WWE Money In The Bank 2019: Analysing and grading each match

#2 Women's Money In The Bank ladder match

Storyline background: Dana Brooke, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Cross, Bayley, Carmella, Ember Moon and Mandy Rose were selected to compete in the eight-woman Money In The Bank ladder match. Alexa Bliss was originally supposed to be involved but she was replaced by Cross after WWE declared that she had not been medically cleared.

Match summary: After Cross controlled the first few minutes by swinging a ladder into her opponents, Carmella suffered a knee injury and had to be helped to the back. Brooke came agonisingly close to winning at one stage but she was unable to unhook the briefcase. Carmella, still hobbling, then returned and began to climb the ladder after attacking Rose. However, Sonya Deville prevented her from doing so and carried Rose to the top of the ladder. Just when it looked like Rose would win, Bayley shoved her and Deville off the ladder and grabbed the briefcase to get the win.

Verdict: The first few minutes were full of miscommunications and unfortunate botches, notably when Rose fell to the mat despite Cross not even hitting her with a ladder. From then on, this match improved a lot, with Brooke, Cross and Rose all looking like possible winners at various stages. Bayley's victory was a swerve that I didn't see coming. Fair play to WWE!

Grade: B+