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I have to say that there are days when I dread watching WWE RAW and SmackDown Live because the shows disappoint more often than not. Maybe because Money in the Bank 2019 was going up against Game of Thrones or maybe because AEW is on the horizon, WWE decided to step it up with a really solid show.
I have to say that the show was not without its share of faults. But that said, overall, I must say that I liked a lot more of the show than I expected.
So without any further prologue, let me welcome you to the 'best and worst' for Money in the Bank. I'd like to hear your own list as well, so list away in the comments below.
What do you think is next for The Beast Incarnate?
#1 Best: The Universal Championship match
A lot of times when a match is hyped to the heavens, it invariably disappoints. Case in point, the Styles vs. Nakamura match from WrestleMania last year that was supposed to steal the show. It turned out to be a dud and millions of hearts around the world were broken all at once. But I'm glad to report this wasn't the case at Money in the Bank.
I personally thought that both AJ Styles and Seth Rollins brought their A-Game and had the match of the night for the most prestigious title in the business. It was a pretty spectacular match from start to finish, and there were moments when our hearts skipped a beat.
Seth Rollins came out on top and I'm not really surprised because it was the right decision, quite honestly. This is really his first PPV defense.
I'm guessing there will be more matches between the two men down the line.
#1 Worst: Not building a new star
I guess I get why Brock Lesnar made a return and I get why he became Mr. Money in the Bank as well. However, what I do not understand is WWE's reluctance to build a new star.
They have the most stacked roster that the company has had in its rich and illustrious history. There will come a point when Brock Lesnar retires and wants nothing to do with the company anymore; when WWE will have a massive void to fill.
Instead of grooming new stars and awarding them opportunities, WWE is content to keep giving chance after chance to Lesnar. I loved his interference and also the surprise element, but truth be told, I would have preferred to see someone like Drew McIntyre claim the prize.
I particularly hated the fact that Ali just froze on the ladder when Brock Lesnar's music hit.
#2 Best: The Bayley story
Bayley made history with Sasha Banks when she became the inaugural WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. However, there has been much that has happened since then with Banks causing her to have possibly even have left the company. Bayley needed to branch out on her own as a singles competitor and that's what has happened now.
It's quite clear that Becky Lynch will be on WWE RAW after losing the coveted SmackDown Women's Championship. What this essentially means is that Bayley is now the face of SmackDown Live. And we are, in all likelihood, going to get a Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley feud in the weeks to follow.
I loved everything that WWE did with Bayley at Money in the Bank from the ladder match to the cash-in. She finally feels like a serious competitor again for the first time since she was called up from NXT.
#2 Worst: Lars Sullivan squashes the Lucha House party
The moment the Lucha House Party's music hit, I knew that Lars Sullivan was coming out to squash them. This was a random, unadvertised part of the show and I didn't quite see the point. Everyone knows that Lars Sullivan is a monster and we didn't need it to happen.
I'd rather have cut this segment from the pay-per-view and made the US Title match longer. Lars Sullivan is obviously in hot water over some comments he made in his youth and having him squash three Mexicans wasn't the right way to go about things. I'm sure it was unintentional but you know how the internet latches on to the smallest of things.
I really want to see Lars Sullivan enter into a real program in the days and weeks to come. Until that happens, he is just a sideshow attraction at best.
#3 Best: Charlotte Flair's booking strategy
The strategy with Charlotte Flair is to clearly have her rack up the numbers until she becomes the 16 time Champion. And then, she will be the first person to defeat Ric Flair's long-standing 16-World Championship record.
It is impossible to argue that Charlotte Flair doesn't deserve it because she delivers whenever she steps out to bat. She has the look, the promo skills, and the charisma to be the face and the representative of the company.
The only issue is that every time she is awarded an opportunity there's a chance that the audience may hijack the show. She's called the female Roman Reigns for this reason.
But by having her become the SmackDown Women's Champion only to have Bayley cash in to a resounding pop was a genius move in my opinion, helping Flair improve her record without having the WWE Universe turn on her.
#3 Worst: Bryan and Rowan lose their first match since becoming Champions
This was a very weird contest from the very start. Why would you have your newly crowned Champions take on a tag team from the other brand?
And if that was not enough, it was weird to see Daniel Bryan and Rowan on the pre-show when the Cruiserweights got a main show match. It had seemed at one point that Bryan and Rowan would be feuding with Heavy Machinery.
And the worst part of this whole ordeal has not even been mentioned. Rowan and Bryan would lose this match, which was effectively their first big match since becoming the Champions.
While WWE pretty much wrote the book on how to build characters and keep them strong, they've done such a bad job in recent weeks, it is clear that they have pretty much forgotten their own formula for success.
#4 Best/worst: Roman vs. Elias
Some people on the internet feel cheated that they were deprived of a Roman Reigns vs. Elias match. Others are thrilled at how it played out because they weren't too keen on seeing it anyway. And hence, it has been slotted in this section.
Roman Reigns vs. Elias was always going to be the most unexciting match on the card because there is no storyline and no build as well. Which is why I am glad that the match didn't happen and the crowd didn't boo all over the proceedings. I wonder if this is the end of the feud.
I also loved the guitar shot to Roman Reigns with Elias sneaking up behind him. I just wonder if Elias couldn't have used the match to climb yet another rung.
In any case, I'd just like to conclude by saying Money in the Bank was possibly the best pay-per-view event of the whole year.
