WWE Money in the Bank 2017 review: What we learned, takeaways, future projections

What we took away, what we learned and what the future holds for the superstars of SmackDown Live following Sunday night’s WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

The 2017 edition of WWE Money in the Bank was held on Sunday night at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis (you know that meant trouble for hometown boy Randy Orton) and six competitors battled for the Money in the Bank briefcase that virtually guarantees the winner a world title reign. United States Champion Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura were the six competitors on the men’s side of things, and in a match that should have taken place a long time ago, a women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match was held for the very first time and kicked off the main card. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Tamina, Carmella and Natalya were the women chosen to make history, even if that history is now tainted with the ridiculous finish.

There were also three title matches on the card. The New Day got their first shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championship by taking on The Usos, Lana got her first shot at a women’s championship by taking on Naomi, and of course, Randy Orton went looking for redemption against WWE Champion Jinder Mahal after losing the title at WWE Backlash. And let’s not forget that amazing surprise match between Breezango and The Ascension. There was plenty to talk about on Sunday night, and as much as I know you want to discuss The Hype Bros taking on The Colons, let’s go ahead and get to the main card, starting with the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

One more thing. Was everyone else as excited as I was to see Maria back in WWE? The gimmick with her and her husband might get a little annoying but her mere presence makes it okay.

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Tamina vs. Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella vs. Becky Lynch

What we learned: We learned here that WWE still knows how to take a good thing and ruin it.

With this being the first women’s ladder match in WWE history, it was difficult to know what to expect but every single one of these women delivered in a big way on Sunday night. Tamina looked very strong in the opening minutes of this match and just continues to improve in the ring each and every week. We know the talents of Charlotte, Becky and Natalya and they were all on display here. Each woman took their turn climbing the ladder, only to get cut off, and each woman took their fair share of punishment from the ladders as well. There was very little down time in the match and the St. Louis crowd was really hot for this one. Even Carmella, who is probably the weakest link in terms of wrestling ability, impressed in this one. This was a very good match that was moving into the great category until the ending completely ruined everything.

James Ellsworth was out with Carmella, and while that whole thing does nothing for me, it’s fine that he was there. However, creative had no business making him part of the finish and they ruined what could and should have been a great moment for the division. All of this talk of revolution and creating the next big moment was tainted when a man was the one to unhook the briefcase. This was atrocious. I understand that the idea is to get Carmella some heel heat but there was a better way to go about this. Have Ellsworth latch onto somebody and keep her from getting in while Carmella climbs the ladder. Anything else besides what actually happened would have worked. Creative should be ashamed of themselves for letting this happen. They took an important moment and turned it into a joke. What a shame.

What’s next: Honestly, I’ve got no problem with Carmella owning the briefcase. I think it works well for her character and the teases will be fun, assuming she gets to hang onto it. As you saw on the broadcast, Daniel Bryan tweeted out that the end of the match will be the first thing addressed on Tuesday night when he returns. Shane McMahon sent out a similar tweet so perhaps we get to see this match all over again with Ellsworth banned from ringside. I highly doubt they’ll take it to that level but I would watch that match again.