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Money in the Bank marked the return of the WWE Universe to WWE events. Fans were allowed in attendance at WrestleMania 37 but only in a limited capacity. With pandemic restrictions lifted in various parts of the USA, fans have been welcomed back to sporting events.
Two potential future champions hauled down briefcases that guarantee them future title shots. Bobby Lashley dominated Kofi Kingston to retain his title. AJ Styles and Omos defeated the Viking Raiders to retain the RAW Tag Team Championships.
Ricochet once again proved that he is the One and Only with several high-flying stunts during the men's Money in the Bank match.
However, the biggest talking point to come out of Money in the Bank will likely be the reappearance of John Cena. He returned at the end of the night to confront Roman Reigns.
It foreshadowed the likely main event for the next PPV. With SummerSlam on the horizon, here are five things we learned from Money in the Bank.
#5 The Usos became seven-time Tag Team Champs at Money in the Bank
The Mysterios won the SmackDown Tag Team belts from Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode at WrestleMania Backlash on May 16th. The father/son duo defeated a challenge from Rooder and Ziggler in one defense. In their other title defense, they beat the Usos on an episode of SmackDown.
The main storyline on SmackDown has been Roman Reigns' rule of the blue brand. He's literally beaten his cousins into falling in line behind his lead. Jey was off of TV for a few weeks so that Jimmy could be reintegrated into storylines.
During that time, Jimmy would be arrested for DUI. It would be the third time he has been arrested since 2019. In 2019, Jimmy Uso was arrested twice for road violations. The Usos would go on to win the SmackDown Tag Team titles at Elimination Chamber only days later.
Some reports mentioned that WWE officials were upset with the actions of Jimmy Uso. Others also stated that he wouldn't face any repercussions due to being involved in a storyline that will eventually involve the Rock.
WWE Superstars are people out of the ring and are far from perfect. By not taking action against a repeat offender, it is a strange way to handle things. Winning the titles so soon after getting a DUI is odd, especially since the Mysterios barely had a significant run as champions.
#4 Nikki A.S.H. is Ms. Money in the Bank
When the field for the women's Money in the Bank match was set late last week, some women had a better chance of winning than others. Alexa Bliss and Asuka seemed like frontrunners due to their championship pedigrees. Naomi was also a possibility due to being a fan favorite.
Liv Morgan's angle leading up to Money in the Bank got portions of the WWE Universe in her corner. Carmella was taken out of the match, necessitating the need to fill the final two spots.
Natalya and Tamina were late additions to the match due to an injury to Bayley. Since they were the WWE Women's Tag Team Champs, it didn't seem like they needed the briefcase.
Zelina Vega had just returned to WWE during the Money in the Bank build. Nikki Cross has turned into Nikki A.S.H. over the last month or so. It's good to see her get more air time on RAW, but she wasn't considered to be a favorite to win the match.
After all of the participants covered Alexa Bliss in ladders outside of the ring, every competitor attempted to win the briefcase at the same time.
With three ladders set up below the briefcase, each woman tried to capture the briefcase. While everyone was reaching for the contract, it ended up being Nikki A.S.H. who captured a future title shot.
Everyone had the same chance atop the ladders but the scrappy Scottish woman shocked everyone. A.S.H. has always been a solid performer but lacked consistent pushes and screen time on RAW.
By winning Money in the Bank, she might take her superhero persona to a championship in WWE. It's just a matter of which champion she decides to target in the future.
#3 Charlotte Flair wins another title at Money in the Bank
While Charlotte Flair won another championship at Money in the Bank, don't let the number in the above graphic fool you. WWE wants Flair to break her father's title record of 16 championships. With the way that WWE is calculating her record, however, Ric's number of titles has to be considered more than 16.
WWE is adding tag team title wins and Charlotte's two runs as NXT Women's Champ. They are also considering the Divas title win over Nikki Bella as part of the number. The championship turned into the RAW Women's title following the 2016 brand split.
If that is the criteria being pushed to determine the Queen's title wins, then Ric's wins as the United States and Tag Team Champions must be added. That doesn't even take into account the secondary titles won by Edge and Cena.
By defeating Rhea Ripley at Money in the Bank, WWE touts that Charlotte is a 14-time champion. In reality, she is a 10-time C\champion, having won the SmackDown and RAW Women's Championship five times each.
Ripley has now lost a title to Flair on two occasions. While the Nightmare was the backup plan for Flair at WrestleMania 37, she still didn't need to lose to the Queen again. By doing so, it kills any momentum Ripley built as RAW Women's Champ.
With Flair holding gold again after Money in the Bank, it essentially goes back to the status quo. Instead of fresh new matches over the title, Flair will likely face women she has already defeated. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax are likely to challenge for the title but they have already lost to the Queen.
Since SummerSlam is being treated as a huge show in 2021, few names are viable threats to Flair. If Becky Lynch returns, it will be a welcome sight. It will also, however, not be a fresh matchup for the fans.
Had Ripley retained the title, it could have at least given fans new angles over the title. That wasn't the case at Money in the Bank.
#2 Big E is Mr. Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank was the first step towards a potential major title run for Big E. The talented big man has long been one of the most under-pushed stars in all of WWE.
His separation from the New Day during the 2020 WWE Draft was bittersweet. The trio would no longer be together on RAW or SmackDown. It did, however, signify that Big E would be getting a singles push on the blue brand.
He would win the Intercontinental Championship but lose it to Apollo Crews at WrestleMania. Big E's push seemed like it was at an end.
By winning the 2021 Money in the Bank match, that hope was renewed. It was hard not to feel good for one of the hardest working performers in all of WWE after he took down the briefcase.
Other options could have won the Money in the Bank briefcase. Drew McIntyre was the most recent WWE star in the match to hold a major WWE title. Seth Rollins is a former multi-time champion.
Both of those men, however, had SummerSlam matches set up during Money in the Bank. Jinder Mahal attacked McIntyre during the match, taking the former WWE Champion out of the bout.
Seth Rollins had a rumored match with Edge booked for SummerSlam. After failing to win the contract for a second time, Rollins cost Edge a chance to defeat Roman Reigns.
Since those stars already had direction heading into SummerSlam, it made total sense to have Big E win Money in the Bank. He's been with the company for nearly a decade and has always been entertaining.
He's a former NXT Champion and a multi-time tag team titleholder. His charisma is off the charts and he is often pigeonholed in the tag team and mid-card of WWE. By winning Money in the Bank, Big E will hopefully have a successful cash in whenever he chooses to do so.
WWE needs to have different people as champions instead of the same old names that always hold titles.
Stars like Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Cesaro have always had the talent to be top players in WWE. They just needed the backing of management. After Money in the Bank, Big E is on a trajectory to either the Universal or WWE Title.
#1 The main event of Money in the Bank set up two matches for SummerSlam
The main event between Edge and Universal Champion Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank set up two big matches for SummerSlam. While Cena returned once the match had concluded, Seth Rollins made his presence felt twice during the main event.
Rollins would attack Edge while the referee was out of commission. He superkicked Edge as he had Reigns locked in a cross-face. Rollins' actions broke the hold after the champion seemed like he was fading.
The second instance of interference played into the finish of the bout. Rollins jumped up onto the ring apron and distracted the Rated R Superstar. Reigns hit the spear for the win to retain his title.
Rollins wasn't done, however, as he attacked Edge following the conclusion of the match. He then stood face to face with Reigns before leaving the ring.
After Rollins left, Reigns took the microphone and said that everyone needed to acknowledge him. Before he could leave the ring, the familiar music of John Cena hit. With that, the Leader of Cenation was back in the WWE.
Rumors stated that surprises were in store for the fans starting before Money in the Bank. Those rumors were confirmed with Cena's surprising return at the end of Money in the Bank.
In one match, two big showdowns were set up for SummerSlam. WWE reportedly wants to treat SummerSlam like the true WrestleMania of 2021. It will have a full capacity of fans in Las Vegas. With the actions of Cena and Rollins following the main event of Money in the Bank, those two huge matches became realities.
