The 2019 edition of WWE Money in the Bank featured men’s and women’s ladder matches and Becky Lynch defending both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships. Here are the quick-and-dirty results.
WWE Money in the Bank hailed from Hartford, Connecticut this year and featured numerous championship bouts, including Becky Lynch defending both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships in separate bouts. Eight men and eight women — four each from Raw and SmackDown Live — also took part in two Money in the Bank ladder matches for opportunities at the championships of the winners’ choices.
Here are the results of Sunday’s Money in the Bank event, which streamed live on the WWE Network.
Daniel Bryan and Rowan (c) vs. The Usos (Kickoff Show)
The Usos refer to Daniel Bryan and Rowan as “Spongebob and Patrick” in a pre-match promo. The Usos work in tandem and pin Bryan in what was initially reported as a match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship but apparently was not. It does, however, add another wrinkle to the whole “Wild Card” stipulation, as The Usos are technically Raw Superstars.
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Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Naomi vs. Carmella vs. Natalya vs. Ember Moon vs. Mandy Rose vs. Dana Brooke vs. Nikki Cross vs. Bayley
Naomi debuted a new look for the match. Carmella appeared to suffer a knee injury early in the match and was helped to the back. Dana Brooke had numerous close-calls to grab the briefcase and contract, until being pursued by Bayley, Nikki Cross and Naomi. Natalya dumped all four off the ladder. Ember Moon took Naomi out with a truly sick Eclipse from a ladder outside of the ring.
Carmella ultimately returned to the match — confirming the earlier “injury” was simply a work. Sonya Deville, who accompanied Mandy Rose to the ring, took Carmella out, set up a ladder for Rose, and carried Rose up said ladder only to be met by Bayley. Bayley is your Ms. Money in the Bank 2019. Will she cash in tonight? And if so, against who?
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
WWE United States Championship Match
Rey Mysterio managed a quick win over Samoa Joe to win his first-ever WWE United States Championship. Mysterio countered a Joe powerbomb attempt with a hurricanrana, and the referee made the three-count despite Joe’s left shoulder not being down.
This sent Joe into a post-match rage, attacking Mysterio in front of Mysterio’s son Dominic(k). Why these two cannot have a long match on pay-per-view is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear the feud between the two (and the implication of Dominic(k)’s eventual involvement) has not yet come to an end.
Meanwhile, Braun Strowman arrived, violently searching for Sami Zayn despite Triple H assuring Zayn earlier in the night that Strowman had been banned from the arena.
The Miz vs. Shane McMahon
Steel Cage Match
“The Best in the World” Shane McMahon and The Miz continued their long-running feud in a steel cage, with The Miz fighting for the honor of his father, George, and McMahon presumably still on a 20-plus year quest for his father, Vince McMahon’s, approval. There are a lot of implicit and explicit daddy issues at play between the two men.
It couldn’t be a match with McMahon without one insane spot by the older man, and it seemed like it would come by way of a superplex by Miz on McMahon from the top of the cage. Instead, though, McMahon slipped out of his shirt and fell to the floor, outside of the cage, thus winning the match.
Post-match, it’s announced that Mick Foley will arrive on Monday Night Raw this week to introduce a new championship.
Sami Zayn was also found strung up somewhere in the back, presumably put there by Braun Strowman.
Tony Nese (c) vs. Ariya Daivari
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Ariya Daivari came to the ringside ramp in a sports car, attempting to intimidate the champion. It was to no avail, however, with Tony Nese retaining the Cruiserweight Title via Running Nese. Most notably, though, is that the cruiserweights finally got time on a pay-per-view main card and not the Kickoff Show.
After the match, Triple H confronts Strowman on his apparent attack on Zayn. Strowman feigns ignorance. Meanwhile, it’s announced that Zayn has been taken to “a local medical facility” and won’t be part of the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. We’ll see.
Becky Lynch (c-c) vs. Lacey Evans
Raw Women’s Championship Match
The “champ-champ” has two title defenses on the night, and the first is against Lacey Evans for Becky Lynch’s Raw Women’s Championship.
Evans gained an advantage early by working Lynch’s arm. Indeed, the majority of the match saw Evans on top of the action. Evans tried to clip Lynch’s knee and roll her up for a pin, but Lynch countered with the Dis-Arm-Her, retaining the Raw Women’s Title. It also featured yet another referee flub:
Anyway, Lynch retains and out emerges Charlotte Flair.
Becky Lynch (c-c) vs. Charlotte Flair
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Lynch had little time to celebrate or catch her breath after beating Evans, with Flair coming immediately to the ring for her match against Lynch for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
It was a more back-and-forth effort than Lynch-Evans, which makes sense given the history between Lynch and Flair. It included trades of chops and right hands. Evans arrived ringside and delivered A Women’s Right on Lynch. Another referee botch — a pin attempt by Lynch on Flair regardless of Evans — then led to Flair hitting Lynch with the big boot. Flair earned the pinfall, thus becoming a nine-time champion.
Lynch and Evans then brawled, with Flair joining in to beat up Lynch. Bayley’s music hits and arrives to make the save for Lynch. Bayley gets Flair down and the crowd begs her to cash in her Money in the Bank contract, which she does.
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Bayley
Money in the Bank Cash-In Match for SmackDown Women’s Championship
With an elbow drop on an already-felled Flair, Bayley became the new SmackDown Women’s Champion! She is also the first WWE Women’s Grand Slam Champion, now having been NXT Women’s Champion, Raw Women’s Champion, SmackDown Women’s Champion and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion.
Elias then sneak-attacks Roman Reigns with his guitar to get a jump on his opponent for the night.
Elias vs. Roman Reigns
Elias hits the ring to serenade the crowd (it’s an electric guitar tonight) with Reigns ostensibly neutralized by Elias’ backstage attack. Thus, he could finish his song for once.
Elias made his way to leave, but Reigns met him on the ramp with a Superman Punch. Reigns gets Elias in the ring, hits a Spear and wins. SmackDown remains the Big Dog’s yard, at least as far as this Elias business is concerned.
Seth Rollins (c) vs. AJ Styles
WWE Universal Championship Match
Seth Rollins and AJ Styles met in a dream matchup for Rollins’ WWE Universal Championship. Much like Flair-Lynch, it was also a back-and-forth matchup with both men getting the better of his opponent at various moments.
At one point, Rollins was set to hit the Stomp, but Styles reversed it into a Styles Clash. Rollins kicked out. Rollins eventually managed to hit the Stomp and get the pin after a hard-fought match. It was easily one of the better matches Styles has had in WWE for a hot minute. It was also fitting for the two men’s first-ever in-ring meeting in the WWE.
Styles showed Rollins respect after the match, shaking the champion’s hand.
Lucha House Party vs. ???
Six-Man Tag Match
The Lucha House Party were set to have a six-man tag match against unknown opponents, but Lars Sullivan made his way to the ring and decimated all three members of the House Party. Yes, the wrestler who was just real-life fined by WWE for past racist remarks came out and beat up a trio of wrestlers of color.
Moving on.
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Kevin Owens
WWE Championship Match
Kofi Kingston is going it alone, with no corner help from Xavier Woods, to defend his WWE Championship against Kevin Owens. The brutality was immediate.
It was a match befitting the stakes, though the live crowd didn’t have much time to recover from the Styles-Rollins barn burner. Owens hit a sick stunner (and for some reason removed Kingston’s shoes), but Kingston eventually retained by pinning Owens clean following Trouble in Paradise. KofiMania is alive and well.
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Baron Corbin vs. Ricochet vs. Finn Balor vs. Randy Orton vs. Andrade vs. Ali vs. Drew McIntyre vs. ???
There’s some drama ahead of the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, with Braun Strowman (maybe) responsible for the attack on Sami Zayn earlier in the night and kicked out of the venue and Zayn reportedly not able to compete. So who is the eighth man in the match?
No one, apparently.
So, it’s a seven-man MITB match, at least to start. As is wont for such affairs, it was a ladder-heavy spot fest.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1130299021984014336
Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre kept their longstanding alliance alive for much of the match, until Corbin dumped McIntyre over the barricade. McIntyre got his revenge on Corbin via a Claymore kick. In general, to say the match was chaos would be an understatement. Props especially for Michael Cole bringing the intensity.
Ali was alone on the ladder, atop it and about to claim the briefcase until Brock Lesnar appeared, knocking Ali’s ladder down. He alighted a ladder of his own to claim the briefcase (he’s apparently the eighth man?) and is now the Money in the Bank contract holder.
Seven men absolutely killed themselves for 30 minutes but lo, it was Lesnar to take the glory at the end. Odd.
Expect a justification on Raw on Monday night.
What did you think of WWE’s Money in the Bank this year? Let us know in the comments below.