Welcome to the Mastermind Analysis review of WWE Money In The Bank 2016. The thoughts and opinions expressed below are those of The Mastermind only, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts and opinions of the entire F4R team. Let us know what you think in the comments, or by getting involved on Facebook! But for now, on with the show..
Pre-PPV Thoughts
Whilst not being considered a ‘big’ PPV, Money In The Bank always feels like a must-watch event, with the outcome from the night being a key storyline arc which could potentially last the next 12 months. In theory, we are a few shows into this so-called ‘new era’, and while it doesn’t seem all that different, scratch beneath the surface a little and you’ll notice some key things. For starters, we’ve seen Shane McMahon play a babyface authority roll, which makes for a breath of fresh air after the seemingly endless reign of The Authority. The matches have also started showing signs of an indy influence, with the likes of AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens & Cesaro being given a chance to show off their skillset which brought them to the WWE dance. The card for MITB this year is a very intriguing one, and the further we get into this new era, the harder I’m finding it to predict. And as far as the Mastermind goes, that can only be seen as a good thing!
Pre-Show
R-Truth & Goldust vs Fandango & Tyler Breeze
Prediction: So apparently this was added to the pre-show?! I must have missed that memo. I onl watch the 1 hour RAW catch up on Sky, so obviously I’ve not seen any of the storyline between thes guys. I honestly couldn’t care either way. In fact, I’m not sure why I’m going to bother watching the match. Damn me and my OCD tendencies to cover everything.
Match Analysis: What the fucking fuck was that?!?! Can someone please call Tyler Breeze back up to the NXT roster? PLEASE? The match wasn’t anything special, I presume I missed an angle on Smackdown or Superstars, but the sun burn thing was just stupid. If Tyler wasn’t involved I’d probably have found it a bit funny, but after seeing his rise in Breaking Ground, I just feel so sorry for Tyler Breeze and everything he’s worked for, he deserves better than to be made to look like a chump on the pre-show.
[**]
The Lucha Dragons vs The Dudley Boys
Prediction: Another last-minute addition to the pre-show! That means my predictions edit of this post is going to be pretty screwed up. Thanks WWE! Once again, I’m not aware of any real storyline going into this, so it’s a throwaway match. It’s nice to see Kalisto has maintained status since losing the US Championship. That was sarcasm. Still, both teams have the ability to put on entertaining matches, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Match Analysis: Another last minute addition, another ok match. Nothing special, no botches, no storyline, no emotional investment. There’s not much to say really. They put on a match and picked up a pay check.
[**1/2]
Main Show
New Day © vs The Club vs Enzo & Cass vs The Vaudevillains
Prediction: A largely unpredictable match, which only helps the excitement levels. I fully expect chaos from this one, with so many moving parts. Having a fatal 4 way gives New Day an automatic out for their title reign. Much like Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31, New Day are able to lose the belts without being pinned (and therefore losing face), so it seems like the right time for their reign to wrap up and pass the torch. I would put The Vaudevillains as my least-likely to win the belts, so it’s a toss-up between The Club, and Enzo & Cass. Given the fact that The Club are floating so high on the card with AJ Styles, I’m going with them for now. With rumours of a split between Enzo & Cass (which I hate the idea of), I can’t see them being given the titles to then be split up.
Match Analysis: Wow, this match was clunky as fuck. I counted at least 3 times where spots were mis-timed, or it seemed someone missed their cue. The end sequence made Gallows look like a chump. He just stood there staring at Big E preparing his partner for a move for a good few seconds while they were waiting for Big Cass to hit his spot. I predicted chaos and that’s what we got. Unfortunately not the good kind. It was an awkward mis-timed mess, and was not the best showcase for any of the teams.
[**]
Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin
Prediction: After their first PPV match up, I would have hoped this wouldn’t go to a best-of-3 series… but it has! I am very hot on Corbin as a heel, mainly because there’s not a lot to like about the guy. He’s a classic heel, his offence isn’t flashy, he’s not out to impress anyone, or ‘get his shit in’. Once again, as the rising star, I’d like to see Corbin walk away with the win from the rubber match, to cement his arrival and hopefully move up to the main show from now on.
Match Analysis: Well, in my predictions (written last week) I hoped to see Corbin move to the main show and I got my wish sooner rather than later, as the match received a promotion from the pre-show! I felt like I was watching 2 guys wrestle in treacle at parts, it was so slow moving. And again, clunky and botchy. The show so far is not looking strong at all. Luckily the result went the right way and hopefully Corbin can move on to bigger and better things.
[**1/2]
Charlotte & Dana Brooke vs Natalya & Becky Lynch
Prediction: Much like Apollo Crews, Dana Brooke seems to have been called up too early. This is why I fully expect her to take the loss in this one, with Becky Lynch getting the win. It strikes me as confusing as to why people like Paige, Emma, and Sasha Banks have been left out for so long – maybe there’s been injuries I’m unaware of? Still, as with New Day in their Fatal 4 Way, I think this is a chance for Charlotte to walk out the loser without actually being beaten. Natty & Becky for this one.
Match Analysis: Another below average match. I just don’t get where WWE is going with their women at the moment. Ever since the show-stealing match at Wrestlemania, the wheels seem to have come off the wagon. Dana is far too green to be involved in the main roster, that is glaringly obvious. Natty and Charlotte seem to have lost their chemistry. Becky was just… there. The post match angle was intriguing, but not enough to salvage the match.
[**]
Apollo Crews vs Sheamus
Prediction: I personally feel that Crews’ call up was slightly premature, and was maybe a product of an injury-filled roster, rather than it being the natural time to call him up. He was never given much of a chance to build a character on NXT, and if the majority of NXT call-ups have taught us anything, it’s that Apollo is here to make up numbers, rather than make an impact. I would usually expect Apollo to get the win here, but a relative unknown for casual fans beating a former Royal Rumble winner, former World Heavyweight Champion… I just don’t know if Vince will pull the trigger on the little guy… But for now, I’ll go with my gut and say Crews for the win…
Match Analysis: The best match of the night so far, although that’s not saying much. The short pre-match video package definitely helped me get invested. I like that Sheamus dominated the majority of the match, he comes out looking strong, but Apollo gets the resilient win. I hope this is the start of the show turning round and improving.
[***]
John Cena vs AJ Styles
Prediction: Despite there only being 2 men in the match, again this feels like a tricky one to call. While the WWE purists will believe that John is getting the shovel out to bury the non-WWE guy, as is tradition in the Universe, I just don’t want to believe WWE would bring in AJ Styles, treat him like a megastar, but refuse to give him a big, meaningful win… But saying that, Sting lost twice and he was arguably a bigger star than AJ Styles. John Cena is riding his latest comeback wave, so that adds another spanner into the works. I’ve been an AJ fan for years, witnessing his rise to fame in TNA, but I get the feeling that Big Match John will get the shovel out, in an attempt for Vince to show his superiority over the rest of the wrestling world.
Match Analysis: Wow. Now the match itself wasn’t 5 stars, but the story telling within the ring was near perfect. AJ Styles’ cocky heel character, taking everything John Cena threw at him, and landing on his feet was a picture to behold. The main stretch of the match was AJ Styles showing John Cena up, and I did not see that coming in a million years. The finish of the match gives them an easy excuse for a rematch, but this was a brilliant match. We even had a TNA style ref bump! AJ must feel at home…
[****]
Chris Jericho vs Cesaro vs Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose vs Alberto Del Rio
Prediction: Yet another brilliantly unpredictable match up! My mindset going into this one, is that as long as Jericho or Del Rio don’t win, I’ll be a happy bunny. Sami Zayn doesn’t feel like a natural fit for this one, neither does Cesaro – though, I’d be happy if either man won. Traditionally it’s the bad guy who walks away with the briefcase, so I’m looking at Kevin Owens to pick up the win, and gloat about it until cashing in successfully.
Match Analysis: A fun match with some very fun spots. The ladder arm breaker, into a superkick, into a springboard uppercut was amazing, just amazing! The michinoku driver onto the side of the ladder was pretty insane too. I’d much rather have KO as Mr Money in the Bank, but I’ll accept Ambrose as he could be creative with it (hopefully). As far as car crash matches go, this wasn’t bad!
[****]
Rusev © vs Titus O’Niel
Prediction: After all the drama surrounding Titus, it’s a bit of a surprise to see him thrust into the title picture so soon after his suspension. That is why this feels quite tricky to call, because logically Rusev has only just one the belt, and 9 times out of 10 the champion retains on his first attempt. The reason I feel that may be in doubt is that Titus has made it back into the title picture so quickly, which feels like they have picked up where they originally wanted him to be a few months ago. I’m going to pick a risky Titus for the win here, with Rusev being the transitional champion as they didn’t want Titus vs Kalisto in a face/face match.
Match Analysis: A fine filler match. Crowd has been pretty flat for all but 2 matches so far. I don’t feel surprised now with Rusev walking out the champion, looking back. Nobody really cares about Titus, so Rusev continues his reign, hopefully rolling on to return to be the strong champion he was before John Cena came into the picture.
[**1/2]
Roman Reigns © vs Seth Rollins
Prediction: I don’t think I’ve ever felt so sure on main event shenanigans since the last time TNA put on an actual PPV. The WWE are so hot on Roman Reigns, I can’t see them wanting him to become a former THREE time champion… but then Seth was on fire before he left, and he’s been so well received since coming back. As usual I will push for a double turn with Roman – make him the bad guy, turn Seth face so the crowd can finally cheer him. I’d even go so far as to suggest a finger-poke style ending and reunite the Shield, have one of them decide who keeps the belt, but reunite as a solid unit. But of course we know that will never happen in a million years, and as WWE has a tendancy to piss me off, I’m going to predict that Roman wins this one. He’ll probably do it clean as well. Wanker.
Match Analysis: Well I’ll be damned!! He did it!! I must admit I was nervous that it wouldn’t happen but I’m glad it did. Once again though, the match just did not flow. I don’t know if it’s me, but the whole night feels flat, possibly the worst PPV of the year so fa… WAIT!! It’s Ambrose!!!
Seth Rollins © vs Dean Ambrose
Match Analysis: Wow, I did not see that coming!! I said he’d be creative, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. Wow. It doesn’t change my feelings on the main event too much but that was a welcome surprise!
[***1/2]
Whilst not being considered a ‘big’ PPV, Money In The Bank always feels like a must-watch event, with the outcome from the night being a key storyline arc which could potentially last the next 12 months. In theory, we are a few shows into this so-called ‘new era’, and while it doesn’t seem all that different, scratch beneath the surface a little and you’ll notice some key things. For starters, we’ve seen Shane McMahon play a babyface authority roll, which makes for a breath of fresh air after the seemingly endless reign of The Authority. The matches have also started showing signs of an indy influence, with the likes of AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens & Cesaro being given a chance to show off their skillset which brought them to the WWE dance. The card for MITB this year is a very intriguing one, and the further we get into this new era, the harder I’m finding it to predict. And as far as the Mastermind goes, that can only be seen as a good thing!
Pre-Show
R-Truth & Goldust vs Fandango & Tyler Breeze
Prediction: So apparently this was added to the pre-show?! I must have missed that memo. I onl watch the 1 hour RAW catch up on Sky, so obviously I’ve not seen any of the storyline between thes guys. I honestly couldn’t care either way. In fact, I’m not sure why I’m going to bother watching the match. Damn me and my OCD tendencies to cover everything.
Match Analysis: What the fucking fuck was that?!?! Can someone please call Tyler Breeze back up to the NXT roster? PLEASE? The match wasn’t anything special, I presume I missed an angle on Smackdown or Superstars, but the sun burn thing was just stupid. If Tyler wasn’t involved I’d probably have found it a bit funny, but after seeing his rise in Breaking Ground, I just feel so sorry for Tyler Breeze and everything he’s worked for, he deserves better than to be made to look like a chump on the pre-show.
[**]
The Lucha Dragons vs The Dudley Boys
Prediction: Another last-minute addition to the pre-show! That means my predictions edit of this post is going to be pretty screwed up. Thanks WWE! Once again, I’m not aware of any real storyline going into this, so it’s a throwaway match. It’s nice to see Kalisto has maintained status since losing the US Championship. That was sarcasm. Still, both teams have the ability to put on entertaining matches, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Match Analysis: Another last minute addition, another ok match. Nothing special, no botches, no storyline, no emotional investment. There’s not much to say really. They put on a match and picked up a pay check.
[**1/2]
Main Show
New Day © vs The Club vs Enzo & Cass vs The Vaudevillains
Prediction: A largely unpredictable match, which only helps the excitement levels. I fully expect chaos from this one, with so many moving parts. Having a fatal 4 way gives New Day an automatic out for their title reign. Much like Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31, New Day are able to lose the belts without being pinned (and therefore losing face), so it seems like the right time for their reign to wrap up and pass the torch. I would put The Vaudevillains as my least-likely to win the belts, so it’s a toss-up between The Club, and Enzo & Cass. Given the fact that The Club are floating so high on the card with AJ Styles, I’m going with them for now. With rumours of a split between Enzo & Cass (which I hate the idea of), I can’t see them being given the titles to then be split up.
Match Analysis: Wow, this match was clunky as fuck. I counted at least 3 times where spots were mis-timed, or it seemed someone missed their cue. The end sequence made Gallows look like a chump. He just stood there staring at Big E preparing his partner for a move for a good few seconds while they were waiting for Big Cass to hit his spot. I predicted chaos and that’s what we got. Unfortunately not the good kind. It was an awkward mis-timed mess, and was not the best showcase for any of the teams.
[**]
Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin
Prediction: After their first PPV match up, I would have hoped this wouldn’t go to a best-of-3 series… but it has! I am very hot on Corbin as a heel, mainly because there’s not a lot to like about the guy. He’s a classic heel, his offence isn’t flashy, he’s not out to impress anyone, or ‘get his shit in’. Once again, as the rising star, I’d like to see Corbin walk away with the win from the rubber match, to cement his arrival and hopefully move up to the main show from now on.
Match Analysis: Well, in my predictions (written last week) I hoped to see Corbin move to the main show and I got my wish sooner rather than later, as the match received a promotion from the pre-show! I felt like I was watching 2 guys wrestle in treacle at parts, it was so slow moving. And again, clunky and botchy. The show so far is not looking strong at all. Luckily the result went the right way and hopefully Corbin can move on to bigger and better things.
[**1/2]
Charlotte & Dana Brooke vs Natalya & Becky Lynch
Prediction: Much like Apollo Crews, Dana Brooke seems to have been called up too early. This is why I fully expect her to take the loss in this one, with Becky Lynch getting the win. It strikes me as confusing as to why people like Paige, Emma, and Sasha Banks have been left out for so long – maybe there’s been injuries I’m unaware of? Still, as with New Day in their Fatal 4 Way, I think this is a chance for Charlotte to walk out the loser without actually being beaten. Natty & Becky for this one.
Match Analysis: Another below average match. I just don’t get where WWE is going with their women at the moment. Ever since the show-stealing match at Wrestlemania, the wheels seem to have come off the wagon. Dana is far too green to be involved in the main roster, that is glaringly obvious. Natty and Charlotte seem to have lost their chemistry. Becky was just… there. The post match angle was intriguing, but not enough to salvage the match.
[**]
Apollo Crews vs Sheamus
Prediction: I personally feel that Crews’ call up was slightly premature, and was maybe a product of an injury-filled roster, rather than it being the natural time to call him up. He was never given much of a chance to build a character on NXT, and if the majority of NXT call-ups have taught us anything, it’s that Apollo is here to make up numbers, rather than make an impact. I would usually expect Apollo to get the win here, but a relative unknown for casual fans beating a former Royal Rumble winner, former World Heavyweight Champion… I just don’t know if Vince will pull the trigger on the little guy… But for now, I’ll go with my gut and say Crews for the win…
Match Analysis: The best match of the night so far, although that’s not saying much. The short pre-match video package definitely helped me get invested. I like that Sheamus dominated the majority of the match, he comes out looking strong, but Apollo gets the resilient win. I hope this is the start of the show turning round and improving.
[***]
John Cena vs AJ Styles
Prediction: Despite there only being 2 men in the match, again this feels like a tricky one to call. While the WWE purists will believe that John is getting the shovel out to bury the non-WWE guy, as is tradition in the Universe, I just don’t want to believe WWE would bring in AJ Styles, treat him like a megastar, but refuse to give him a big, meaningful win… But saying that, Sting lost twice and he was arguably a bigger star than AJ Styles. John Cena is riding his latest comeback wave, so that adds another spanner into the works. I’ve been an AJ fan for years, witnessing his rise to fame in TNA, but I get the feeling that Big Match John will get the shovel out, in an attempt for Vince to show his superiority over the rest of the wrestling world.
Match Analysis: Wow. Now the match itself wasn’t 5 stars, but the story telling within the ring was near perfect. AJ Styles’ cocky heel character, taking everything John Cena threw at him, and landing on his feet was a picture to behold. The main stretch of the match was AJ Styles showing John Cena up, and I did not see that coming in a million years. The finish of the match gives them an easy excuse for a rematch, but this was a brilliant match. We even had a TNA style ref bump! AJ must feel at home…
[****]
Chris Jericho vs Cesaro vs Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose vs Alberto Del Rio
Prediction: Yet another brilliantly unpredictable match up! My mindset going into this one, is that as long as Jericho or Del Rio don’t win, I’ll be a happy bunny. Sami Zayn doesn’t feel like a natural fit for this one, neither does Cesaro – though, I’d be happy if either man won. Traditionally it’s the bad guy who walks away with the briefcase, so I’m looking at Kevin Owens to pick up the win, and gloat about it until cashing in successfully.
Match Analysis: A fun match with some very fun spots. The ladder arm breaker, into a superkick, into a springboard uppercut was amazing, just amazing! The michinoku driver onto the side of the ladder was pretty insane too. I’d much rather have KO as Mr Money in the Bank, but I’ll accept Ambrose as he could be creative with it (hopefully). As far as car crash matches go, this wasn’t bad!
[****]
Rusev © vs Titus O’Niel
Prediction: After all the drama surrounding Titus, it’s a bit of a surprise to see him thrust into the title picture so soon after his suspension. That is why this feels quite tricky to call, because logically Rusev has only just one the belt, and 9 times out of 10 the champion retains on his first attempt. The reason I feel that may be in doubt is that Titus has made it back into the title picture so quickly, which feels like they have picked up where they originally wanted him to be a few months ago. I’m going to pick a risky Titus for the win here, with Rusev being the transitional champion as they didn’t want Titus vs Kalisto in a face/face match.
Match Analysis: A fine filler match. Crowd has been pretty flat for all but 2 matches so far. I don’t feel surprised now with Rusev walking out the champion, looking back. Nobody really cares about Titus, so Rusev continues his reign, hopefully rolling on to return to be the strong champion he was before John Cena came into the picture.
[**1/2]
Roman Reigns © vs Seth Rollins
Prediction: I don’t think I’ve ever felt so sure on main event shenanigans since the last time TNA put on an actual PPV. The WWE are so hot on Roman Reigns, I can’t see them wanting him to become a former THREE time champion… but then Seth was on fire before he left, and he’s been so well received since coming back. As usual I will push for a double turn with Roman – make him the bad guy, turn Seth face so the crowd can finally cheer him. I’d even go so far as to suggest a finger-poke style ending and reunite the Shield, have one of them decide who keeps the belt, but reunite as a solid unit. But of course we know that will never happen in a million years, and as WWE has a tendancy to piss me off, I’m going to predict that Roman wins this one. He’ll probably do it clean as well. Wanker.
Match Analysis: Well I’ll be damned!! He did it!! I must admit I was nervous that it wouldn’t happen but I’m glad it did. Once again though, the match just did not flow. I don’t know if it’s me, but the whole night feels flat, possibly the worst PPV of the year so fa… WAIT!! It’s Ambrose!!!
Seth Rollins © vs Dean Ambrose
Match Analysis: Wow, I did not see that coming!! I said he’d be creative, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. Wow. It doesn’t change my feelings on the main event too much but that was a welcome surprise!
[***1/2]