8 mistakes WWE must not make at Money in the Bank

Money in the Bank is tomorrow and unfortunately, while the pay-per-view is being marketed as one of the year's biggest, the card looks decidedly lacklustre. The booking on the road to the show hasn't inspired much confidence either, and unfortunately, I'm predicting it will be nearly as big a dud as Backlash. No match really looks like a true standout, and the second edition of NXT TakeOver: Chicago tonight will certainly beat it, which has been the norm for a long time now.

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But Money in the Bank need not be a lost cause, and WWE can make the pay-per-view passable if it avoids making some mistakes. While Seth Rollins and the tag team champions on both brands will almost certainly retain their titles, other decisions loom larger.

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#1 Roman Reigns must not main event

Chicago won't be amused.

After the debacle at Backlash, this is an obvious one. Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal is a match with few fans, to begin with, and the fact that it will take place in Chicago makes it even more ominous. This match, on paper, has a high chance to be one of the year's worst, and putting it in the main event will make that possibility more likely. A bigger walkout than Backlash in Newark is entirely possible.

The idea that this match is more important than the two ladder matches or the WWE championship match is preposterous, and there's no way that it should main event in a sane world. That's what the Chicago crowd will be thinking, so it's best if the company doesn't insult their intelligence.

It's going to be a sea of boos and jeers to start with. There's no need to make the crowd even angrier. As we've seen at WrestleMania and Backlash, it severely affects the quality of a match regardless of what happens in the ring.

#2 Bobby Lashley must beat Sami Zayn in a quick squash

Let's let this thing end quick.

This has been one of the year's worst rivalries, and I can't think of a match with less interest than this one. Bobby Lashley has been horribly misused since his return and Sami Zayn has been put in one bad story after another. Both are ice cold.

Let's hope the company does the right thing by keeping this as a short squash. Bobby Lashley might then begin to get some credibility back. It would then be wise to move on and forget that this whole thing ever happened.

Don't stall it with standard heel tactics. The crowd isn't going to be invested in Bobby Lashley. He must squash Sami Zayn and move on.

#3 Asuka must win by DQ or lose in the dirtiest fashion imaginable

Ugh.

Carmella retaining her championship and continuing her abysmal reign is already a massive mistake, but after this week's SmackDown, that's what's set to happen. So the paramount question is how Asuka can be protected in defeat. Losing clean to a wrestler as bad as Carmella would be a catastrophe for her and send the SmackDown women's division into a full-blown crisis.

The likeliest outcome now is an appearance by James Ellsworth to help Carmella keep her title. The best options would be to either get Carmella disqualified or have his appearance lead to a countout for one of the competitors. If that doesn't happen, an extremely dirty pin (hopefully one which doesn't follow her awful superkick) is a bad compromise, but not a full-blown disaster.

Why this reign must continue is beyond me, but the company should at least let it happen only by the dirtiest of shenanigans so that Asuka can hopefully win the championship next month.

#4 Daniel Bryan beats Big Cass

Ugh, 2.0.

Unfortunately, this likelihood is shrinking, but Daniel Bryan decisively defeating Big Cass would be for the best. Nobody wants to see this feud continue. It's quickly devolved into a one trick pony involving Big Cass being tall and Daniel Bryan being short. Another month of that so the two can have a rubber match is would be an almost unbearable drag on SmackDown.

In a short match, Daniel Bryan should tap Big Cass out again and let that be the end of it. Unfortunately, I'm not holding my breath. WWE loves dragging rivalries out to fill TV time.

#5 Alexa Bliss, Lana, or Charlotte winning the women's ladder match

Last year's winner was a terrible choice. This year must be better.

After Carmella won last year, it's time for WWE to right the ship and pick the proper winner this time. Alexa Bliss has been on top of the Raw women's division for far too long and few would be enthusiastic about having her feud with Nia Jax continue.

Charlotte, too, has no need of the briefcase. A cowardly cash-in doesn't fit her character anyway. She's better suited to looking strong going into her slow build to Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35.

And while the odds of her winning are very slim, Lana is in no way ready to carry the briefcase either. It would be a repeat of the Carmella situation.

Any of the other contestants would be fine, though I suspect it will be Natalya. She's not the most exciting choice, but since Ronda Rousey will be pushed no matter what, it's vital to minimize her shortcomings. Natalya is the best choice to do that.

6. Someone other than Samoa Joe or The Miz winning the men's briefcase

Miz or Joe, no other

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The Brock Lesnar situation all but guarantees that the winner of the men's ladder match will come from SmackDown. That leaves only two options - The Miz or Samoa Joe. Either would be a fine choice.

Samoa Joe can use the briefcase to take the championship from AJ Styles, and being Mr Money in the Bank suits him. He's a remorseless heel, and while he can fight, he'll use any advantage he can to annihilate his opponents. He's completely amoral.

The Miz is the classical Mr. Money in the Bank, and there are few people that deserve another world title run more than him. He's improved tremendously since his lacklustre first run as WWE Champion all those years ago. The briefcase would also become a plot device in the looming feud with Daniel Bryan which could make it even more memorable.

No one else really has any path with the briefcase, so it should be one of them.

#7 Nia Jax or Ronda Rousey leaving the pay-per-view as champion

The belt shouldn't be on either.

Natalya should win the briefcase and cash in on the same night.

Nia Jax's title reign has been as abysmal as I said it would be two months ago. Her illogical booking has only made things worse. Meanwhile, Ronda Rousey has proven that she's not nearly ready for a title win yet.

This match has disaster written all over it. We were stunned at WrestleMania, but Nia Jax doesn't inspire as much confidence as Rousey being in the ring with two 20 year veterans of the industry in Kurt Angle and Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon's penchant for creating spectacle.

This match should be short and dirty, both so that we can move on from Jax as champion and to help prepare Ronda Rousey for the future.

#8 Another non-finish

It's time for an ending.

It was a year ago at Money in the Bank that these two competitors teased a rivalry. The crowd went nuts. Unfortunately, the hype has not been lived up to.

While Nakamura's heel turn has been tremendously successful, something between the two performers hasn't clicked, and WWE's booking hasn't done them any favours. There have been too many non-finishes which suggest the company isn't keen on putting its top title on Shinsuke Nakamura. If that's the case, there was no reason for the feud to continue so long.

As we've seen on the last few episodes of SmackDown, there are few remaining grounds for this feud to cover, so Money in the Bank should be the end of it, even if Nakamura wins. No rematch is needed.

The only way it should still go on in some form is if Samoa Joe wins the briefcase and cashes in the same night.

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