The biggest winners and losers of Money in the Bank (2020)

Another big moment for Asuka!
Another big moment for Asuka!

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With the audience still gone thanks to the coronavirus shutdown, WWE did a good job yet again last night, creating a Money in the Bank event that was memorable and unique, which took advantage of the opportunities offered by a new setting.

In many ways, Money in the Bank was a reset of WWE's atmosphere, so who got the most and least out of it? Let's take a look at the results of the pay per view.


Winner: Jeff Hardy

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Jeff Hardy came back from an injury to meet the always dependable Cesaro on the Money in the Bank pre-show. This was a solid match, with Jeff Hardy's victory setting him up for a bigger opportunity in the future.

The window is now open to a late career push, perhaps to the Intercontinental Championship, but that's far from a certain outcome. All that we can say is that it's good to see Jeff Hardy back and that the opportunity is now there.


Loser: Bobby Lashley

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Bobby Lashley destroyed R-Truth in about a minute and has an intriguing partnership of sorts with MVP, but that doesn't do much to help his standing in the bigger picture. Bobby Lashley has been lost for a long time now.

First he was part of the poorly-received Rusev and Lana split angle, and now he's just meandering. He was not a significant part of the Money in the Bank card and doesn't look like he's going to get a significant spot in the immediate future.

Ask yourself - where does Bobby Lashley go from here? Do you think that a big SummerSlam angle is waiting for him in the near future? That doesn't seem likely.

He'll squash people week to week, but it doesn't look like he's due for a significant push.

Loser: Bayley

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Probably the lowlight of Money in the Bank, the fact that Bayley was defending her title against Tamina at all suggests just how long in the tooth her time as SmackDown Women's Champion has gotten. With only an interruption of a few days, it's now been just about a year.

Sasha Banks is still lurking by the Champion's side. Everyone is waiting for one of them to turn on the other, but WWE didn't pull the trigger for WrestleMania. Perhaps they're waiting for the shutdown to end and holding out for SummerSlam?

It's understandable why they would want a crowd involved in that angle, but they also have to understand that the restrictions on large events might not be lifted anytime soon. It might not even happen before the end of this year, even as certain parts of the world begin reopening certain businesses.

Can Bayley's reign wait that long and still produce good content? I don't think it can. Either way, until the angle with Sasha Banks happens, Bayley's reign feels like it's just there.

Winner: Asuka

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Most of us probably had Shayna Baszler pegged to win this, so this was a nice surprise. Despite losing the Women's Tag Team titles at WrestleMania, Asuka has come out of the loss with renewed momentum.

Despite taking big hits, she's been surprisingly resilient on the main roster. Now she has another feather in her cap.

Asuka lurking around with the Money in the Bank briefcase is a great way to keep her character fresh and interesting. The question now is - where is Becky Lynch, whose reign has also gotten long in the tooth?


Winner: Otis

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An even bigger surprise was Otis' victory. This one is a more mixed outcome as far as I'm concerned. Is Otis really ready to be inserted into the World Title picture? With people like AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan available, they would seem more reliable choices.

Even if the idea was to push somebody new, Aleister Black seems a far more ready main event talent than Otis does.

But either way, it's Otis' victory, and by far the biggest of his career. Now we need to wait and see what WWE does with him given this new opportunity.

Hopefully, he doesn't wind up like Baron Corbin a few years ago - someone who was pushed far ahead of where they should be on the card. It's up to him and the booking team to prove he's ready for this spot.

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