'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It has been announced that Alexa Bliss will reveal the WWE Raw participants for the men’s and women’s 2019 Money In The Bank ladder matches during the April 29 edition of her ‘Moment of Bliss’ talk show.
The Money In The Bank pay-per-view takes place on May 19 in Hartford, Connecticut and it will feature two traditional ladder matches, with the winners going on to claim a MITB briefcase which contains a contract for a world title opportunity at a time of their choosing.
Both of last year’s MITB matches were contested by eight Superstars (four from Raw and four from SmackDown Live), and the show is best remembered for Bliss winning the women’s match before interfering during Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey to cash in her contract and claim the Raw Women’s Championship for the second time in her career.
Looking ahead to the 2019 matches, there are stacked rosters in both the men’s and women’s divisions on Raw, so it will be interesting to see who is selected as the red brand's participants and whether last year's two winners, Bliss and Braun Strowman, will be involved.
With the announcement just a few days away, let’s take a look at five of the biggest questions that need answering before the next ‘Moment of Bliss’.
#5 Should Raw hold qualifiers instead?
Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Bobby Roode and Kevin Owens qualified for the 2018 men’s Money In The Bank ladder match by winning matches on Raw, while Ember Moon, Alexa Bliss, Natalya and Sasha Banks qualified for the women’s ladder match via the same method.
Given that there are three hours of Raw programming every week and there are three episodes still to go before Money In The Bank, wouldn’t it make more sense to have Superstars earn their places in the ladder matches instead?
After all, there were complaints from fans and Superstars after three Raw teams were made to qualify for the Women’s Tag Team title match at Elimination Chamber while three SmackDown Live teams simply declared their entry, so how come nobody from Raw has to qualify for the MITB matches?
#4 Will Alexa Bliss be one of the participants?
Alexa Bliss returned to in-ring action at the 2019 Royal Rumble following three months out due to a concussion. She entered at #26 and lasted a total of 13 minutes, eliminating two people along the way, before being thrown over the top rope by Bayley and Carmella.
Since then, she teamed with Mickie James in a losing effort against Nia Jax & Tamina in January before defeating Bayley in a one-on-one match on Raw after WrestleMania 35, but she has not competed in any other televised matches since making her comeback.
On live events, the five-time women’s champion has been involved in matches against Natalya and Lacey Evans in recent weeks, so it is safe to assume that she will put her hosting duties aside soon and begin competing on Raw again in the coming weeks.
If that is indeed the case, then it is not out of the question that Bliss could insert herself into the Money In The Bank ladder match. She did win it last year, after all.
#3 Who will announce the SmackDown Live participants?
While Raw is using Alexa Bliss to announce the Money In The Bank participants, there has been no word from WWE on who will represent SmackDown Live in the ladder matches.
Kevin Owens would have been the blue brand’s equivalent to Bliss, but his ‘Kevin Owens Show’ is unlikely to be a priority for the former Universal champion following his attack on Kofi Kingston on this week’s SmackDown Live.
Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon are all authority figures on both Raw and SmackDown Live these days, with Shane especially prominent on Tuesday nights, so the likelihood is that he will announce the four male and four female Superstars who will take part at MITB.
Alternatively, as we saw people qualify from Raw but not from SmackDown Live for the Women’s Tag Team title match at Elimination Chamber, it would not be a surprise if roles reversed and WWE decided to make people from the blue brand qualify to compete in the MITB matches.
#2 Is Alexa Bliss a face or a heel?
Ever since Alexa Bliss returned to in-ring action at the 2019 Royal Rumble, it has been unclear whether she is still a heel or whether she is gradually transitioning into a babyface.
Her heel tendencies shone through in the build-up to WrestleMania 35 when she gloated about being the host of WWE’s biggest show of the year, but then she also showed some babyface traits at the Rumble when she displayed some athletic moves that she does not usually use as a heel.
The latest hint that she could become a babyface came when she criticised Sami Zayn on ‘Moment of Bliss’ when he failed to appreciate the adulation he was receiving from his home fans in Montreal, Quebec.
Depending on who interrupts her next on ‘Moment of Bliss’, and whether or not she adds herself to the 2019 women’s Money In The Bank ladder match, we should have a better idea after Monday’s episode of Raw if Bliss is more of a babyface or a heel.
#1 Who will be the Raw participants?
This, of course, is the most important question. Seth Rollins became the Universal champion at WrestleMania 35 when he defeated Brock Lesnar in the opening match of the main pay-per-view, so it will be intriguing to see who WWE will line up as a potential future champion in his place, or whether a SmackDown Live representative will win the match and target the WWE champion.
With four Raw participants to choose from, the following Superstars appear the most likely to be selected for the men’s MITB match: Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, Cesaro, Drew McIntyre, The Miz, Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Robert Roode, Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe.
As for the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match, Becky Lynch will do double-duty at the pay-per-view when she defends the Raw Women’s Championship against Lacey Evans, as well as the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair, while there is a risk that the women’s MITB winner could replicate last year’s Alexa Bliss strategy by cashing in on the same night.
With fewer Superstars to choose from in the women’s division, any four of the following names could be selected for the ladder match: Alexa Bliss, Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Dana Brooke, Naomi, Natalya, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan and Tamina.
