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The 2018 WWE women’s Money In The Bank ladder match will feature four participants from Raw (Natalya, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss and Ember Moon) and four participants from SmackDown Live (Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Naomi and Lana).
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As of the time of writing, there isn’t a clear favourite to win the women’s contract but many fans have suggested that Natalya could be a dark horse to leave Chicago with the briefcase on 17 June after she won a Fatal 4-Way on Raw to qualify for the match.
“The Queen of Hearts” took part in the first two women’s Money In The Bank ladder matches in 2017, losing out to Carmella on both occasions, but her chances of claiming a victory this year appear to be significantly better.
In this article, let’s take a look at the five biggest indications yet that the former SmackDown Women’s champion will outlast the competition to walk away as the 2018 Ms. Money In The Bank.
#5 Ronda Rousey friendship
When it was confirmed that Ronda Rousey was joining WWE as a full-time roster member, one imagined that the former UFC champ would feud with the higher-profile, more marketable names of the women’s division such as Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Asuka and Alexa Bliss.
However, following her initial storyline with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, “The Baddest Woman On The Planet” was involved in a somewhat underwhelming spat between Mickie James and Natalya, seemingly as a way to tell the audience that she and Nattie have been training together.
It seemed like a bit of a waste for someone with Rousey’s star power to get involved in Natalya’s business for multiple weeks in a row – unless, of course, it leads to a rivalry between the two women at some point in the future.
“The Queen of Hearts” has already stated in a promo on Raw that she and Rousey will both walk away victorious at Money In The Bank, teasing the possibility that Nattie could cash in the MITB contract on her friend.
#4 Increased amount of TV time
Looking back to when Natalya lost her final match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair at Clash of Champions in December 2017, there seemed a very real possibility at the time that her post-match promo could lead to her retirement.
Since then, however, and particularly since her move to Raw in the Superstar Shake-Up, she has received more television time than almost any other woman on the red brand’s roster and she has featured in six matches in the last seven weeks, compared to six matches in her final four months on SmackDown Live.
The women’s division on Raw is more stacked than ever right now, so it seems strange that WWE would promote a veteran like Natalya this much if they don’t have big plans for her (i.e. winning Money In The Bank) further down the line.
#3 Speculation suggests a Raw Superstar will win the women's match
There has been plenty of talk over the last few weeks that WWE wants the winners of the two Money In The Bank ladder matches to be from separate brands, ensuring that both Raw and SmackDown Live can have a MITB storyline after the event.
Right now, SmackDown Live Superstar The Miz is the favourite to win the men’s MITB match, which means the winner of the women’s match is expected to come from Raw.
Out of the four Raw representatives (Natalya, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss and Ember Moon), Natalya has the most momentum and appears to be the favourite from the red brand to emerge with the briefcase.
#2 Ready-made Raw Women’s Championship storyline
Ronda Rousey will take part in her first televised WWE singles match when she faces Nia Jax for the Raw Women’s Championship at Money In The Bank, yet much of the build-up has centred around Natalya – Rousey’s training partner – and what role she could play next in the storyline.
So far, “The Queen of Hearts” has been comforted by Rousey on two occasions following attacks by Mickie James, while she was seen speaking with the former UFC star backstage on the most recent episode of Raw after suffering an ‘injury’ during a match against Jax.
Does that mean Natalya will continue to get involved in their storyline post-MITB? No, but at least the former SmackDown Women’s champion has a ready-made title rivalry in place if she wins the briefcase – something that can’t be said for the rest of the women’s division.
#1 Weak babyface turn
Perhaps we’re reading this totally wrong, but is Natalya even a full-on babyface? Her actions over the last few weeks suggest she’s now a face, but exactly when and why did she stop being a heel?
A few months ago, she was the obvious heel in her rivalry with Charlotte Flair over the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Since then, we’ve learned that she’s friends with Ronda Rousey, which somehow instantly made her a face.
History says that the Money In The Bank contract is usually cashed in by bad guys – seven of the last eight cash-ins were by heels – and something tells us that Natalya is going to unleash those heel characteristics again soon.
If she does, that makes her the perfect candidate to win the women’s Money In The Bank contract.
Do you think Natalya would win the Women's Money In The Bank briefcase? Sound off in the comments section below!
