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WWE Money in the Bank 2021 was a solid pay-per-view laced with memorable title defenses, career-changing moments, and epic returns. Big E and Nikki A.S.H. won the Men’s and Women’s MITB Ladder matches, respectively.
As predicted before the pay-per-view, two out of five championship bouts saw the title change hands. The hundred percent accuracy in pay-per-view predictions is rare but works wonders in earning bragging rights. Too corny to say "Ackowledge Me"?
John Cena’s return sent the WWE Universe into a frenzy. His arrival after an entertaining main event set up a highly anticipated rivalry with Roman Reigns. Overall, the creative team made very few controversial decisions at the pay-per-view.
Here, we look at the hits and flops of WWE Money in the Bank 2021. So, without further ado, let's begin.
#5 Hit on Money in the Bank: Big E wins the MITB contract
The Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match witnessed eight talented superstars engage in an epic battle for a life-changing opportunity. Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Riddle, Ricochet, John Morrison, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew McIntyre worked hard to deliver their best inside the ring. However, Big E managed to overcome them all and got his hands on the coveted briefcase.
The New Day member was brilliant in his attacks right from the start. He took an equal amount of punishment and made all his opponents look great during the Money in the Bank Ladder match.
Big E crafted several jaw-dropping maneuvers, skilfully using the ladder and his physical strength to keep things in his favor. He came close to winning the briefcase on a couple of occasions but couldn’t stay there for long.
At one point, Riddle delivered an RKO and took Big E out of the equation. By the time the latter could return to the ring, Seth Rollins had cleared out the squared circle and was already at the top of the ladder.
Big E quickly made his way to the top and delivered a Big Ending from the top of the ladder, savagely ending Rollins’ efforts. Following that, he climbed the ladder again and unhooked the Money in the Bank briefcase to deafening applause from the WWE Universe.
Last week, Big E subtly warned Paul Heyman about his intentions regarding Roman Reigns and his Universal Championship. Fans have been rooting for a feud between the two superstars since the New Day member started his singles run on WWE SmackDown.
Now that he has won the Money in the Bank contract, Big E can surely set his sights on The Tribal Chief. It can be argued that he is the best MITB winner since Dean Ambrose in 2016, and hopefully, the creative team will book him to his full potential.
It wouldn’t be fair to talk about the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match without highlighting some of the other jaw-dropping performances. Kevin Owens was the star of the show with his unparalleled resilience. He delivered epic Stunners before Rollins put him through a ladder.
Seth Rollins also formed a brief alliance with John Morrison as the duo took out all the other babyfaces in the match. It was beautiful to see the crowd cheer for Morrison early on in the match.
Riddle’s RKO’s also fetched a loud pop from the audience while Ricochet’s breath-taking flying skills ad the crowd to its feet. Nakamura was stunning with his sneaky offenses throughout the Money in the Bank match.
Drew McIntyre was also dominant until Jinder Mahal laid out a brutal attack and took The Scottish Warrior out of the equation. No wonder the crowd kept switching between countless encouraging chants throughout this Money in the Bank Ladder match that was flawless throughout its duration.
#4 Hit on Money in the Bank: Roman Reigns defends his Universal Championship, John Cena returns
The main event of Money in the Bank 2021 was nothing short of epic. Roman Reigns successfully defended his Universal Championship against Edge after their brutal feud that ruled SmackDown over the last few weeks. Both superstars took turns controlling the match and unleashed new levels of brutality inside the ring.
Reigns came prepared to withstand Edge’s mind games, but The Rated-R Superstar stuck to physically tormenting the champion. His spears drove Reigns through the barricade multiple times, leaving The Tribal Chief exasperated on the floor. At this point, The Usos walked out to help Reigns during the title defense at Money in the Bank, but they were stopped mid-way by Rey and Dominik Mysterio.
Earlier, Jey and Jimmy Uso also challenged Rey and Dominik Mysterio for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships at Money in the Bank. Their entertaining in-ring bout ended with The Usos winning the tag team title for the seventh time in WWE.
The match official was knocked out during the main event, which allowed Reigns to use a chair’s parts to brutalize Edge. The latter soon turned things around with good counters and came close to pinning the champion. However, Reigns found an escape and hit a spear to seal his victory at Money in the Bank. The Usos' title win earlier in the night meant that The Bloodline now has all the gold.
Roman Reigns wanted the fans to acknowledge his dominance, but his celebratory speech was cut short by John Cena’s epic return. The WWE legend walked out to a thunderous pop from the crowd that would remind you of the late 2000s.
We didn’t see any conversation between Reigns and Cena at Money in the Bank, but both superstars are now expected to kickstart a title feud for SummerSlam.
#2 Flop on Money in the Bank: Finish to Women’s MITB match
The Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match was quite good except for its finish. Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Nikki A.S.H., Naomi, Natalya, Tamina, Zelina Vega, and Liv Morgan delivered a handful of memorable spots during the match. Each superstar was relentlessly fighting to get closer to the MITB briefcase, but Nikki A.S.H. eventually took home the prize.
She was brilliant right from the start, as all her offenses seemed well-calculated. Nikki was effective in riling up the crowd behind her. Apart from her, fans were also cheering for Asuka, Bliss, and Morgan. At one point, all the superstars except Nikki stacked multiple ladders on top of Alexa Bliss to take her out of the Money in the Bank match.
Soon after that, six women used three ladders to get near the guaranteed title opportunity. They were involved in a brawl when Nikki snuck up from behind and unhooked the Money in the Bank briefcase. It was undoubtedly an excellent decision to have her win the contract, but there is no denying that the end was quite overwhelming.
We now hope to see her enjoy a good run with the Money in the Bank contract. Nikki A.S.H. is a talented superstar with the ring kind of interest surrounding her current gimmick. Fortunately, tonight’s event will push a deserving superstar into the title picture.
#3 Hit on Money in the Bank: Charlotte Flair stuns fans with a historic title win
The WWE RAW Championship at Money in the Bank was as dramatic as it was entertaining. Rhea Ripley put her WWE RAW Women’s Championship on the line against Charlotte Flair for the third time. The match started with the crowd screaming “We want Becky!” in unison. The initial boos directed towards The Queen were met with her flipping off the crowd.
Soon after that, Flair and Ripley unloaded a series of hard-hitting offenses on each other. The match quickly picked pace, and both superstars refrained from showing any mercy.
It was great to see Ripley counter most of Flair's mind games, ensuring that she doesn’t look weak. The latter was incredible in the match and forced the same crowd to shout “This is Awesome” ten minutes into the title match at Money in the Bank.
Towards the end, Flair started focusing on Ripley’s legs by concentrating all her attacks on her opponents’ knees. The Nightmare kept fighting valiantly until the end, but The Queen eventually managed to hold Ripley in Figure Four leg lock, which she slowly transformed into Figure Eight.
Rhea Ripley had no choice but to tap out after a brilliant effort. Charlotte Flair finally got her hands back on the RAW Women’s Championship and won her 14th title to make history at Money in the Bank.
Flair’s booking is often criticized, understandably, for her continued presence in the title picture, leading to repetitive matches. Tonight was no different, but The Queen deserves credit for changing that opinion, at least momentarily, with her in-ring performance at Money in the Bank.
It is now essential that the creative team makes her title reign look like a legitimate one instead of a mere attempt at extending her championship count. This could be a great opportunity to push new babyfaces on the Red brand.
#2 Hit on WWE Money in the Bank 2021: AJ Styles and Omos’ successful RAW Tag Team Championships defense
At WWE Money in the Bank 2021, AJ Styles and Omos successfully defended their RAW Tag Team Championships against The Viking Raiders. Erik and Ivar had previously won a tag team Battle Royal to become the No. 1 contenders. They put up an excellent fight against the reigning tag team champions, but the night belonged to The Phenomenal One and his protege, Omos.
Styles and Omos kickstarted the title match on a dominant note. They certainly had their moments of struggle against a more experienced tag team. However, Styles and Omos quickly regrouped themselves and relied on excellent counters to keep things in their favor at Money in the Bank.
Interestingly, all four superstars engaged in high-paced action that prompted "This is Awesome" chants from the crowd on more than one occasion during the match.
Styles also took a lot of bumps during the RAW Tag Team Championships match at Money in the Bank. He also encouraged Omos to control the bout, and the latter did well in using his brute strength to keep The Viking Raiders in line. Ultimately, Omos choke-slammed Erik into the mat and pinned him to retain the title at Money in the Bank.
It should be mentioned that The Viking Raiders looked better than ever before. Erik and Ivar's relentless attacks and deceptive agility left viewers in awe at Money in the Bank. We hope to see them get a good push in the tag team division on WWE RAW.
#1 Flop/Hit on Money in the Bank: Kofi Kingston's loss
It was undoubtedly one of the most conflicting moments on Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Bobby Lashley picked up a dominant win over Kofi Kingston in the WWE Championship match that was far from kind to the New Day member. The match did well to establish Lashley as a ruthless champion but at what cost?
Despite looking strong in the weeks leading up to Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Kofi Kingston struggled to land a single offense throughout this match. He took a lot of punishment at the hands of 'The All Mighty' Bobby Lashley that made the WWE Champion look monstrous inside the squared circle.
Following a prolonged beatdown, Lashley forced Kingston to pass out via a devastating Hurt Lock and retained his championship.
Lashley needed to pick up a big win at Money in the Bank that would put him on the same level as his SmackDown counterpart. It only feels unfair when you realize that Kingston was again squashed when competing for the WWE Championship. While no one expected a title change, it might have been better if he had landed at least a couple of blows before submitting to fate.
At the end of the day, things are definitely looking up for Bobby Lashley. Hopefully, he will engage in a good feud with a deserving challenger after Money in the Bank. On the other hand, Kingston will look to pick himself up after the loss and spearhead against other challenges on RAW.
