WWE
Update: check out our review for WWE Money in the Bank 2021 right here.<
WWE is currently in super hype mode when it comes to August’s stadium-sized SummerSlam presentation.
But before we make our way over to the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, there’s one major stop the superstars on Raw and SmackDown have to make first – the Dickies Arena in Texas. And the major PPV event that’s set to emanate from that arena (WITH LIVE FANS, I MIGHT ADD!) is this year’s Money in the Bank. Just like previous year’s installments of the show, two MITB matches will take place to determine the men’s and women’s holders of their respective title shot granting briefcases. Plus we’re going to be treated to a major women’s championship rematch and Kofi Kingson’s latest opportunity for the WWE Championship (took long enough, right?).
Before MITB 2021 comes through, let’s break down the full match card and predict who’ll leave that PPV as triumphant victors.
Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winners: A major match such as this one deserves to be more than just a Kickoff Match, wouldn’t you all say? I think the foursome included here will definitely have a chip on their shoulder for their match placing and go all out to steal the show. Now you know I love Rey and Dominik Mysterio, but I think WWE realizes they have a golden opportunity here. Both The Usos are fully healed and aligned with the “Tribal Chief.” The image of Jey and Jimmy Uso holding up the SmackDown tag straps with Roman Reigns as Universal Champion is a must at this point, which leads me to believe that The Usos will bring that dream scenario to fruition.
AJ Styles and Omos (c) vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) (WWE Raw Tag Team Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winners: I will always be a “Phenomenal Stan.” But I’m not really rockin’ with AJ Styles’ whole tag team championship alliance with the immobile Omos. I’d totally be fine with that duo dropping the straps to Erik and Ivar here, but I get the feeling that the titles are gonna stay right where they are for now. I hate to admit it, but there’s just more money in a bigger team taking the straps off of AJ and Omos. The Viking Raiders are gonna lose here, which leads me to believe that Randy Orton and Riddle will eventually be the ones to take down AJ and his towering bodyguard at some point. SummerSlam, maybe? I could see it!
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE Raw Women’s Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: I was very much looking forward to Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair running it back at Hell in a Cell. But a bad mix of all-too-obvious botches, the sort of booking that made Rhea come off much weaker than her opponent, and a terrible finish hampered it to the point of it being a supreme disappointment. The lame disqualification finish that took place made it pretty obvious that a PPV rematch was in the works. And as evidenced by this rematch being booked here, that premonition ended up being spot on. So now the Raw Women’s Champion is set to meet her literal walking kryptonite in Charlotte once again with the title on the line. I figured some sort of special stipulation would be attached to this rematch, but it’s strangely being booked as a regular meeting. That’s quite puzzling…
Anyways, I think WWE’s going to do the right thing here by giving Rhea her heat back by allowing her to win without any lame shenanigans. Charlotte always has me shaking in my boots because I know how much WWE loves padding her championship win numbers. But I think they have big plans set in place for Rhea at next month’s SummerSlam, which is why I predict a clean and definitive victory for the current queen of Monday Night Raw. Here’s my other big brain prediction – during Rhea’s post-match celebration, a very familiar tune will blare out over the loudspeakers. That music will mark the grand return of “The Man” Becky Lynch, who’ll stand face-to-face with the Raw Women’s Champion and make her intentions clear. This jaw-dropping moment will kickstart this fresh feud for a big match at SummerSlam.
Asuka vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki A.S.H. vs. Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya vs. Tamina (Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a Women’s Championship Match Contract)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: So I look at the field of competitors for this year’s Women’s Money in the Bank match and I’m left underwhelmed. Alexa Bliss and Nikki A.S.H.’s 90s WWF gimmicks put me off, Zelina Vega is better as a manager instead of a wrestler, Liv Morgan will forever be mediocre to me, and Natalya & Tamina have long overstayed their welcome in WWE. The only ladies I genuinely enjoy among this pack of mid are Asuka and Naomi, but they’re the ones who’re most likely going to fail here.
Since I don’t care about this match all too much, I’m just gonna offer a quick prediction as to who’ll win it – Morgan’s going to grab the briefcase since she’s had to fight the hardest to get into the match in the first place (thanks to Sonya Deville always getting in her way). Their beef will continue from that point forward as Morgan fights her hardest to keep the briefcase within her grasp as Deville makes every effort to relinquish her of it.
Ricochet vs. John Morrison vs. Riddle vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Big E vs. Kevin Owens vs. King Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins (Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Championship Match Contract)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: Oh yeah…this one is gonna be pure heat! You got two crazy high flyers in Ricochet and John Morrison who will most likely produce the biggest highlight-reel moments for this match. Drew McIntyre, Big E, and Kevin Owens are the larger-sized competitors that will most certainly throw their weight around. And then you got Riddle, King Nakamura, and Seth Rollins, who are hybrid talents that stick out as dark horse winners. This might be one of the few cases in Money in the Bank history where all the participants in the match all have a legit chance at claiming the briefcase. To say that I’m super excited about this latest Men’s MITB contest would be a severe understatement.
Out of all the match participants listed here, the ones with the highest chances of winning are Riddle, Drew McIntyre, and Big E in my opinion. Riddle’s experiencing quite the hot run on Monday nights and a victory here could catapult him to an even higher level on the card for the foreseeable future. McIntyre could get his hands on the briefcase and switch his focus to Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship since he’s forbidden from going at Bobby Lashley for his WWE Championship. As for Big E, his SmackDown push has clearly stalled. But a win here could quickly ramp him back up and add some much-needed heat to his current singles run. Out of those three dudes, I’m placing my bets on Big E. I get the feeling that WWE recognizes him as the guy they need to rebuild into a top title contender and eventually have him defeat the “Tribal Chief.” I foresee Big E getting his first-ever MITB win and parlaying it into a long run with the case before he finally cashes in on SmackDown’s final boss.
Bobby Lashley (c) (with MVP) vs. Kofi Kingston (with Xavier Woods) (WWE Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: My heart still weeps for Kofi Kingston after he was treated like a nobody on that fateful episode of SmackDown during its FOX debut. After winning the WWE Championship in triumphant fashion back at WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston went on a tear as SmackDown’s strongly booked champion. But as soon as he ran into Brock Lesnar, he ate a single F5 and was immediately sent right back to the tag team scene. And for the longest time now, Kofi’s pretty much been made to look like a guy who doesn’t care nor remember his glorious time as WWE Champion. But all of a sudden, Kofi reverted back to his singles contender role and remembered he’s actually worth a damn when given a proper opportunity.
MVP’s backstage interactions with The New Day have seemingly lit a fire within Kofi and have forced him to step up to his unstoppable accomplice. I never knew I wanted this match until now and I’m happy to see that it’s set to take place in front of a live (and hopefully hot!) crowd. Even though Bobby’s been booked into being his true “dominating” self once again, I envision a situation in which Kofi gets more of a fighting chance against the reigning WWE Champion. Kofi will get thrown around like a bale of hay, no doubt. But Kofi’s return to the main event scene will certainly add a bit of extra fire and resilience to him for this heated encounter. Sadly, Kofi’s strong efforts during this match will be all for naught. He’ll eventually succumb to Lashley in a heartbreaker of a main event loss…
Roman Reigns (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Edge (WWE Universal Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: Welp, I figured this one was gonna come back as a PPV match eventually! After Daniel Bryan got added to the Universal Championship match between these two at WrestleMania 37, I had a feeling that Edge would request the solo match that he was promised beforehand. And after Roman Reigns cleared out two additional contenders in Cesaro and Rey Mysterio, there wasn’t a whole lot of other worthy talents that could step up to the “Tribal Chief.” It only makes sense that Edge receives the honor of stepping up to Reigns once again, especially at a show that’s set to bring fans back into the fold. This is a marquee matchup that I’m sure will deliver in the main event slot for this PPV.
Even though I love Edge, he really doesn’t need to run with any top championship at this late stage in his career. He’s been put in place to deliver all of the dream matches most fans have been dying to see. And right now, the stars have aligned to bring Reigns and Edge back together for their first-ever one-on-one meeting. I say all that to say this – Reigns’ championship reign is definitely going to endure here. Which is a little sad to say because there really isn’t anyone left on the Blue Brand worthy of stepping up to Reigns at the moment. If the rumored rematch between Reigns and Cena takes place at SummerSlam, then who is truly left to step up to him? It’s going to take another WWE Draft to present someone new that can possibly be the man to defeat Reigns, I say. Drew McIntyre, perhaps?
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WWE Money in the Bank 2021: Matches & Predictions