Otherwise, the two main championship matches lived up to expectations. Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship defense against Seth Rollins was a solid bout that cemented The Scottish Psychopath’s place on the red brand. The match didn’t feature as much blatant storytelling as Braun Strowman’s bout with Bray Wyatt, but it had layers. Rollins dropped the facade of his “Monday Night Messiah” character and, out of desperation, grabbed a steel chair. He opted not to use it, and the hesitation proved costly. It set up a thrilling final sequence, where McIntyre and Rollins traded blows until a Claymore Kick put Rollins away. After the match, McIntyre shook hands with Rollins, which opens the door for further development with the Monday Night Messiah. Will he be more respectful? Or will he descend even further into the madness of his crusade? McIntyre’s run with the title has been enjoyable so far, and whether this feud continues or he meets a new challenger, the red brand is set up for a bright future.
As someone who’s not a huge fan of Braun Strowman, this writer was impressed by the Monster Among Men on Sunday Night. He showcased some quality acting skills in his match with Bray Wyatt, and that bodes well for both competitors. The next step in this feud will likely be a match between Strowman and The Fiend, which will require the champion to carry his weight in the storytelling aspect. At WWE Money In The Bank, Strowman held his own, which is doubly noteworthy because Wyatt is one of WWE’s best performers. Wyatt showed the incredible subtlety of his own abilities; in this match, Wyatt was more aggressive than he has ever been in this persona. He took the fight to Strowman and enjoyed hurting him. The character is growing before our very eyes; since losing the WWE Universal Championship to Goldberg, the line between Wyatt and his Fiend alter ego is blurring. If WWE leans into that progression, this storyline could be the best it produces this year.
Strowman, on the other hand, played mind games with Wyatt and the audience alike. During the match, he put on the black sheep mask Wyatt has been taunting him with as a reminder of their past alliance. Wyatt fell to his knees, delighted that he’d broken through to Strowman. The champion fell to his knees, and it looked like he was regressing to his status as Wyatt’s lackey. Strowman even hugged Wyatt, and this gullible writer, after initially brushing off the deception, bought in because Strowman sold it brilliantly. The champion revealed that he was tricking Wyatt all along and put him away with a Powerslam. With this performance, Strowman proved that he has the skill set a successful champion needs. When Strowman clashes with The Fiend, our expectations will rightfully be pretty high.
Beyond the main card, the show was solid but unspectacular. Bayley’s uninspiring reign as the WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion with a win over Tamina. Sasha Banks helped Bayley win the match and the real story came before the bout, when Bayley didn’t let Banks speak for herself during an interview. But by not building up the tension between the friends during or after the match, WWE continues to stall as it tries to build what could be a compelling feud. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, this program will launch into a higher gear.
The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship was an enjoyable start to the show. For the first time since coming to the blue brand, The Forgotten Sons looked like they belonged in the ring with two former WWE Champions. The Lucha House Party wowed the crowd (at home) with their high-flying offense while both The New Day and The Miz and John Morrison put on a good match, as always. Hopefully, this match will branch into two more elaborate feuds between these four teams.
This year’s Money In The Bank, like WWE WrestleMania 36, wasn’t guaranteed to happen, given the COVID-19 pandemic. For that reason alone, we can appreciate WWE’s ability to deliver a show in the first place. Wrestling shows without fans in attendance are still odd viewing experiences, but, at times like this, we need escapes from reality however we can get them. This event did what it set out to do by offering fans two wild Money in The Bank matches and, beyond that, some solid story progression throughout the card.
