WWE Money In The Bank 2018: Analysing and grading each match

The 2018 WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view took place in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday.

Ten matches were on the stacked show, including the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match (Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Samoa Joe vs. Rusev vs. Kofi Kingston) and the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match (Sasha Banks vs. Natalya vs. Ember Moon vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Lana vs. Naomi vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch).

Elsewhere on the card, Ronda Rousey challenged Nia Jax for the Raw Women’s Championship and Carmella put her SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Asuka, while the night began with The Bludgeon Brothers facing The Club in a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match on the kickoff show.

AJ Styles was also in a featured match, facing Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing encounter for the WWE Championship, and Seth Rollins’ latest Intercontinental Championship defence came against Elias.

In the other non-title matches on the card, Roman Reigns fought Jinder Mahal and Bobby Lashley finally got his hands on Sami Zayn, while Big Cass took on Daniel Bryan for the second PPV in a row.

In this article, let’s break down every match and decide what was good and bad about this year’s MITB event.

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#1 Kickoff show: The Bludgeon Brothers def. The Club (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)

Harper and Rowan have been Tag Team champions since WrestleMania 34

Match: Despite a strong start and a spirited comeback towards the end, The Club were overpowered by the destructive Harper and Rowan and were defeated inside eight minutes. The finish came when Luke Gallows, having spent five minutes recovering on the outside following an early attack, tagged in and was pinned for the 1-2-3 after being hit with a double-team powerbomb.

Verdict: Kickoff show matches have been largely meaningless in the first half of 2018, so it was nice to see a title match take place before the main show in Chicago. This was a decent opening contest, as you’d expect from these two teams, but it never felt like The Club had a serious chance of getting the victory.

Grade: C

#2 Daniel Bryan def. Big Cass

Daniel Bryan also defeated Big Cass at Backlash

Match: Daniel Bryan had one aim for this match: make Big Cass tap. It looked for a while as if he would fail to achieve that goal, with Cass executing some impressive power moves including a Torture Rack Slam and a middle-rope Fallaway Slam, but D-Bry eventually got the job done when he submitted his rival with the Heel Hook following a Running Knee.

Verdict: For the first time since returning in April, Bryan looked back to his very best of four years ago, while Cass produced the greatest performance of his career to date. Considering there was next-to-nothing riding on it, this match was far better than it had any right to be.

Grade: A-

#3 Bobby Lashley def. Sami Zayn

This match lasted just 6 minutes and 35 seconds

Match: Competing in his first televised singles match since his return, Bobby Lashley threw Sami Zayn around the ring with an array of power moves before pinning him with one hand following his third Vertigo Suplex in a matter of minutes.

Verdict: This was a suitably underwhelming end to one of the worst-booked storylines of 2018 so far. From the sister segment to the lengthy promo segments, to the obstacle course, to a squash match on pay-per-view… NOBODY benefited from this storyline or the pay-off match.

Grade: D

#4 Seth Rollins def. Elias (Intercontinental Championship)

Seth Rollins has been IC champion since WrestleMania 34

Match: For the second PPV in a row, the story of Seth Rollins’ Intercontinental Championship match centred around his knee, which buckled after he attempted a high-flying springboard manoeuvre. “The Kingslayer” still prevailed, though, picking up the win over an impressive Elias after grabbing his tights on a pinfall.

Verdict: This match started slow but became very entertaining by the end, prompting the crowd to chant “This is awesome!” following a great sequence which saw Elias get a two-count from a top-rope elbow. Daniel Bryan got the best out of Big Cass earlier in the night and Rollins did exactly the same here with Elias. The surprise finish suggests the rivalry will continue.

Grade: B

#5 Alexa Bliss wins the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match

With no alliances formed, it truly was every woman for herself in Chicago

Match: The majority of the match saw 2-3 women battling it out to climb the ladder while the other five recovered on the outside of the ring. All eight women were involved in crazy spots and it seemed like any one of them could win at various stages. In the end, just when Becky Lynch finally looked set to pick up a big victory, Alexa Bliss pushed her off the ladder and unhooked the briefcase for the win.

Verdict: This match couldn’t have gone much better. It would’ve been somewhat disappointing if Natalya, the early favourite, won the match, so it was good to see Alexa – and her heel persona, which was ready-made for a Money In The Bank victory – claim the briefcase. Sasha Banks, in particular, took some brutal offence in the match. Oh, and how good was Lana?! Let’s hope she gets more opportunities in the future.

Grade: A

#6 Roman Reigns def. Jinder Mahal

This match lasted 15 minutes and 40 seconds

Match: In a match that was hijacked from start to finish by the Chicago fans, Roman Reigns overcame plenty of early offence from Jinder Mahal, plus the ringside threat posed by the ‘injured’ Sunil Singh, to defeat the former WWE champion with his trademark spear.

Verdict: There’s an unwritten 2018 rule that every WWE PPV must include at least one match where fans chant “CM Punk”, “Boring”, “Rusev Day”, “NXT” and whatever else they can think of. Well, this was that match. It’s a shame, in some ways, because the build-up to Reigns vs. Jinder wasn’t too bad, but this crowd reaction was just another example why WWE needs to freshen up “The Big Dog” sooner rather than later.

Grade: D-

#7 Carmella def. Asuka (SmackDown Women’s Championship)

Carmella retained her SmackDown Women's title

Match: Just when Asuka was in control and looked on course to win her first main-roster title, somebody dressed as “The Empress of Tomorrow” appeared on the ring apron. That somebody, seconds later, was revealed to be James Ellsworth, Carmella’s former ally. A distracted Asuka was then kicked in the face by the champ, who picked up the 1-2-3 to retain her title.

Verdict: As a match, this was never going to be one of Asuka’s best in NXT/WWE. As a story, however, this was fantastic. James Ellsworth is back and his return was booked to perfection. The record books will state that Carmella was the first person to pin Asuka in a WWE ring!

Grade: B+

#8 AJ Styles def. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)

At 31 minutes and 15 seconds, this was the show's longest match

Match: Both men looked like they would leave with the WWE Championship at different stages of this Last Man Standing match, especially Shinsuke Nakamura when he landed a Kinshasa on AJ Styles on the announce desk. In the end, Styles failed to win via a Styles Clash from the steps or via a kick to the groin, but he maintained control and retained his title after sending Nakamura through the announce desk with a Phenomenal Forearm.

Verdict: This match had some very good moments, most notably in the closing stages when Styles took control, but the Last Man Standing concept is incredibly tedious and it’s difficult, at least for this writer, to remain fully invested in a match when half of it is spent watching a referee slowly count to 10. Judging by the social media reaction, the majority of fans loved this, but opinions are opinions!

Grade: B

#9 Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey (Raw Women’s Championship); Alexa Bliss def. Nia Jax (Raw Women’s Championship)

Alexa Bliss cashed in her Money In The Bank contract

Match 1: Nia Jax largely dominated her match against Ronda Rousey, hitting the former UFC star with a massive powerbomb and Samoan drop before swinging her against the barricade like a baseball bat. When Ronda came back into the match, she connected with a top-rope crossbody and showed off an impressive judo throw and knee to the face.

Match 2: Out of nowhere, Alexa Bliss attacked both women with her Money In The Bank briefcase, causing a disqualification, and continued to attack Ronda outside the ring. She then cashed in her contract and hit Nia with a DDT and Twisted Bliss to become a three-time Raw Women’s champion.

Verdict: The initial reaction when Alexa interfered was one of disappointment because Nia and Ronda were putting on a great match and everybody wanted a clear winner. However, it’s not very often you see a MITB cash-in, and this one was a genuine surprise that nobody would have expected before the show. In an age of daily rumours and spoilers, WWE deserves credit for not letting news of this get out before the event.

Grade: A-

#10 Braun Strowman wins the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match

Braun Strowman's list of accolades keeps on growing

Match: There was one initial focus for seven of the participants in this match: stop Braun Strowman. Bobby Roode, Finn Balor, Rusev, The Miz, Kofi Kingston and Samoa Joe were relatively safe from “The Monster Among Men” in the early stages, having buried him under ladders on the ramp, but Kevin Owens soon felt the 385-pounder’s wrath and was launched through a table from the top of a giant ladder.

In the closing stages, Kofi, Miz and Balor all looked like possible winners but Strowman was able to outlast individual battles with them all to reach the briefcase first.

Verdict: This was a very good end to a very long PPV night. While it would have been fun to see Miz with the MITB briefcase, Strowman’s triumph means we’re likely to see a “Monster” – not a “Big Dog” – as Universal champion when Brock Lesnar’s reign ends, and that can only be a good thing!

Grade: A