WWE: Money in the Bank – Head-2-Head: Director Madness & Balls Puncher Festival

At Money in the Bank in the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, on the night of Sunday to Monday (from 1 a.m.), two suitcases will be handed out again, guaranteeing title shots for the winners. Furthermore AJ Styles will play his WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing Match and Ronda Rousey will play her first solo match against Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax.

Schlauchy: The Battle of the Glatzen (Harper doesn’t lack much anymore). A feud that runs massively under the radar and sprays no relevance. The fact that WWE is currently on a trip again, that the Tag Division is pointless, can be seen enormously in this pairing. I would like to see good booking around Luke & Karl, but this is now excluded (…NERD!). So we can only assume here that The Bludgeon Brothers will win the thing.

Kneisel: How important the SmackDown Tag-Division is at the moment can be seen by the fact that this match has ended up in the kickoff and the Usos as the best tag team of WWE will not even get involved in the PPV. It’s both a pity and not surprising that after winning the title The Bludgeon Brothers didn’t and didn’t have a plan. I have no doubt that they will defeat Abs Anderson and the Nerd Theater.

Kneisel: It is difficult to write something for the “structure” of this match without using fecal language. Lashley and Zayn are two excellent wrestlers, Sami is also very strong at the microphone. So why humiliate them in this way for weeks? This “storyline” is not only an insult to the two, but also to all fans who have looked at this filth! Since the catastrophic Rusev/Summer vs. Ziggler/Lana story and Alberto Del Rio’s performance after the comeback I haven’t had to experience such rubbish anymore. It is an absolute shame that the pseudo-creatives can’t think of anything better for two such talented people and you have to ask yourself once again whether Vince & Co are simply trying to ruin the momentum of a man (Lashley) who has otherwise (TNA, MMA) increased his popularity. Of course Bobby Lashley will win the match, but in the end we are all losers here. Or did you think the whole thing was so bad that it was all right again?

Schlauchy: Good? A word that should never have appeared in my text for this match. There are much more appropriate adjectives, such as: ridiculous, absurd, repulsive, boring, sad, wasting, soporific, bad, catastrophic,… that should do it. The feud is a joke and not only does neither of them any good, but makes them comedians just by participating in the story. Even though I’m not a big Lashley supporter and I don’t think you want to destroy your momentum here (he would have needed some for that for a while), it’s obvious that you reached into the toilet. Finally, as always since his Main Roster Call-Up, the wonderful Sami Zayn underneath will unfortunately have to take the pin against Bobby Lashley.

Schlauchy: The question I am asking at this point as an absolute Seth fan is, what has Seth brought to the title so far and the other way around? The answer to both questions is identical: NOTHING! Seth is phenomenal at the mic and in the ring and belongs in the main event, he is no longer dependent on this title and is not used profitably in this position. On the other hand, we have Elias. Undoubtedly very entertaining and good in the ring. What’s wrong with him? A great feud that ends in his favour. Why not here? They let Elias win and put Seth back in the role of the Hunter. This gives both more relevance and especially Seth more profile. For me, this is not only the best but also the most likely solution. Elias will do it! As a non-Seth disciple, are you just as unhappy with Rollins’ reign so far?

Kneisel: Somehow it always sounds like I find Seth horrible… oh well, I don’t see his position as critical as you do and I am of the opinion that he has brought back further prestige to the IC title as an absolute main event caliber superstar. At the same time, winning the title was another step in the right direction for him after an uneventful year. However, I also agree with you that Rollins asap has to go back to the World Title…. probably not due to the current constellation with a permanently absent champ and only one challenger (thanks WWE!). From my point of view, the title change you described would be absolutely right to let Elias, one of the most talented and popular heels, take the logical next step. But as much as I would like to walk with Elias here – Seth Rollins will defend the title and keep it for a while until finally there is some movement in the universal title race. Someday…

Kneisel: Well, will this wrestling and especially mood highlight end up in the Main Event? It would be the ultimate slap in the face and I would celebrate the resulting new walkout of the fans hard. How important the WWE was the structure, could be read off nicely from the fact that Roman got in between a week vacation donated – great! Frankly, I didn’t even notice his absence until the end of the show. On the positive side, Jinder did well and got the best out of it for his abilities. Of course, this won’t do him much good, because Roman Reigns’ victory is as certain as the booing at his entrance. Are you looking forward to this tidbit as much as I am?

Schlauchy: You really found something positive about the story? It takes courage to put two of the most spurned wrestlers (no, being spurned is not automatically good for a heel) into a feud. Just like the feud, in which most of the time was really spent, I don’t care about the outcome of the mating. Of course Roman Reigns will win, because he has to be (once again) built up as a challenger for a Brock match. I just hope Jinder won’t be used so long after the match.

Schlauchy: Carmella’s reign so far is exactly as one could have imagined. But this doesn’t bother you at all. It would have been much worse to sell her now as a great wrestler. I’m happy with her title rainfall and like to overlook her annoying swimsuit, her screaming and the unsurpassed in-ring skills. At the same time there are only two realistic scenarios for Sunday: 1st Carmella’s reign ends with the Empress of Tomorrow and Mella disappears again into no-man’s-land, or 2nd Carmella defends with DQ and loses the title to Asuka next month. I guess variant 2, Asuka wins through DQ. Do you see realistic chances of Princess of Staten Island winning?

Kneisel: I’m pretty sure Carmella will leave with the title Money in the Bank, the question is just how? In my opinion, her title win was a direct hit, she has grown noticeably and is currently one of the most entertaining women in the roster. In the ring she never becomes a high-flyer, but fortunately that is not necessary with her gimmick either. Accordingly, it makes no sense to take her belt off again. At the same time, Asuka’s momentum must not be further damaged after the end of the streak and the long absence, which I fear will happen. I’m betting on an intervention by James Ellsworth, whose comeback in recent days has been an ongoing topic on the dirt sheets, which disqualifies Carmella and thus also a meaningless victory for Asuka.

Kneisel: On paper a big match awaits us, which will bring the WWE women and their fame to the front. Nevertheless, the timing has to be questioned: Why is this match taking place before Rousey could prove himself in a smaller 1-on-1 feud? All the more so after reports came up that her program against Mickie James had been cancelled because she was still not far enough in the ring. If an individual match against an experienced veteran like Mickie would be problematic, how could it be against the much greener Jax in the ring? Furthermore, the question arises why Nia was gymnasts around WrestleMania Face only to let her act as a heel again two months later? Unfortunately, the whole thing seems completely hasty and so you can almost only lose. If it is the expected weak match, the mood will not develop pro Ronda. If she wins the title now, she will hold it forever, remove all the challengers and still have to learn a lot at the same time. This is neither optimal for them nor for the product, because here again there is a great danger that some of the fans will turn against them. One should give the woman, despite her big name, the fair chance to develop in the ring, which unfortunately the WWE generally no longer seems able to do. Very sad, isn’t it?

Schlauchy: Enormous pity! I also find the Titleshot much too early. They had all the trump cards for a long-term program with Natalya. One more Mickie feud first, and we’d be in the fall. It’s absolutely ridiculous that she just gets such a title match and you can’t seem to be patient with her. Ronda is the biggest star the women’s wrestling scene has ever had and it would be enormously important to think through all the steps and not throw everything at her feet in Reigns style. Sure, in the end there is a bigger idea behind the approach. I don’t think Rousey will win the title on Sunday, nor that he will in the near future. My guess is that Ronda is about to win the title and Stephanie McMahon will intervene/distract so that Nia Jax defends the title and we get a long-term Austin vs. Vince story in Steph vs. Ronda. Which would be enormously cool. So, despite the lack of understanding for the approach, I am glad that the right path is being taken here.

Page 1: Bludgeon Brothers v Gallows/Anderson, Rollins v Elias and Jax v Rousey

Page 2: Bryan vs. Cass, Women’s and Men’s Ladder Match and the forecast