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At Money In The Bank, we witnessed one of WWE's biggest superstars become "Mr. 'Monster' in the Bank." After immediately being attacked by all of the other superstars participating in the match, Braun Strowman resurrected from beneath a pile of ladders to deal out his revenge. From busting through a ladder to throwing Kevin Owens off of one, Strowman unleashed an unstoppable comeback that no one was able to subdue
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As the clear favourite to win the match, it didn't come as much of a surprise when Strowman ascended up the top of the ladder and pulled down the briefcase. Although a very entertaining match, the end result seemed a bit predictable and disappointing. Here are some reasons why Strowman winning this year's Money in the Bank was the wrong move.
#4 Braun and Brock were already on a collision course for a title match.
It's no secret that Strowman and Lesner's paths were going to cross again. Strowman is insanely over with the crowd and was already well on his way to getting a Universal title shot. With all this momentum built around him, there was no way that two of WWE's largest competitors wouldn't be set to face off in the near future. Strowman winning MITB dissolved any shred of doubt in our minds that they would square off for the title. We are no longer left to speculate, which takes the fun out of it a bit.
"The Beast" and "The Monster" have been built up as two of the most indestructible and unstoppable superstars to ever set foot in the squared circle. It's obvious that they would collide in an "irresistible force meets the immovable object" type of scenario. Lesner has had the Universal title for over 445 days, making him seemingly undefeatable. Although it's a clear prediction that Roman Reigns will be somewhere in the mix of all this, Braun Strowman seems to be the only legitimate challenger to dethrone Lesner as champion. Letting Strowman win the MITB briefcase seemed to be completely unnecessary. The viewers already knew this match was eventually going to happen, so Strowman getting a guaranteed championship opportunity due to winning the briefcase didn't come as a surprise, which is typically an element that keeps the WWE fresh and exciting.
#3 When will Strowman Take an L?
A huge part of the development of a superstar is about gaining momentum, but that doesn't necessarily mean winning every single match that superstar is in. Within the last year or so, Strowman has won The Greatest Royal Rumble, beat The Bar for the Raw Tag Titles with a 10-year-old kid as his partner, flipped over an ambulance and has been destroying everything, and everyone, in his path. Winning the MITB just seemed like overkill to his already huge momentum.
He hasn't lost a match since the Elimination Chamber match, where he personally eliminated every competitor from the match besides Roman Reigns. The only other loss in recent memory was at the 2018 Royal Rumble against Lesnar and Kane, in which he was never pinned or submitted. In an eight-man ladder match where the goal is to climb and grab a briefcase, Strowman once again wouldn't have had to necessarily lose the match. This loss wouldn't have affected his momentum in the slightest. If he can't lose in a match like this, then how will he ever lose a one-on-one match against anyone on the roster besides Reigns or Lesnar?
#2 The Briefcase could've been used to keep another superstar relevant
Since Braun Strowman was unquestionably on his way to a Universal title shot, the MITB match could've proved useful to keep another superstar in the picture. One scenario that could've played out was Finn Balor winning the briefcase.
Being that he never lost the Universal Title, winning the MITB match could've given Balor his shot at reclaiming something that was never truly lost. Balor hasn't gotten as big of a push that we've seen in years past and the briefcase could've been the perfect angle to keep him in the race. Samoa Joe could've been a valuable option as well since he has yet to get his big break into WWE title contention.
Rusev would've also been another great choice. He's more over with the fans than he ever has been before and has yet to receive a title world title shot in his career. Rusev recently won a gauntlet match on Smackdown after MITB, earning his first #1 contender spot for the WWE Championship. It's highly unlikely and less believable that Rusev will defeat AJ Styles through this angle. If he had won the briefcase, however, it would convince the WWE universe that Rusev has a good chance at winning his first world title.
#1 No Element of Suprise
One great thing about the MITB briefcase is the element of surprise. You never truly know who's going to win and when they are gonna cash in their chance to win a championship. For instance, Alexa Bliss was this year's women's MITB winner. She successfully cashed in the briefcase only hours after winning it. This was both shocking and highly entertaining. It was a great way for the WWE to keep Bliss on the radar while they build up the hype around Ronda Rousey.
For Strowman, this doesn't seem to be the case. He's already insanely over and was booked as the clear favourite to win the MITB match. Typically, the WWE likes to build hype around a particular superstar to win and then throw us all for a loop by having a different superstar take home the briefcase. Since he's one of Raw's most popular babyfaces and the largest man on the roster, he will more than likely use the briefcase to formally challenge Lesnar instead of using an opportunistic approach to give himself the upper-hand.
He doesn't need to catch Lesnar off guard in order to defeat him in the ring and make it believable, which is something we've become accustomed to when a superstar become Mr. or Ms Money in the Bank. Giving Strowman the briefcase not only made the match too predictable but it also ruined another superstar's chance to fight for the championship. Strowman was clearly on his way to a title fight anyway. Since Bliss cashed her briefcase in already, we are left with no other surprising cash-ins until the next MITB PPV.
Do you agree that the briefcase should've been given to another superstar? Do you think Strowman winning it was a perfect choice? Only time will tell if Braun Strowman's "Monster in the Bank" run is the right move.
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