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What's the story?
Backlash is in the past and the next WWE pay-per-view event is Money in the Bank, next month. The question remains, which men and women will be competing for the coveted briefcase?
In the RAW preview posted on the official WWE website, qualifying matches were teased for both men and women. This is shortly after The Miz confirmed that he would be in a qualifying match on SmackDown Live.
In case you didn't know...
Money in the Bank has become an annual WWE institution, where the men (and now, women) compete for a briefcase in a ladder match. Inside the briefcase is a contract that they can cash in at any time to become the champion.
Last year, Baron Corbin won the men's Money in the Bank match but could not cash in his contract. On the other hand, Carmella became the first ever Miss Money in the Bank and went on to cash her contract to win the title she now proudly holds.
The heart of the matter
While WWE never confirmed it, they did tease qualification matches on RAW:
Speaking of the future, with WWE Backlash in the books, the focus shifts to the WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view on June 17, an event where select male and female Superstars will have an opportunity to capture a world title contract to be cashed in any time they wish in the coming year.
The Miz has already announced he will be in a Qualifying Match Tuesday night on Smackdown LIVE. Will tonight’s Raw see the first Superstars qualify for the Men’s and Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Matches?
Because it was up on the official website, this is almost a surefire way of saying that there will be qualifying matches on RAW, in a few hours. I still have no clue which men and women will compete in the matches, at this point.
What's next?
Stay tuned for live coverage of RAW as well as several post-show analysis articles. I wonder what the fallout of Backlash will be. Will WWE deliver a winner of an episode on Monday night?
Author's take
I like the idea of qualifying matches. Often on RAW, the matches have no stakes and feel meaningless.
I really do hope that someone like Finn Balor finally gets his moment at Money in the Bank.
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