WWE Money in the Bank preview: Roman Reigns vs. Elias

Roman Reigns is set to square off against Elias at Money in the Bank to prove that, even though he switched to SmackDown, it’s still the Big Dog’s yard.

A lot of hype surrounded the big acquisition Mr. McMahon would be bringing to SmackDown Live during the Superstar Shake-Up. Speculation on current Superstars, legends and secret newly-signed talent ran wild. So when McMahon announced Elias as “the biggest acquisition in SmackDown history,” heads tilted in confusion.

Elias came to the main roster hot, fizzled, got hot again, turned face, turned back heel and then became the male equivalent to Lacey Evans much-ado-about-nothing weekly routine. Elias’ contribution to Raw and subsequent pay-per-views, was to sit in the middle of the ring, sing a few bars, get interrupted and beat down.

But the Superstar Shake-Up is nothing if not an opportunity for those Superstars growing stale to hit the reset button on their careers. And now with the “Wild Card” option, anything is possible. Hopefully, this is the case for Elias. He seems poised to be put into a role alongside the McMahon family as “their guy.”

Since Reigns returned after successfully beating back leukemia, he’s been eager to get back in the ring and perform. But in his time away his Shield brother Seth Rollins picked up the torch, and the title, to become the top guy on Raw. Switching Reigns to SmackDown gives him a fresh start, as well. And putting him in direct odds with the McMahon family almost assures the fans won’t turn sour on him again anytime soon.

This isn’t the first time Reigns and Elias faced each other. In 2017 during an episode of Raw, the two men clashed over Reigns’ Intercontinental Championship. There’s no title on the line at Money in the Bank but this could be a match that steals the show. WWE has been sleeping on Elias for some time now. He has the size and talent to be one of the top guys in the company going forward.

Maybe McMahon’s boast about Elias being a big acquisition isn’t all that hard to fathom after all. And a win over Reigns, with or without the assistance of the McMahon family, could be the boost his career needs.