is of more interest than the Women’s Title, or Charlotte’s past feuds with Natty and Becky.
This could turn out to be big for Dana. Charlotte must throw her under the bus and then go on and have the audacity to blame her. Even if it requires another blow later on, their relationship will implode and Dana will turn on the champ.
This might not be what the fans are hoping for but Dana Brooke might be on her way to enter the title picture. For this to happen, Natty and Becky must get the victory.
Prediction: Becky Lynch & Natalya
Rusev vs. Titus O’Neil /US Title Match/
Titus has been getting a good reaction from the crowd but one has to ask whether it was because the fans really like him, or whether it would have been the same with any face, challenging Rusev. In other words, is Rusev’s heel work all that’s making the feud?
What would the WWE gain from having Rusev lose here? All that would create is a face champion that isn’t that over with the crowd. It would be more beneficial to have the Bulgarian Brute retain and accumulate even more heat from the fans.
Rusev has proven before that he can bring attention the US title and he can do it once again. He’s a solid champion, who deserves to reign for a while, so that his inevitable loss in the end would be meaningful.
Prediction: Rusev
Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns /WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match/
This match will be huge. The fans want Rollins, the WWE wants Reigns. The writers know all too well that it’s true and that’s why the build up to the event has been so much in the grey area. The promo packages support Rollins’ point of view, as much as Reigns’, if not even more.
The crowd will be behind Seth and the fans are hoping for a double turn. I also believe that there will be a double turn but not the exact same one people are thinking of. Rollins will turn face and Ambrose will turn heel, while Reigns remains in the middle – a face by character and a heel by the common opinion.
Rollins will hit the Pedigree and whether he gets the three count or gets interrupted by Ambrose before that, Seth will end the match, having taken Reigns down. That way, all three members of the Shield will have been WWE World Heavyweight Champions and we’ll get Reigns vs. Rollins vs. Ambrose, at the same time. It’s a dream feud about to come true.
Prediction: Dean Ambrose
What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised