Post by All Drop In on Jul 1, 2023 12:18:48 GMT -6
Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos
Expect a lot of shenanigans in this match. The Usos are arguably the greatest tag team in WWE history and should have a leg-up over singles superstars Sokoa and Reigns. The problem is that Reigns and Sikoa are coming off a rare loss to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at Night of Champions. Reigns is also heavily protected by the company, I can't see him falling short in consecutive pay-per-views even if he's not taking the fall. Stories like this are built on the chase. It's too soon into The Bloodline breakup for The Usos to beat Reigns. Pick: Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa win -- Shakiel Mahjouri (also Brent Brookhouse)
Men's Money in the Bank ladder match -- Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Damian Priest vs. Logan Paul
Looking at any Money in the Bank match to identify a winner first involves a process of elimination. Who would WWE not have carrying around one of the biggest storyline tools in the company? Ricochet, Nakamura, Escobar and Butch are all out on those grounds. They are there to provide texture to the match, not to win the match and spend weeks or months teasing cashing in for a world title. That leaves Knight, Priest and Paul. Priest only makes sense in terms of the Judgment Day story and seems an unlikely choice to win. Paul is not a regular staple on television, which doesn't set him up as a good choice to hold the briefcase, plus he has only had a small handful of matches, one of which was already for a world title. That leaves Knight, a fountain of charisma and someone in whom WWE higher-ups seem to have a lot of faith. Knight has to be the favorite here if for no other reason than being the only valid option to hold the briefcase. Pick: LA Knight wins -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Women's Money in the Bank ladder match -- Zelina Vega vs. Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark vs. Bayley vs. Iyo Sky vs. Trish Stratus
The women's side of things is far more difficult to figure out than the men's. There are multiple valid winners in this match. In fact, everyone in the match would be a fine winner and an intriguing option to challenge for a world title. Iyo Sky is the favorite heading into the match because the storyline playing out with Bayley's controlling nature and jealousy would make things interesting. Only one woman has held the contract for more than two days before cashing in, so the more interesting question will be: can the briefcase be used for long-term storytelling on the women's side for once? I'd like to think yes, and it makes the most sense to do so with Sky. Pick: Iyo Sky wins -- Brookhouse
This year's Money in the Bank feels like a rare event where many outcomes are in question. I can see a lot of interesting ways the women's ladder match shakes out. Sky is the fan-favorite pick, but increasing tension with teammate Bayley could spill over on Saturday. Bayley stealing the briefcase from Sky could be an interesting angle. Lynch is typically a safe bet in these scenarios. Starks could win with her egotistical mentor Stratus moonlighting as contract holder. Ultimately, I'm siding with the underdog. Vega shined in her women's title match against Rhea Ripley, has been reliable in the ring and on the microphone and has crossover appeal. A Vega also brings much-needed legitimacy to the LWO stable. WWE is pining for a new Latin star and she appears to have been under the company's nose all along. Pick: Zelina Vega wins -- Mahjouri
World Heavyweight Championship -- Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor
It's too soon to take the world heavyweight championship off Rollins. The newly-minted world title was Rollins reward for being a workhorse who put over just about every other major superstar for the past few years. Rollins' work ethic has also translated to countless media appearances in the lead-up to the PPV. WWE has done good work to build Balor into a believable threat and The Judgement Day are stronger than ever. There is an interesting story to tell with Damian Priest as the briefcase holder and an increasingly paranoid Balor as champion, but WWE can tell that tale after Rollins establishes himself as champion. Pick: Seth Rollins retains the title -- Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio
Mysterio has been handled masterfully, leading to him being a truly top-tier heel in terms of generating heat. It is starting to feel a little inorganic at this point, with the boos being more of a "crowd doing a bit" situation than genuine reactions but it's still been fun and has placed Mysterio into a spot where he feels like he matters on the roster. That said, this needs to be a Rhodes win. He went from a surefire choice to end Roman Reigns' run to losing their WrestleMania showdown and falling down the card a bit. While a feud with Brock Lesnar was used to rehab him, Rhodes still won the first match with a quick pin and was demolished ahead of and during the rematch. Losing to Mysterio doesn't keep him strong for the rubber match with Lesnar and another eventual run at a belt. Pick: Cody Rhodes wins -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Intercontinental Championship -- Gunther (c) vs. Matt Riddle
While Riddle is a valid option to end Gunther's lengthy run as intercontinental champion, this simply doesn't feel like the right time. There are plenty of ways to have Gunther get the win without harming Riddle, including underhanded tactics from Imperium. Riddle just doesn't quite feel like he's at the level where he feels like he "needs" a title and WWE is committed to Gunther being a record-setting intercontinental champion. Pick: Gunther retains the title -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Women's Tag Team Championship -- Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
What's strangest about Rousey and Baszler's reign is how long it took to get here. Strapping the tag title around the waists of the real-life friends and UFC veterans made perfect sense after moving Rousey out of the main event title scene. Yet it took Rodriguez and Morgan vacating the belt after the latter suffered an injury for WWE to finally pull the trigger. It's too soon for Rousey and Baszler to lose the belts, plain and simple. Rousey remains one of WWE's biggest crossover stars. Having her lose in London isn't worth the juice. Pick: Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler retain the titles -- Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
Expect a lot of shenanigans in this match. The Usos are arguably the greatest tag team in WWE history and should have a leg-up over singles superstars Sokoa and Reigns. The problem is that Reigns and Sikoa are coming off a rare loss to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at Night of Champions. Reigns is also heavily protected by the company, I can't see him falling short in consecutive pay-per-views even if he's not taking the fall. Stories like this are built on the chase. It's too soon into The Bloodline breakup for The Usos to beat Reigns. Pick: Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa win -- Shakiel Mahjouri (also Brent Brookhouse)
Men's Money in the Bank ladder match -- Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Damian Priest vs. Logan Paul
Looking at any Money in the Bank match to identify a winner first involves a process of elimination. Who would WWE not have carrying around one of the biggest storyline tools in the company? Ricochet, Nakamura, Escobar and Butch are all out on those grounds. They are there to provide texture to the match, not to win the match and spend weeks or months teasing cashing in for a world title. That leaves Knight, Priest and Paul. Priest only makes sense in terms of the Judgment Day story and seems an unlikely choice to win. Paul is not a regular staple on television, which doesn't set him up as a good choice to hold the briefcase, plus he has only had a small handful of matches, one of which was already for a world title. That leaves Knight, a fountain of charisma and someone in whom WWE higher-ups seem to have a lot of faith. Knight has to be the favorite here if for no other reason than being the only valid option to hold the briefcase. Pick: LA Knight wins -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Women's Money in the Bank ladder match -- Zelina Vega vs. Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark vs. Bayley vs. Iyo Sky vs. Trish Stratus
The women's side of things is far more difficult to figure out than the men's. There are multiple valid winners in this match. In fact, everyone in the match would be a fine winner and an intriguing option to challenge for a world title. Iyo Sky is the favorite heading into the match because the storyline playing out with Bayley's controlling nature and jealousy would make things interesting. Only one woman has held the contract for more than two days before cashing in, so the more interesting question will be: can the briefcase be used for long-term storytelling on the women's side for once? I'd like to think yes, and it makes the most sense to do so with Sky. Pick: Iyo Sky wins -- Brookhouse
This year's Money in the Bank feels like a rare event where many outcomes are in question. I can see a lot of interesting ways the women's ladder match shakes out. Sky is the fan-favorite pick, but increasing tension with teammate Bayley could spill over on Saturday. Bayley stealing the briefcase from Sky could be an interesting angle. Lynch is typically a safe bet in these scenarios. Starks could win with her egotistical mentor Stratus moonlighting as contract holder. Ultimately, I'm siding with the underdog. Vega shined in her women's title match against Rhea Ripley, has been reliable in the ring and on the microphone and has crossover appeal. A Vega also brings much-needed legitimacy to the LWO stable. WWE is pining for a new Latin star and she appears to have been under the company's nose all along. Pick: Zelina Vega wins -- Mahjouri
World Heavyweight Championship -- Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor
It's too soon to take the world heavyweight championship off Rollins. The newly-minted world title was Rollins reward for being a workhorse who put over just about every other major superstar for the past few years. Rollins' work ethic has also translated to countless media appearances in the lead-up to the PPV. WWE has done good work to build Balor into a believable threat and The Judgement Day are stronger than ever. There is an interesting story to tell with Damian Priest as the briefcase holder and an increasingly paranoid Balor as champion, but WWE can tell that tale after Rollins establishes himself as champion. Pick: Seth Rollins retains the title -- Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio
Mysterio has been handled masterfully, leading to him being a truly top-tier heel in terms of generating heat. It is starting to feel a little inorganic at this point, with the boos being more of a "crowd doing a bit" situation than genuine reactions but it's still been fun and has placed Mysterio into a spot where he feels like he matters on the roster. That said, this needs to be a Rhodes win. He went from a surefire choice to end Roman Reigns' run to losing their WrestleMania showdown and falling down the card a bit. While a feud with Brock Lesnar was used to rehab him, Rhodes still won the first match with a quick pin and was demolished ahead of and during the rematch. Losing to Mysterio doesn't keep him strong for the rubber match with Lesnar and another eventual run at a belt. Pick: Cody Rhodes wins -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Intercontinental Championship -- Gunther (c) vs. Matt Riddle
While Riddle is a valid option to end Gunther's lengthy run as intercontinental champion, this simply doesn't feel like the right time. There are plenty of ways to have Gunther get the win without harming Riddle, including underhanded tactics from Imperium. Riddle just doesn't quite feel like he's at the level where he feels like he "needs" a title and WWE is committed to Gunther being a record-setting intercontinental champion. Pick: Gunther retains the title -- Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Women's Tag Team Championship -- Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
What's strangest about Rousey and Baszler's reign is how long it took to get here. Strapping the tag title around the waists of the real-life friends and UFC veterans made perfect sense after moving Rousey out of the main event title scene. Yet it took Rodriguez and Morgan vacating the belt after the latter suffered an injury for WWE to finally pull the trigger. It's too soon for Rousey and Baszler to lose the belts, plain and simple. Rousey remains one of WWE's biggest crossover stars. Having her lose in London isn't worth the juice. Pick: Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler retain the titles -- Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
