With the WWE’s Money in the Bank event taking place on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio, here are some predictions on who will be celebrating and standing tall come the end of the evening’s action.
Seth Rollins to retain the WWE World Heavyweight title in a ladder match against Dean Ambrose
This has been an enjoyable feud between the two former Shield stablemates. Rollins has not always been booked strongly as champion, but he has still done an excellent job in becoming the focal point of the WWE and his matches with Ambrose have been excellent. Ambrose is a WWE champion in the making, he has a real connection with the crowd, as was shown by the reaction when it looked, briefly, as if he had won the belt at the Elimination Chamber event last month. But his time will come, there are still more stories to tell with Rollins as champion, especially with the return of Brock Lesnar on the horizon, and the strong possibility of Roman Reigns, the other former member of the Shield, winning the Money in the Bank briefcase. Rollins will win, ideally without outside help but in all likelihood with the assistance of the Authority, but in a manner that keeps Ambrose strong.
Roman Reigns to win the Money in the Bank ladder match against Randy Orton, Kane, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Neville and Kofi Kingston
The story around this match has centred around Reigns and he starts as strong favourite to win the match and earn a title match, to happen at any time of his choosing, for the WWE World Heavyweight title. Orton is already established as a main eventer, and Kane and Sheamus do not need the briefcase to be threats either. Ziggler, Neville and Kingston are all in there for some high-flying action with the ladders, but sadly, especially in the case of Ziggler, none of them have a realistic chance of coming out on top. Which leaves Reigns as the man to win, which continues his story of redemption after missing out on the title at WrestleMania 31 in the main event, but sets up the delicious irony of him threatening Rollins with the briefcase in the future. Rollins after all won his title by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract during Reigns’s title match with the champion at the time Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, pinning Reigns to get the gold. So a great storyline awaits, so Reigns as winner makes sense.
John Cena to defeat Kevin Owens by disqualification
This is a re-match from Elimination Chamber where Owens, the NXT champion, stunned Cena with a clear pinfall win. Cena, the 15-time WWE champion, will be out for revenge but I expect this rivalry to go on and him earning his win back immediately does not lend itself to things going on after Sunday. Expect a fired up Cena, the United States champion, to take the fight to Owens, and for Owens, rather than be beaten by the man he despises so much, look for an easy way out by getting himself disqualified after a tense duel. Owens has a lot of momentum right now, and losing clean to Cena, straight after a breakthrough win, seems like a backwards step.
Ryback to defeat Big Show to retain the Intercontinental title
This is a very tough one to predict. Ryback has only just won the Intercontinental title and it would seem a backward step to have him lose the belt immediately. I expect this feud to go on for a couple of months so there is a scenario where Big Show wins and Ryback chases him for the title. But on this night I expect the WWE to back Ryback and have him go over, but with possibly a post-match attack from his opponent to allow him to retain his heat.
Paige to defeat Nikki Bella to win the WWE Diva’s title
Nikki Bella has held the title since November and this will be the fourth time since then that she has defended it against Paige, three times in singles competition and once in a triple threat. The rivalry has become more personal of late with Paige claiming she is a better wrestler than Nikki, and this is a vital match for the Englishwoman. She has “promised” to win and needs the win badly as she cannot keep on coming up short if she is to remain a credible threat. For that reason expect Paige to upset Nikki and take the title, though this feud is likely to go on.
The New Day to retain the WWE Tag Team titles against the Prime Time Players
The WWE have booked the reunited pairing of Titus O’Neil and Darren Young strong of late, but The New Day, since turning to more nefarious means to succeed, have been so entertaining that it would be a shame for their title reign to be cut short. Xavier Woods is doing a great of upsetting the live crowds, and Big E and Kingston are producing the goods in the ring. With Kingston also involved in the Money in the Bank match expect Woods and Big E to take centre stage and steal yet another win.
WWE’s Money in the Bank event will be televised on the WWE Network, which is available through OSN, on Monday morning in the UAE from 3am.
gcaygill@thenational.ae