As eluded to in my previous article, the Money in the Bank Pay Per View is a make or break show in my eyes. I have been outspoken against the idea of gimmick pay per views, and while this is a concept that does have potential in this form, it also can fail miserably. Luckily, there are some other stories and matches on the card that could save the show even if the MITB matches have disappointing outcomes.
Last month, I came in at a stout 60 percent success rate despite having the odds stacked against me with two Fatal 4 Way Matches on the card. This month, the odds are even worse, as Fatal 4 Ways are replaced by 8 man Money in the Banks. With that said, the announced matches have jumped from 5 to 7, so perhaps those extra 2 will help keep me above that 50 percent clip. Let's give it a shot.
Unified Tag Titles - The Hart Dynasty(c) vs. The Usos - Over the last two months, the Usos have made life a burden for the last of the Dungeon survivors, claiming their family legacy is greater than the Harts. They will finally get their chance to prove it with gold on the line. I expect Tamina to play a role, with Natalya playing her equalizer, as those two have actually showed me more than the 4 men lately, but it won't be enough for the green Usos to overcome the champs yet. Expect the Harts to retain, though the Usos will do better than you might think.
Women's Championship - Layla(c) vs. Kelly Kelly - Ever since the injury to Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly has been the primary target for Laycool. Dubbing her "Smelly Kelly", she has dealt with ridicule on a weekly basis, Even with Tiffany on her side, Kelly faces difficult odds as she takes on Layla with Michelle McCool on her side. While the fans seem to have gotten behind Kelly, I can't see her winning here. The big payoff would be for Beth to come back off her injury and beat Layla and Laycool for the titles. This will only work if Laycool is built up as unstoppable, so Laycool and Layla in particular needs to win here and I believe that is exactly what will happen.
Divas Championship - Alicia Fox(c) vs. Eve - Eve gets her rematch after she surprisingly lost her belt to Alicia Fox at Fatal 4 Way. Fox has shown a lot over the last month, but Eve is arguably the most improved Diva on either show. With the impending return of Melina, who may or may not return to the Divas division (she may be involved in the Dibiase/Morrison storyline), it would make sense for the heel to retain. Even if she stays away for a while, I still can't justify an Eve win here. Alicia will retain, if for no other reason than to not look pathetic as a champion. If she fails, there are no other heel divas to take that spot. As much as I like Eve, she can't win here.
Smackdown Money in the Bank - Christian vs. Matt Hardy vs. Kane vs. Big Show vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. "Dashing" Cody Rhodes - The epitome of what this match should be........provided Big Show doesn't win. This is a collection of exciting, young superstars vying to get their big opportunity by obtaining that briefcase. All have made their case as to why they will win, but ultimately, only one man can. My pick came down to Christian and Cody Rhodes, as both have looked very impressive in the previous weeks, but I'm going to go Christian here. As much as I want Captain Charisma's first title to come at Wrestlemania over Edge, this may be the night for him. He's the safer pick, as he is experienced but never has quite made that main event. This could be his time.
Raw Money in the Bank - Randy Orton vs. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Mark Henry vs. The Miz vs. Ted Dibiase vs. John Morrison vs. Evan Bourne - This match is tougher because there are so many ways it can go wrong. Giving the briefcase to Orton, Edge, or Jericho would be a HUGE mistake in my opinion, as those men don't need the case to get a title shot. That leaves the last 5, and out of those 5, Miz and Bourne seem closest to main event status. Since Bourne is undersized and just started getting the push a month ago, I'm going to go with The Miz. Nobody is hotter than this guy, and with the recent addition of ruthlessness to his repertoire, he seemingly has all the pieces there to be a main eventer. It's about time to pull the trigger on him, and I believe he could hold the briefcase and draw interest to it in a way not seen since Edge. If the WWE is Willy Wonka, this is Miz's golden ticket. I expect him to take the bull by the horns, run with it and never look back.
World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio(c) vs. Jack Swagger - This match is happening? Could have fooled me. The focus on Smackdown has been the witch hunt for Undertaker's attacker, and Mr. Swagger has been Kane's latest focus. Somewhere mixed in is the fact that Swagger will have to take on the diminutive Mysterio while constantly looking over his shoulder for Kane. That distraction will prove costly, and I believe that fear in Swagger will cost him the match. Perhaps Kane will cause it himself, but the lack of focus will certainly do him in. Expect Mysterio to retain here.
WWE Championship - Sheamus(c) vs. John Cena in a Steel Cage - While I still don't know how a cage with an open top with keep out Nexus, that is the idea they are pushing with this match I actually expect Nexus to have some impact on this show, but I'm not sure it's in this match. I actually think they are more likely to interfere in the Money in the Bank match With that said, this is the toughest singles match on the card for me to predict On one hand, Sheamus just won the belt and is trying to find legitimacy. On the other hand, Cena/Barrett at Summerslam would be big business since Nexus is the hottest thing right now I'm thinking Cena could fight Barrett WITHOUT the title and still have it mean something, so I'm going with Sheamus here. Should be a fun match, but Sheamus will stand tall at the end of the night.
In a couple of hours, we will find out just how much I have in common with Nostradamus. This show has had a great build. I know I'll be watching and you should too. Look for my review after the show if you aren't able to see it.
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