WWE Money In The Bank 2019: Analysing and grading each match
The 2019 WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view took place in Hartford, Connecticut on Sunday, May 19.
Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Ali, Andrade, Finn Balor and Randy Orton participated in the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match, while Dana Brooke, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Cross, Bayley, Carmella, Ember Moon and Mandy Rose were part of the women’s ladder match.
Four world titles were on the line, with Universal champion Seth Rollins facing AJ Styles and WWE champion Kofi Kingston taking on Kevin Owens, while Becky Lynch defended the Raw Women’s Championship against Lacey Evans and the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair.
Elsewhere on the card, the following matches took place: Roman Reigns vs. Elias, The Miz vs. Shane McMahon (Steel Cage), Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio (United States Championship), Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari (Cruiserweight Championship), Daniel Bryan & Rowan vs. The Usos (kickoff show).
In this article, let’s break down every match and take a look at what was good and bad about the show.
#1 Kickoff show: Daniel Bryan & Rowan vs. The Usos
Storyline background: Daniel Bryan & Rowan defeated The Usos to become SmackDown Tag Team champions after the titles were vacated by Matt Hardy and the injured Jeff Hardy. Despite The Usos being assigned to Raw, they have continued to appear on SmackDown Live as part of the ‘Wild Card Rule’, meaning their rivalry with the new champions has continued.
Match summary: The Usos mocked their opponents pre-match with Spongebob Squarepants references, prompting a "Spongebob Squarepants" chant from the crowd. Bryan & Rowan were in control for large stages but The Usos turned things around when they hit a series of superkicks on Rowan at ringside before landing top-rope splashes on Bryan at the same time. Jimmy Uso then pinned Bryan for the win.
Verdict: The match was of good quality, as you would expect from these four guys, but this weekly theme of champions losing non-title matches has got to stop, especially against opponents from a different brand. Bryan & Rowan only won the titles two weeks ago and they have already lost fair and square in a tag match. How are we supposed to take title reigns seriously when champions lose so frequently?
Grade: C+