Roundtable: Money in the Bank 2018

If Nakamura loses, would you consider the feud a waste?

Adam B. Yuro: At this point, I am tired of the feud. If he wins or loses, I feel it went too long and is already a waste.

Jack Goodwillie: I wouldn’t categorize it as a waste since we did get the Shinsuke heel turn out of it that has really done his character a solid, but I would consider it a big disappointment, especially if this next match doesn’t deliver.

Calvin Gibbon: Yes. A thousand times yes. The time is now for Shinsuke. Let’s not waste this opportunity, WWE, please.

John Corrigan: No, this feud has saved Nakamura’s career. If he wins the title, then that’s fantastic and leads to a whole new chapter on Smackdown. If he loses, perhaps he goes after Daniel Bryan and remains atop the card.

Devonte Grant: The feud was a waste from the very beginning, like before WM34. AJ and Nakamura were way too friendly going into it. If Shinsuke wins, then what? The Club got drafted to Smackdown and I was looking forward to them winning the tag belts and dominating the blue brand first before AJ drops the belt. I’m pulling for AJ – Shinsuke should’ve dethroned Jinder at Summerslam 2017, to be honest. I want Shinsuke to win the WWE Championship, but at the right time. I don’t want him to be a transitional champion.

Anthony Mahalis: Absolutely. Nakamura gains nothing if he doesn’t eventually have the title. He has been a good heel so far, but if he doesn’t win at MITB, he is destined for the bargain bin.

Chad Gelfand: I wouldn’t consider the feud a waste because Nakamura is beginning to hit his stride again in this new heel role and it’s allowed him to have more freedom with his character. Now, I think that they need to keep him at the top of the card or at least hovering around the upper mid card feuding over the U.S Title, but I wouldn’t consider losing the AJ Styles feud to be a waste.

David Gibb: No, not necessarily. The point of this feud was to get Styles and Nakamura in the ring together to have great matches that hardcore fans would gush about. I don’t think Nakamura needs to win for this feud to be a success, but I think they need to have a pretty special match.

Did Bobby Lashley make a mistake by leaving Impact for WWE?

Yuro: At the moment, I feel like he did. I hope they have something interesting for him in the future because right now, I could care less about his storyline.

Goodwillie: That all depends on what Bobby was looking to accomplish in making the move. More money? More exposure? Chances are, he’s got that. And he’s really just a few small booking decisions away from being a top guy again. That’s the benefit of having the physical gifts he has. But personally, I do think he sort of ran his course in Impact and the only reason to stick around would have been to continue fighting.

Gibbon: I think so. It was also the wrong time to bring him in on WWE’s part. Lashley is floating and it’s not just him. It’s the whole men’s heavyweight division because of the stubborn commitment to Brock as champ and Roman as the challenger.

Corrigan: Absolutely. Impact has new management that could have given Lashley a whole new realm of possibilities. In WWE, Lashley is stuck under the glass ceiling. He won’t win either world title, and he damn sure won’t recover from this debacle with Zayn.

Grant: I don’t think so. But I know that he needs to be put in the right matches and given his well-deserved chance to shine. Lashley has honed his in-ring craft over the last decade and he should be displaying that in the WWE, sooner rather than later.

Mahalis: I can’t really say yet. I don’t watch TNA, so I don’t know how big he was over there. WWE will always be the big leagues and if he can get another good run, it will definitely have been worth it. He is not off to a promising start, but I am going to be patient.

Gelfand: I don’t think that Bobby Lashley made a mistake leaving Impact, he really accomplished all that he could accomplish there, and he probably got a much larger payday with WWE. Also, how could he have predicted that he would be put immediately into one of the worst feuds of the year with Sami Zayn?

Gibb: I’d have to look at Bobby Lashley’s bank statements and ask him how he feels about work-life balance to answer that question in any qualified manner.

Who wins: Nia Jax or Ronda Rousey?

Yuro: I am going to go with Ronda; she needs the win to cement her as a force to be reckoned with.

Goodwillie: Nobody wins. I’m being serious, of course. The fans certainly don’t win, and neither do any of the combatants, as I think the only way to do this is to have a Stephanie McMahon run-in, aligning with Nia Jax in an effort to eradicate Rousey from the company. If I had to pick a winner, I’d smash Ronda over faster than she beat Cat Zingano. But Nia Jax cannot under any circumstances win this match.

Gibbon: Nia Jax. But I’m not sure why. It’s just a feeling I get.

Corrigan: Nia Jax will retain after Rousey’s “BFF” Natalya stabs her in the back. Then at SummerSlam, Rousey will break Nattie’s arm so she can’t pet 2Paws anymore!

Grant: Clean? Rousey. If Rousey doesn’t win, it won’t be clean, I tell you that. I love Nia, but she’s not beating Rousey clean.

Mahalis: I’m pretty conflicted on this one. I have gone back and forth, conventional wisdom would say Rousey. However, I could see Nia winning via DQ. I’m going to say Nia retains, but not cleanly.

Gelfand: I think Nia Jax wins or she at least retains by disqualification or count out due to outside interference. Ronda Rousey was very impressive in the ring at WrestleMania, but I feel like it’s still too early to put the title on her. SummerSlam or even Survivor Series may be a better time for her to become the Women’s champion.

Gibb: Man, it seems soon for Rousey to win the title, and I think SummerSlam would be a much better moment to crown her (considering she debuted at WrestleMania), but all the finishes I can think of where Jax walks out of there with the title stink. So I guess that’s a vote for Rousey!

Who wins the women’s MITB?

Yuro: I am hoping for Becky Lynch, but I have a feeling it will be either Alexa Bliss or Charlotte.

Goodwillie: This is a tough one. When it comes to the booking of the women’s division, to quote Meek Mill (which I am not at all happy about doing), “There’s levels to this shit.” There’s no main event, upper mid-card, mid-card, etc. Instead, you’ve got Ronda Rousey at the tippy top. Then, you have Nia Jax as the 1A. Then, Charlotte and Alexa Bliss as the 1B’s. Then you have everybody else. That’s right, they’re all equally average. Carmella may have won the case last year, but her lack of credibility in the ring in a division where the average work rate is decidedly above average, hurts her. At this point, however, Sasha Banks is Sasha Banks. Becky Lynch is Becky Lynch (and that makes me sad), Lana is very sexy but is probably below Carmella in the ring. I suppose Alexa can win it and exact some sweet revenge on Nia Jax later in the evening, but I think it’s more likely creative tries to counteract their weak early portrayal of Ember Moon by putting her over, even if I don’t think they know what they have in her (though if I’m being honest, neither do I. She likes werewolves! That’s the gimmick!).

Gibbon: Natalya makes the most sense to me, but it’s a stacked match. Anyone could take it! That means we are in for a great MITB match.

Corrigan: The Goddess will shimmy that biscuit butt up the ladder, climb upon a phone book at the tippy top and yank down the briefcase for a full year of chasing the championship.

Grant: I’m pulling for Ember Moon.

Mahalis: I don’t know why, but my gut is telling me Ember Moon wins, so she is my pick. Sasha or Becky really need it more than she does so I am pulling for one of them.

Gelfand: I think either Ember Moon or Sasha Banks wins the women’s MITB. Moon has been booked very strong since her debut, and I can see them giving her the briefcase to even further establish her on the main roster as a threat. I also can see Banks winning because she needs a win to put her back at the top of the division and giving her the briefcase would do just that. Plus, Banks having the briefcase could lead to some fun segments and teases, especially with her “Boss” character.

Gibb: Charlotte. If you get the title on Rousey (see Question 3) and the MITB case in Charlotte’s hands, you can have Charlotte-Rousey at the big show in August.

Who wins the men’s MITB?

Yuro: I am hoping for Braun Strowman, but I feel like it will be either Rusev or The Miz.

Goodwillie: Last week, I made a case for Kevin Owens, but now that Samoa Joe is in the match, I think he is just the guy for the job. You can make a strong case for The Miz, Kofi Kingston and I know some will probably make a case for Finn Balor. But the briefcase works better with heels and while Joe has parts of the monster mystique that Braun Strowman’s got, Strowman’s strong booking would be stymied by a briefcase stint, which can’t be said for many, but can probably be said for him. For Samoa Joe, it falls right in line given how dangerous he’s proven to be on the microphone and in the ring. And appropriately, for a guy whose shtick is “lack of opportunity,” MITB would allow him to “make his own opportunity,” and that’s just good storytelling.

Gibbon: I’m expecting that finally the New Day will have the briefcase. There are three of them. They can unite and steal one. It’s time for them to reach for the brass ring. New Day rocks.

Corrigan: The Samoan Submission Machine is not only grabbing that briefcase, but he’s also cashing in at the end of the night after Styles and Nakamura kill each other.

Grant: Finn Balor, but who knows. He needs it the most, though. He’s the Real Rock N Rolla.

Mahalis: I am gonna save this answer for my piece on MITB next week, so stay tuned!

Gelfand: I would really like to see Kofi Kingston win the MITB match because he’s earned it with all that he’s accomplished in WWE, plus how much he’s improved his mic work with The New Day to compliment his already stellar in-ring skills. Kofi and New Day having the briefcase could lead to some great segments and a great payoff with Kofi finally winning the big one. I feel though that Samoa Joe is going to win the briefcase, and he’s a great choice also, he would surely cut some amazing promos during his time with the briefcase, and would strike fear into the champion.

Gibb: I keep picking Finn to win one of these huge multi-man matches and keep being wrong…I just can’t help myself, though: Balor.