WWE Money in the Bank 2017 airs this Sunday, June 18, live on WWE Network. The Smackdown-exclusive event is headlined by two Money in the Bank ladder matches, including the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank match. Also, Jinder Mahal is the defending WWE Champion and Lana is challenging for the Women’s Championship, because we all live in crazy town.
Here’s the complete card as we know it.
WWE Money In The Bank 2017 Card:
1. WWE Championship Match: Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Randy Orton
2. Money in the Bank ladder match: Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
3. Smackdown Women’s Championship Match: Naomi (c) vs. Lana
4. Money in the Bank ladder match: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya vs. Tamina Snuka vs. Carmella
5. Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos (c) vs. The New Day
As always — and “always” is a lot, recently — here’s our complete rundown of the card, featuring analysis and predictions for all five matches. Be sure to be here on Sunday for our open discussion thread, results from the event and any big breakout news.
Here’s what we think’s going down at Money in the Bank:
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos (c) vs. The New Day
What Should Happen: The Usos are my favorite thing about WWE right now, pending a pair of Top Guys returning to form with workable jaws, so the “what should happen” section of this match is just me typing “The Usos should beat the New Day like they stole something” and copy/pasting it onto the page 600 times.
What Will Happen: New Day set it up so that being Tag Team Champions is part of their catchphrase, so all signs — including the one where Breezango failed to defeat the Usos for the Championship despite being the most entertaining thing on the show — point to New Day winning and staying champs forever. It’s kind of their thing. Plus, it would make sense for the Usos to steal a victory here and do the title switch at SummerSlam, which is way more important and right around the corner. So yeah, picking a New Day win here, because even the good show can make bad decisions.
Staff Predictions
Bill Hanstock – It’s not paranoia, it’s the Usos using their Day One H to retain their titles in this first go-round. It’s not going to be THAT easy for the New Day to waltz in and become new champs. … Is … is it?
Scott Heisel – The next Smackdown-branded PPV is five weeks away. I think that’s close enough for the Usos to retain here then trade more barbs (and singles matches) with the New Day for another month, building up to a title change at Battleground so the New Day can enter SummerSlam as champs.
Chris Trew – I want the Usos to beat The New Day so badly that the colors on The New Day’s gear starts to melt during the match. Reminder: The Usos new intro is the best.
Danielle Matheson – You know the rules. I can’t pick against the New Day as much as WWE seems hellbent on crushing my spirits.
LaToya Ferguson – The Usos. Do I really have to go into a thought process for this one? Pretty soon there will be a tag team uprising in the Uso Penitentiary known as Smackdown Live, but today is not that day. Even if their day one has downgraded from H to G.
Money in the Bank ladder match: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya vs. Tamina Snuka vs. Carmella
What Should Happen: Someone should give Tamina the wrong address to the arena and she should be replaced by Emma, who has been traded away from Raw for no reason and with no explanation. Outside of that, I’d like to see Carmella win, and for James Ellsworth to steal her briefcase at some point and try to cash it in for a shot against John Cena or whoever.
What Will Happen: I honestly can’t imagine a woman winning the first Money in the Bank and holding the briefcase for an extended period of time, especially if they’re doing that with the men, so one of these matches is going to feature a same-night cash-in. The Naomi/Lana match is brilliantly set up for Lana to get an underhanded, surprise win, and be the most prone-to-a-cash-in champion ever. So I’ll say Charlotte wins Money in the Bank, because she’s the winner of the First Important Everything, and then she shows up to absolutely wreck Lana later in the night and become champion.
Staff Predictions
Bill Hanstock – I honestly think there’s a strong chance Tamina wins this one, because WWE loves “shocking” MITB wins that are obvious in the shocking-nacity. But she just lost a singles match to Naomi on Tuesday, so maybe it’s not her. It could really be anyone, and it’s a bummer there are only seven women in the division and anyone can get a title match any time they want anyway. But let’s say … uh, Carmella?
Scott Heisel – Here’s my wild prediction: The Women’s Championship match will go on before this ladder match, and once Naomi loses, she’ll petition Shane to let her into the ladder match to try and win the briefcase to get back in the hunt, bringing the match to its standard six competitors. Regardless of whether or not that happens, though, Charlotte is winning this thing.
Chris Trew – Okay I can’t wait to see how perfect Charlotte is in this match and if she doesn’t win I riot. I riot in the comfort of my own home, yeah, but I still very much riot.
Danielle Matheson – After the ~extreme~ f*ck-up that was the Raw women’s title match, WWE has a lot to make up for. Making a big deal about giving more opportunities for women doesn’t mean anything if you’re just setting them up to fail, especially when most of these women have already proven they can hold their own in the spotlight. If Lana doesn’t somehow worm her way into the match, then uhhh … Charlotte? I guess?
LaToya Ferguson – In my mind, the image of Natalya — always a Neidhart, never a Hart — walking/running/quoting 90s songs with the MITB briefcase is pretty hilarious. It would also probably be a major bit of redemption for her, especially in a more focused, story-driven version of WWE. But as far as her chances of actually winning go, the only participant in this match I see her have a better shot than is Tamina, who I simply hope confirms that she can in fact climb a ladder. Instead, I’m going with the Princess of Worcester … er … Staten Island, Carmella. (Duh.) Carmella may not be “ready,” but that’s pretty much the beauty of that whole 365 day rule for the briefcase, now isn’t it? Plus, imagine how tacky the customized version of the briefcase will be, especially when it clashes with Ellsworth’s whole look (as he will obviously be holding it for Carmella).
Smackdown Women’s Championship Match: Naomi (c) vs. Lana
What Should Happen: See above. Lana should get a surprise win, best case scenario with some help from both Rusev Udria and Rusev Machka, and Charlotte should take her to Slamtown seconds later. Either that, or Scott’s idea of the women’s title match going on before the ladder match, Naomi losing, Naomi getting into the Money in the Bank match and winning it. It’d honestly be pretty fun to have Naomi lose the title, win the briefcase, cash in the briefcase and win the title all in the same night.
What Will Happen:
Staff Predictions
Bill Hanstock – Naomi wins, c’mon man. The only other option here is Lana winning by DQ or countout or something. But yeah, this will be a good trial by fire to see how Lana has progressed as a wrestler, and a good way to get Naomi on the show.
Scott Heisel – I want to live in a world where Jinder Mahal and Lana are our male and female champions, if only so I can continue to fiddle while Rome burns around me. We deserve this.
Chris Trew – What if when the lights turn out during Naomi’s entrance they just stayed out? What if Lana’s finisher was the new Stone Cold Stunner and we just don’t know it yet? What if Naomi loses the title and I have to Venmo every single one of you who screepcaps this and tweets it to @christrew? Prediction: Naomi ain’t losing and I am undefeated in my Venmo predictions.
LaToya Ferguson – I don’t know who besides myself and Bill Hanstock watched the episode of Total Divas featuring Naomi and Lana’s dance battle — with Jimmy Uso and Natalya, out of all humans with limbs, as their respective seconds — but based on that episode of television alone (okay, and the episode where Renee Young pulled off a “DEEZ NUTS” joke on Lana) and Mr. Belding refusing to pick a clear winner (Naomi), I’m going for Naomi here. Lana can win if she apologizes for her role in that episode of Total Divas, as well as her role in every Total Divas episode she’s been a series regular in. Yes, this is my legitimate thought process for match predictions, because we are literally trying to predict the whims of a man who is nothing but whims, and Lana hasn’t even wrestled on WWE television. Ever.
Money in the Bank ladder match: Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
What Should Happen: First of all, shout-out to WWE for using ‘Bliss’ from Microsoft Windows XP as the background image for these matches. Second of all, shout-out to WWE for creating a world in which Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn all have to desperately compete in a gimmick match and put their careers on the line to get an opportunistic shot at Jinder Mahal. Crazy.
If we’re truly going with what should happen, I want to see Sami Zayn with the Money in the Bank briefcase, and for him to go through a Daniel Bryan-esque situation in which he wants to opportunistically cash in, but thinks people will think he’s less of a Good Dude for doing it. And then we can play with the ethics of the briefcase, and do a main-roster version of Sami Zayn “doing the right thing” like he did in NXT versus Neville. Or, you know, selling out and being a butthole about everything like Bayley.
What Will Happen: Baron Corbin. They might as well have arrows covered in flashing lights appear around him during his ring entrance. Not only did Shinsuke Nakamura end Smackdown holding up the Money in the Bank briefcase to ensure his loss, he dumped Corbin off the ladder to do it. And Corbin’s been losing a bunch of matches lately, which is the #1 sign on WWE TV that you’re about to be the world champion. Don’t ask me why. Corbin wins and holds on to the briefcase until, let’s say John Cena wins the title from Jinder on the 4th of July and decides he needs more time off circa the middle of August. Or anyone else in a similar role.
Staff Predictions
Bill Hanstock – I feel like Owens and Styles are going to continue their U.S. title feud after this, and neither of them need that briefcase. Corbin will become a main event player on his own in the next year because of the low amount of top-level heels. So that leaves Nakamura and Zayn, because LOL Dolph Ziggler forever. Heaven needed another healthy body for a multi-person match. I would love to have Zayn win the briefcase and have HIM be the one to take the title from Mahal, for a whoooole bunch of reasons. But I think Nakamura is going to capture the briefcase, be one of those nerds to announce WHEN he’s cashing it in, and become world champ within the next year. Either that, or he’s just going to Kinshasa the bejesus out of some fool and get a world title someday. Either way is fine.
Scott Heisel – Typically, Money In The Bank briefcase winners go to folks who have yet to have a run on top, so that eliminates former world champions Kevin Owens, AJ Styles and Dolph Ziggler. Sami Zayn won the six-man tag on Tuesday, so he’s out, and Nakamura got the final shot of the episode, high atop the ladder, so he’s out too… So I guess that means Baron Corbin’s winning? Ugh. The process of elimination sucks sometimes.
Chris Trew – No, YOU’RE on a GroupMe chat where you lost some money betting that Mojo Rawley would be in the Money in the Bank match this year and YOU’RE the one still bummed about it. I think Baron Corbin wins but he would also look the worst carrying the briefcase. KO would look the best because he would probably take the contact out and just keep it in his pocket.
Danielle Matheson – AJ Styles picks up the briefcase and the win while Owens tries to murder Sami with ladders (as per tradition), Ziggler flops harder than Ghost in the Shell, and Baron Corbin bats at the briefcase like a kitten because he thinks he’s tall enough to reach it. Lord knows how Nak will fare in a WWE ladder match, but maybe he’ll just straight kick the shit out of Ziggler and we can all go home happy.
LaToya Ferguson – I know people are now leaning toward Baron Corbin winning the MITB ladder match because of his recent loss of momentum and, you know, matches, but I’m actually going with the (admittedly optimistic) choice of the character who fits the other facet of that Daniel Bryan Argument and say Sami Zayn. Because he’s such a nerd, right? Coming up with a strategy to win matches? Who does that? Nerds, like I just said. Where’s The Club to stuff Sami in a locker? Besides, how much can Corbin’s losses factor into the “constant losses = MITB winner” concept if he spends most of the aftermath of said losses murking his opponent any way? Shane McMahon is so bad at his job as an authority figure that he’ll eventually give Baron Corbin a title shot for throwing a baby off the TitanTron, so it’s not like Corbin even needs the briefcase.
WWE Championship Match: Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Randy Orton
What Should Happen: Jinder Mahal should have the match won 20 times, but stop each time to make the ring look like one of the scariest insects of India before losing to an RKO. I’m kidding. They should fight in a haunted house!
Seriously though, Randy Orton winning back the WWE Championship here would be a move somehow dumber than even the WrestleMania title match, the House of Horrors AND pre-Crisis Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Championship. You made a pretty great bed out of Jinder, and now you gotta lie in it for a while. Don’t abandon the brave thing you did for the safety of your most popular mayonnaise sandwich on white bread.
Also, the Singh Brothers should make an open challenge before the match and get Steiner Brother’d to death by the returning American Alpha, who are definitely not dead in a ditch somewhere.
What Will Happen: I don’t care if the rest of the pay-per-view is devoted to overly-sexual pizza commercials and the most bonkers booking decisions in the world, just don’t give goddamn Randy Orton the WWE Championship again. Bring David Arquette in and give him the WWE Championship in 2017 with not even a movie to promote before you give it to Orton again.
Staff Predictions
Bill Hanstock – So, this makes me way more happy than I would have thought it would a month ago, but it’s pretty obvious that Mahal not only WILL retain, but it’s the only option here. Mahal’s run has been way, way better than I think anyone ever would have imagined, and Orton isn’t gonna get one rung closer to Cena/Flair at this point. Plus, gotta keep that belt warm for Big Patriot John. I have no idea what Orton does after this, but I hope it’s something far, far away from the world title.
Scott Heisel – Let me start by saying the air Randy Orton caught on his RKO this week on Smackdown was hella impressive. If he tries that hard this Sunday, we might actually have a match worth caring about. I still don’t want either of these guys to be champion, so I don’t really care who wins (though I’m picking Jinder); I also predict this will go on before the Money In The Bank ladder match to avoid any cash-in speculation.
Chris Trew – Jinder Mahal for champion until Wrestlemania New Orleans because I have some undercover contacts at the Audubon Zoo who are on deck to tell me if their elephants are being rented out in April 2018, and by gawd I hope they are.
Danielle Matheson – I’ve learned a lot about myself so far this summer. I’ve learned I can push myself after four concussions instead of wallowing in PTSD and anxiety, that ornamental grasses in gardens are stupid and pointless and should be abolished, and that my levels of not caring about Randy Orton and what he does are at an all-time high. I say Jinder, unless, once again, GHOST TRACTOR is an option. Like the New Day, I will always pick GHOST TRACTOR.
LaToya Ferguson – Well, this title match is in Randy Orton’s hometown, with Randy Orton’s father at ringside … While Jinder Mahal hasn’t proclaimed he’s going to seduce Randy’s father and become his step-parent (which I’m still 100% sure is what Alexa Bliss was doing to Bayley in their feud and still might do if Vince gets some sudden burst of Ruthless Aggression nostalgia) — yet — those two points make quite the proper recipe for Randy Orton losing this championship rematch. You know, little WWE things. There’s plenty of reason for the “But he’s Randy Orton! Rules don’t apply! Even if it means all of this was for nothing!” argument to WWE thought processing here (especially after WrestleMania), but unfortunately, I say Jinder Mahal retains. I say “unfortunately,” because “new” or “different” or whatever your defense for Jinder as champion is, nothing about his character work or in-ring performance actually falls in line with that.
That’s what we think will happen at Money in the Bank, but what do you think? Drop down into our comments section below to let us know who will win what and why, and make sure to click those social share buttons to get more than just me and you involved in the conversation.
See you this Sunday!
