Money in the Bank 2017: What I Really Thought
Smart Booking or Really Really Stupid?
Okay, so we just have to start this blog post off today on a down note. Last nights pay per view was jam packed full of questionable booking but nothing quite angered me like the result of the opening match. A couple of weeks back we learned that a huge history match would be taking place this year as the women of Smackdown LIVE competed in the first ever women's Money in the bank ladder match.We have all been talking about how much of a long time coming this match was and everyone expressed their excitement from the other female competitors in the WWE from Monday night RAW and NXT to the fans from all around the world. The eighteenth of June was supposed to be marked as a history making night where women will once again prove they are more than capable of stepping in that ring and doing everything the male superstars can do. This was the match I was honestly most looking forward to and the touch of unpredictable factor contributed to why everyone was pumped for this match. However, just over twenty minuets into the show we were all sitting there wondering what the actual fuck. So the match itself was pretty decent. You could feel the nervous and the excitement from the women competed but these girls really did do what they could do in the space they had and proved a great point. As predicted, Charlotte and Tamina in particular stood out but you could see just how desperate every women was to win this match and make an impact. I was extremely disappointed with the amount of time they had, I honestly was expecting more. Later in the night we had a tag team match between the Fashion Police and the Ascension and the time they gave to this match could have been given to the women in the opening match. We really could have seen so much more and I'm so disappointed that we didn't get more. We then had the issue that they kept to five women instead of adding another sixth member. Now, this was something we all wanted to see and never anything the WWE actually told us would happen so we don't really have anything to complain about however, the match did throughout feel as though it needed one more face in it and its a shame they never made the effort to add another women even if it was Summer Rae who we know has spent a lot of time backstage at Smackdown LIVE. Now, keeping all that in mind the most disappointing and infuriating moment of this match without a shadow of a doubt came from the ending. Okay, so you guys know that I was backing Carmella in the first place. Have mentioned throughout the past two to three weeks on a number of different occasions that she is the women I believed was most in need of the win and would benefit the most from making history and becoming the first ever Ms Money in the bank, however, how she won was one of the most insulting and disappointing ways I have ever seen. With James Ellsworth climbing the ladder and retraining the briefcase a really odd message was sent out. This match was about women. This was a night for the women of the WWE and female athletes around the world. This was supposed to be yet another night where women proved they could do what men could do in this sport and own it and so as a women myself you can imagine the frustration I felt when a man climbed the ladder to retirve the case for the "defenseless" women. I understand, the booking added some real serious heat to Carmella and James Elsworth and has made them look like two of the biggest heels on the Smackdown LIVE roster but was it really worth it? This could have been pulled off perfectly if they had Daniel Bryan or Shane McMahon come out and restart the match which is honestly what I was sitting there waiting to see happen. Carmella could have still gotten the win proving a point that women can actually do literally exactly what men can do but instead it felt like an insult and we saw a man take away what was supposed to be a real special moment for women's wrestling. Of course nothing take away the fact all these women made history but there is something truly disheartening about the fact that the first ever women's money in the Bank ladder match was won by a man.The Usos Retain at MITB
Following the the disappointing ending to the opening match the crowd in Saint Louis really needed a pick me up. While they remained vocal and full of energy the mood was down and we needed a shift in how things felt. So, who else could bring the mood back up better than the New Day. As the the former tag team champs challenged the Usos for the Smackdown LIVE Tag team championships all eyes where on them and we were relying on a strong ending to this match to turn things around. We didn't get that. Okay, so the match was actually really good; I have already gone on record to say that a feud between the Usos and the New Day is something we can all invest in. They're both such prestigious, over and respected teams and we know from previous matches they are more than capable of delivering a top quality match up. During the show last night these two teams really did take the time to put on a good title bout. The close calls had me on the edge of my seat leaning forward and I loved that not a single one of us really knew which way this match was going to go, it was anyone's game and I was completely hooked and invested in the action just waiting to see who would walk out with the titles. Now, personally, I wasn't too fussed about who got the win last night between these two teams. Their rivalry is bound to go on a little longer probably up to Summer Slam and regardless of the outcome it would have worked with having either team walk away the victor. The ending while controversial was actually okay with me. I liked that the Usos backed away from the competition and got themselves counted out. It made the Usos look a little wimpy while the New Day looked as though they had the match won and gives them an edge and story going forward. My problem was the placing of the match. The ending of the opening contest really did bring the mood down in the arena and we needed a pick me up. While the action in this tag team match was brilliant and I could have seen so much more the ending just left that down mood flying around and didn't do what it needed to do and pick things up. I would have also liked to have seen more from this match. Of course the feud will continue but I guess I was just left wanting more and the placement of the match on the night was just wrong.Smackdown LIVE Welcomes new Arrivals
So we have all been hearing the rumors that Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett where set to make their Smackdown LIVE debut joining the roster where anything could happen. Throughout the past week these rumored had been hotter than ever and with both Maria and Mike spotted in Saint Louis we were all expecting them to make an appearance at the Money in the Bank ladder match and that is exactly what we got. Okay, so there were a lot of people disappointed about the fact that Maria wasn't added to the women's money in the bank ladder match which I also would have loved to have seen but I actually really liked how she and Mike were introduced. The pair came out mid way through the show announcing their arrival to the blue brand and I thought it was done really well. We learned that Mike will be working under the name Mike Kanellis instead of Bennett and the feminist in me went mental when JBL made that little comment about him taking her name but I'm going to keep that little rant in my head. I'm of course really excited about these two coming to the WWE. They are exactly what Smackdown LIVE needed and it's great to see the roster continue to grow and finally make up the numbers. I'm super excited to see how they are used on the roster and how both superstars are booked in their first storyline over the next couple of months. It's going to be a lot of fun writing about them also!Honest Championship Match Opinions
Lets first take a look at the Smackdown LIVE Women's Championship match; so with Lana set to make her singles in ring debut facing off against Naomi for the title this was an interesting match and one I had a lot of mixed opinion on. First of all I have to say that I loved seeing Lana finally in the ring and making an impact. It's been so clear for years how badly she wanted to step in that ring and compete and it made me so happy seeing her do so last night in such an important match. The action was a little sloppy, it's clear that Lana still has a lot of work to do and improvements to make but the longer this match went on the better she looked and more comfortable she appeared. It was great to see the Saint Louis crowd invested in the match reacting to everything they saw, I really did feel as though the crowd were bloody brilliant throughout the show last night and I will always mention when a crowd shows respect to female talent. One of the issues I had with this match was the length. I believe it would have received a better overall reaction if the girls had a longer time to actually compete and prove a point, after the end result of the women's money in the bank ladder match I really wanted Naomi and Lana tear the hose down and impress everyone however we once again saw a disappointing ending that left me a little confused. We saw Carmella come out towards the end of this match teasing a cash in but of course never went ahead with it. What this should have done was work as a distraction for Lana. A rookie mistake of getting distracted and effectively allowing Naomi to pick up the win and retain would have gone down a lot better than what actually happened witch was Naomi just simply picking up the win with Carmella's presence doing next to nothing. Of course they can still work from something here and we could see Lana VS Carmella sometime soon but overall I just wasn't sold and it was the third disappointing match in a row. It's a shame seeing how many booking mistakes were actually made throughout the night.Moving over to the WWE Championship match and I actually was okay with everything that went down and I don't have a lot to really complain about. Yes, it was predicable but I really enjoyed the match and the crowd reaction throughout made it feel even bigger. So a lot of people were not happy to see the match placed where it was, this is a WWE Championship match and should rightfully be the main event especially with the challenger being in his hometown, however, I can see why the money in the bank ladder match was put last considering the match is what the pay per view is centered on in the first place. The previous championship match between these two superstars didn't really do down swimmingly. So, I of course being a big Jinder Mahal fan was delighted to see him walk away with the victory and making history by becoming the 50th WWE Champion but the match itself just wasn't anything great. However, last night Orton and Mahal put on what was actually one of my favourite matches of the night. Trust me when I say I was not expecting this to be as good as it was and I wasn't expecting to be sitting here saying I liked it as much as I actually do. Okay, so this was far from a match of the year quality bout but it had everything I could ask for and so I cannot complain. We had brilliant storytelling throughout, I liked Orton's farther and other WWE legends were sitting at ringside, it set up and obvious finish but I really liked it. We felt the heat Jinder had being in Orton's home town which made his victory feel even better. And what I also really really liked is how much we felt these two superstars really didn't like each other. It was an intense, fun to watch match and the end result was perfect. The Singh brothers attacking Orton's dad of course caused him to be distracted going to ringside and attacking both brothers but of course that led to Jinder finding the perfect moment to hit his not so perfect finisher and get the win to retain the WWE Championship. I like it. Jinder deserves a loner title reign and I'm excited to see what is coming up next for the champ.
And Your 2017 Mr Money in the Bank...
I said it last night, I said it in the intro, and I will say it again, the two thousand and seventeen men money in the bank ladder match will go down as my favourite money in the bank ladder match to date. As predicted this was a brilliant contest. We all knew from looking at the line up that this was going to be something special, we had six of the best wrestlers in the WWE consisting of Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Baron Corbin, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, and Dolph Ziggler. The standard was high and the expectations even higher but these six superstars lived up to them and provided us with a true match of the year contender. Over the next week I am going to be spending a lot of time dissecting this match and going into detail but boy do I have a few points I really must touch on today. First up, lets talk the opening. I absolutely loved seeing Corbin attack Shinsuke Nakamura right at the start. Nakamura's entrance has become so iconic and such a gripping part of any show and when Corbin came out attacking him during his entrance it put the spotlight on the lone wolf. Nakamura was always going to be touch competition and a real contender in this match and Corbin taking him out was a smart move. It gave him instant heat with us all wondering if Nakamura was going to actually compete and if he was going tow when exactly he was going to come back out. Now, what was also great was how much every single superstar stood out. There was so much going on and everyone had at least one spot that had the crowd just going crazy! I did feel as though out of everyone is was Ziggler who faded into the background the most. He had some good spots and close calls but in comparison to what we were seeing from other guys in this match he just wasn't quite there but he did have a place for sure. It is really difficult to decide to pick one man that stood out among them all but I have to say that Zayn and Styles really did grab m attention the most throughout this match. Zayn was running around taking everyone out at one point and there were so many times I was convinced he was gong to be waling away with the win. Mid way through the contest Nakamura did make a return just as Corbin was climbing the ladder. The timing and the way everything was done was just perfect! Nakamura was on fire throughout this match and honestly a major standout. One of the highlight moments of this match was the showdown between Nakamura and Styles. This is what we want. I don't care when it happens I just need it to actually happen! The crowd went crazy for this moment and the entire interaction between these two superstars had everyone on their feet and beyond excited. The work we saw between them was amazing and I enjoyed every single moment. Okay, so as we know, it was really really difficult to pick a winner. Sami Zayn would have been such a brilliant choice and I would have been happy to see him win considering it would have worked perfectly but I was of course backing Baron Corbin and so when he climbed that ladder to retrieve the briefcase I was the happiest person in the world! This is exactly what he needed and as I have mentioned in the past there is no one that would have benefited from this win as much as Corbin.
The pay per view as a whole was a huge disappointment. The booking decisions made were terrible and there was so much that could have been done to make the show stronger. The main event was easily the match of the night and changed how I felt about the show completely. The mens money in the bank ladder match was hands down my new favourite and I cannot wait to see what await the winner Baron Corbin and the other five superstars, there really is a lot to look forward to on Smackdown LIVE. I will of course be live tweeting throughout RAW and Smackdown LIVE this week with Highlights posts for both shows going up.
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