2017 Money in the Bank: Results and analysis

The much hyped exclusive Smackdown PPV was a good show overall. Of course it has its ups and downs.

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

The Smackdown women deserve a lot of credit for pulling off a great match in which they don’t have experience. Each one nailed their roles; especially Charlotte and Becky Lynch. Tamina and Natalya weren’t exceptional; but the match required some form of power.

Carmella winning the ladder match was expected, along with James Ellsworth’s involvement; which is fine. The problem lies as to how she won. The historical moment should have been reserved for Carmella making the literal and metaphorical climb to the top.

The Usos vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Big E)

Wow. The Usos and the New Day were on point. They have great chemistry and the fans were enjoying every single moment of it. For the most part, it looked like the Usos were going to retain their titles in typical heel pinfall. That wasn’t the case. Instead, they intentionally got themselves counted out. That was another great match with a buzzkill finish.

Naomi vs. Lana

While Lana did lose the match, she still proved to be a worthy opponent for Naomi. The match was a tad bit sloppy at first. It didn’t take long for Naomi and Lana to create a solid match. The “Ravishing Russian” deserves a lot of credit for doing relatively well. Without a doubt, it’s foreseeable that Lana can have a credible singles run when the time is right.

Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton

Straight forward, this wasn’t an instant classic; but it passes off as a good match. The best part is the fact that Mahal was the better worker. He had the right pace, control, aggression to look like an ideal heel WWE Champion. Of course, there is a major downside. Orton made the Singh Brothers his primary targets. When Orton returned to face Mahal, he didn’t hesitate chopping down the champion. Regards of his best efforts, Mahal proved to be too much.

Breezango vs. The Ascension

There really isn’t anything to be said about this match. It just happened. The crowd wasn’t really invested into the bout. Breezango won in standard tag team fashion. If a shot at the tag team titles is in the near future, WWE has to make sure that this is not how they make it there.

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Here we had the recipe for excitement. There was a right balance of pure power and athleticism. The only issue here was keeping Shinsuke from participating until Corbin nearly won. That was typical WWE booking. Everything pointed to Corbin winning. The match itself wasn’t bad; but it lacked a lot of excitement. The honest truth is that Corbin was the right person to win. It’s hard to buy into Dolph Ziggler as a potential winner, so we knew that the “He’s gonna win…” line clearly means no. AJ Styles is not the type of guy to rely on a cash-in opportunity to become champion. Shinsuke is not at that level to become world champion; with all due respect. Kevin Owens is the type of guy to fight head on for title. So that left Corbin as the only man to win. He’s going to be the next “Ultimate Opportunist”.

Final thoughts

The questionable booking to the first two matches left a sour taste in our mouths for the remainder of the show. The 2nd tag team match didn’t do anything to reinvest the dying crowd. MITB was saved by a relatively great ladder match to close the show.