WWE returns to pay-per-view (PPV) -- if your cable provider is carrying the event, of course -- tomorrow night (Sun., June 19, 2016) live from the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada with its Money in the Bank event starting at 7:00 p.m. ET with the Kickoff show leading right on into the main course at 8 p.m. ET on the WWE Network.
Set for the card: Roman Reigns defends his WWE world heavyweight championship against Seth Rollins, John Cena battles AJ Styles in his first match back from injury, and more!
Luckily for you Cagesiders, our staff of learned wrestling blowhards is here to help figure out just how the event is going to play out with predictions for each match on the card.
Let's get to it.
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WWE MONEY IN THE BANK PREDICTIONS
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Geno Mrosko: While Rollins is certainly an interesting opponent here a title switch doesn't make much sense, especially considering the major changes on the way. Pick: Reigns
Sean Rueter: This should be a lot of fun, and I expect the briefcase to kind of hang over this one figuratively the way it literally hangs over the ladder match. In the end, though, the Big Dog will be tapping into his love of overcoming stuff again to continue his "polarizing" run at the top. Pick: Roman Reigns
Cain A. Knight: Don't believe the hype when WWE says this is a match that is worthy of main-eventing WrestleMania (unless, of course, Triple H versus Roman Reigns seems acceptable to you as a WrestleMania main event). This match feels like it is destined to disappoint, largely because it is ripe for a screwy finish. WWE needs a main event for the July PPV, so they will probably have a non-finish here and then do a gimmick rematch next month, with Reigns picking up the definitive win at that point. It's basically a toss-up right now trying to figure out which one of these guys will get disqualified, or if WWE will go with a no-contest. I'll officially stick with Reigns because there is at least a small chance that he does win clean, whereas Rollins has no chance to do that. Pick: Roman Reigns
Kyle Decker: This feels like more than a one-match feud. Because of that, I almost expect sometime of wonky finish to this match. What I don't see if any ending where Reigns isn't champion at the end of this PPV. I'm picking Roman to win, but I could also see a non-finish, double count out, or a Rollins win (count out, DQ) that doesn't involve him winning the WWE championship. Perhaps if Dean wins the briefcase, he'll show up to affect the finish without actually using the case. Pick: Roman Reigns
ReverendKain: Anybody else slightly worried at them not having Seth work TV matches running up to this one? Maybe worried isn't the right word, since he's been working house shows, but it feels like they're deliberately hiding something, whether it's a new finish or a bigger stylistic shift or something else entirely. Definitely creates a bit of intrigue in what is otherwise a downgrade from the champ's last PPV defense. But even with that, I can't see this title reign ending here. Some kind of DQ or heavily angled finish? Maybe (depends on what they do with Styles/Cena, I suppose), but Roman's retaining one way or the other. Prediction: Roman Reigns
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John Cena vs. AJ Styles
Geno Mrosko: They're going to go for some shock value and give Styles a victory no one is expecting. Pick: Styles
Sean Rueter: Conventional wisdom seems to be AJ will get one before losing the feud, and that one will be in Vegas to start things off. But isn't that the same formula we got for the Owens program last year? While I agree with the notion that Big Match John ends up winning two-out-of-three (and definitely the final one), I'm kind of at loss for how it starts off. Combine that with the near guarantee this will be a good match, and I'm as excited as I am clueless. Shot in the dark... Pick: John Cena
Cain A. Knight: This feud has all the ingredients to match and even surpass the quality of Cena's matches with Owens from last year. AJ Styles desperately needs a PPV win after all of his losses to Roman Reigns, but will WWE really have Cena lose his first match back? Recent history suggests John Cena will probably eat one loss while annihilating Styles and The Club in all of their other matches. So is this the one match that Cena will lose to Styles? Considering how badly Styles needs this one, WWE really should give him the win. But they are building this up as the top star from non-WWE promotions against the top star from WWE. We already saw with Cena beating over Brock in 2012 and Triple H beating Sting in 2015 that the WWE guy usually wins these matches. Styles can always get his win back next month in some shitty overbooked steel cage match. Pick: John Cena
Kyle Decker: While I have little doubt Cena will win this feud, for it to hold any excitement, AJ needs to win the first here. If these two are going to battle through SummerSlam, which is likely given the WWE formula of feuds, AJ will need to pick up a win. Seeing AJ Styles pick up a pinfall win over John Cena is exciting enough to make this rivalry seem "Must see" as Cena gets his win back and then wins the feud. Pick: AJ Styles
ReverendKain: Look at that match! Still can't believe it's happening. And look, we all know how the story is likely to end, with AJ Styles getting the proverbial "three second tan", but this is the beginning and I'm optimistic given Cena's historical record in first PPV matches against Ring of Honor standouts. Is it gonna be clean? Maybe, maybe not, but really the end result is secondary anyway when you have two of the very best wrestlers in the world going up against each other. More than any particular outcome, all I want is for these two dudes to go out there and have the match I know is in them. But this is a predictions post, and I must predict with the markiest part of my heart here, so... Prediction: AJ Styles
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Money in the Bank ladder match
Geno Mrosko: You could argue every single guy in the match has a real shot at taking the briefcase outside of Alberto Del Rio, but Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose are the clear favorites. I'll go with the former. Pick: Owens
Sean Rueter: For a few reasons, the 2016 briefcase angle will probably be brief. That really only leaves a couple of options in guys who can quickly be inserted into the title picture. They've telegraphed Ambrose so much that I think they go another direction, with someone who can use the win as a career achievement and who won't be hurt by losing a cash-in (and not going Owens here doesn't mean I'm worried about him - they'll push KO at some point, but it'll be after the brand split). Pick: Chris Jericho
Cain A. Knight: Right away it seems clear that Del Rio and Zayn have close to no chance to win. That's because Zayn is the scrappy underdog who WWE still has to beat into the ground with a bunch of humiliating defeats (without a "Yes" chant to keep him afloat), while Del Rio is inferior to Jericho in the role of "veteran WWE guy who is still a credible championship threat." Cesaro and Jericho both have at least a small chance to claim the briefcase, but I don't really see either guy being the champion of Raw or Smackdown in the next year. That leaves Ambrose and Owens, with Ambrose having an obvious advantage due to his tie-in with Roman's championship match later in the night. On Raw it did seem like Stephanie planted the seeds for an Ambrose heel turn. But the Ambrose cash-in scenario seems a little too obvious considering how easily Ambrose laid out both Rollins and Reigns. That leaves Kevin Owens as the last man standing, unless a 7th superstar is added at the last minute. Pick: Kevin Owens
Kyle Decker: It's between Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose. Up to last week, I probably would have taken KO, but now they are teasing the Ambrose win, given the other two members of the Shield in a title feud. While I don't think Ambrose would cash in tonight, I think he's going to win the briefcase to spice up the Roman/Rollins feud going forward by just being around teasing the cash in. Pick: Dean Ambrose
ReverendKain: SI! SI! SI! SI! Got you going for a second, huh? Anyway, though I'm one of the five people on the planet who would be stoked for a second briefcase for my boy Alberto, I can recognize that it's got about a snowball's chance in hell of actually happening. The obvious favorite (and my personal selection if I had the book) is Kevin Owens, but I can't ignore the voice in my head that says that Roman Reigns is unlikely to get successfully cashed in on for a third time in two years. Plus the recent digging up the carcass of the Shield points me towards Dean Ambrose winning the briefcase and losing to Roman Reigns again, whether at the end of the night in a triple threat or to pass the time heading towards SummerSlam. Prediction: Dean Ambrose
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New Day vs. Enzo & Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillains vs. The Club
Geno Mrosko: They have every reason to keep the titles where they are now but a shake up would be interesting, and maybe kick off the next program. Pick: The Club
Sean Rueter: This remains a total hunch, but the stipulation allows for someone to "steal" it and they both need it the most & have had to do really good work to even be considered a threat in this one. Pick: Vaudevillains
Cain A. Knight: New Day will eventually lose their titles to The Club, but it won't be at Money in the Bank. This match reeks of a giant cluster that only exists because WWE has a ton of tag teams that need something to do, and WWE still wants to hold off the direct match between New Day and and The Club for a later PPV. The fact that New Day lost on Monday and The Club won probably telegraphs that New Day will win this match, and the Vaudevillains seem like the obvious team to take the fall. Pick: New Day
Kyle Decker: These 4-way matches are great to keep the titles where they are as they build to the eventual one on one feuds. I think the New Day will lose the titles to the Club eventually, but the chaos of a 4-way can keep the titles on the New Day without the Club taking a pin. Then they can lose them in a one on one match to make it feel bigger. I have high hopes that this match will be really fun. Pick: New Day
ReverendKain: New Day are coming up on that Kendrick/London single reign WWE Tag Team Championship record, so a retention seems like a slam dunk. But then WWE started pushing the "combined days" record instead and made the title match a four-way and I have no idea what's going on here.No matter what, Vaudevillains are eating the pin here, though, right? They've done far better than I ever expected them to do on the main roster, but they're up against two superstar teams and one that's involved in a main event angle on the side. Enough babbling, make a pick... I think we see that record broken after all. Prediction: New Day
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Rusev vs. Titus O'Neil
Geno Mrosko: What reason would they have for a title change here? Pick: Rusev
Sean Rueter: It hasn't been seven years yet, has it? Creative did an admirable job of making us think Titus has a chance, but while he was sitting at home, Tong Po was renaming that red, white and blue strap after himself. Pick: Rusev
Cain A. Knight: This should be a predictable win for Rusev, assuming WWE's goal is to re-establish the Bulgarian Brute as a dominant heel force in the upper card. However I can't really ignore the fact that Titus won a championship last year at Money in the Bank right before Father's Day, and this year's show is now taking place on Father's Day. WWE loves to spread awareness on what a great father Titus is, and so I could see them putting the title on him in the extreme short-term. This would be a grossly short-sighted mistake because Rusev is a tremendous performer whereas Titus O'Neil is a poor singles wrestler. I'm going to stick with Rusev because he seems like the obvious choice, but I have a really strange feeling about this one. Pick: Rusev
Kyle Decker: On a PPV where I'm not really confident about many of my picks, this is the one I feel the best about. So watch it be wrong. But this just feels like a filler feud until Rusev starts feuding with his SummerSlam opponent. Pick: Rusev
ReverendKain: Normally it'd be a cut-and-dry Rusev retention, especially after the rocky year Titus has had, but seeing that it's Father's Day and they love pushing all of Titus's dad stuff, maybe they go for the feel good moment? Tempted to flip a coin on this one, but I'll just push forward and make a pick, and I can't help but think Rusev's reign is going to be a bit weightier than to end here. Prediction: Rusev
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Charlotte & Dana Brooke vs. Natalya & Becky Lynch
Geno Mrosko: This is where the babyfaces get to go over but without getting a title out of it and only because the heel team is likely breaking up. Pick: Natayla & Becky Lynch
Sean Rueter: Normally, I'd think this was tailor made for the champ to lose without getting pinned. They may call it the Women's division, but they're still booking it like they're Divas... and things don't make sense in that world to anyone not named Vince. He probably doesn't want the newest blonde he's reportedly high on losing her PPV debut. Pick: Charlotte & Dana Brooke
Cain A. Knight: I find it hard to believe that WWE would create an alliance between Charlotte and Dana only to disband it a few weeks later. Therefore Charlotte and Dana will pick up the win here and their partnership will thrive. I expect that Paige will become the next contender to Charlotte's championship in the aftermath of Becky and Nattie's defeat. Pick: Charlotte and Dana
Kyle Decker: They are already showing cracks in Dana & Charlotte for reasons unknown. Also, Nattie could use a win after all those losses to Charlotte. Because of those things, I think Nattie and Becky take this. Becky has been getting more one on one wins, and part of me wonders if they are building her up to get a one on one shot at Charlotte at Battleground prior to Charlotte's SummerSlam feud. Becky pinning the champ tomorrow could help establish her as next contender. Pick: Nattie and Becky
ReverendKain: Booking a tag instead of a title match seems a pretty clear way to jump the tracks, but how do they want to get there? Charlotte definitively putting Nattie at the back of the line works just as well as Becky getting the win and jumping to the front. Since Charlotte's ate a couple non-title losses recently, I reckon the first one is what they're going with. Prediction: Charlotte & Dana Brooke
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Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews
Geno Mrosko: It would be super WWE to have Sheamus win here. Pick: Sheamus
Sean Rueter: Remember when we all thought they'd put Corbin over Ziggler? Now imagine if Dolph was a multi-time WWE champ Vince actually liked. Pick: Sheamus
Cain A. Knight: It would be a pretty big fall for Sheamus to go from WWE Champion in December to jobbing on the pre-show 6 months later. But now that Big Show has painstakingly explained to Apollo why Sheamus attacked him, I think a light bulb went off and now Crews has an insurmountable advantage over the Celtic Warrior. Pick: Apollo Crews
Kyle Decker: I'm going with Sheamus on this one. Tradition booking would put the new guy over. But it's already pretty clear they don't know what to do with Crews. Plus, Sheamus was recently in a movie so he'll probably be featured on TV a bit more after this because of that. Maybe this will be the start of a Sheamus vs. New Era feud where Sheamus defeats a couple New Era guys to start. Pick: Sheamus
ReverendKain: When was the last time Big Show's advice failed someone? Prediction: Apollo Crews
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Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
Geno Mrosko: Please be over now. Pick: Ziggler
Sean Rueter: MAKE IT STOP! Pick: Dolph Ziggler
Cain A. Knight: I think the best argument in favor of a brand split is that it increases the likelihood that we may never have to sit through another iteration of this match for the remainder of 2016. Has Corbin even been on Raw these last 2 weeks? I feel like Big Cass has taken all of Vince's attention as the latest "Impressive-Looking Big Dude" fresh off the assembly line, and Corbin may already be lost in the shuffle as a result. But I just don't see what a Ziggler win here would accomplish outside of sealing Corbin's fate as a bust and/or future Social Outcast. Pick: Baron Corbin
Kyle Decker: I can't believe we're actually in the third month of this feud. I mean that's a long time for a pre-show feud. I'm going to say they give it to Corbin because at this point in their respective careers, Corbin has more upside. But I wouldn't be surprised either way. Pick: Baron Corbin
ReverendKain: These two technical wizards going at it again, huh? Is the one where Dolph put on the headgear for a nut shot the last match they had or am I forgetting something? I clearly don't care enough to bother checking given that I'm writing this whole thought process out, so... Prediction: Baron Corbin
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That's what we think is going down, Cagesiders. How about you?