What WWE Needs to do for MiTB to Succeed
Credit: New York Post
What WWE Needs to do for Money in The Bank to Succeed
With “Money in the Bank” arriving this Sunday on Peacock and the WWE Network, I feel as though a vast majority of wrestling fans are undermining the importance of this upcoming pay-per-view: this will be the first major event from WWE on their return to the road. With that being said, I believe there are a couple things that WWE can do to make sure that “Money in the Bank” goes off without a hitch and is an enjoyable experience all around.
During the “Thunderdome Era”, in which fans attended events virtually as a safety precaution against COVID-19, WWE played a heavy hand in influencing the atmosphere of certain matches by inserting fake cheers and boos. However, when “Money in the Bank” goes live on the 16th, there will be fans in the audience who will be expressing their own views. I believe WWE should not attempt to mute the crowd or alter their reactions. Although inserting cheers and boos is a development of the Thunderdome Era, WWE does have a history of altering audience responses. Such was the case of Seth Rollins, who had the promo of his audio adjusted so that the United Kingdom crowd’s boos could not be heard during the televised broadcast.
The unpredictability of live crowds have always been an interesting quirk of not just WWE, but professional wrestling. While I understand WWE and their creative team have their own idea about how they want their crowd to react to certain superstars, returning to a live crowd only to control their responses may leave fans questioning why WWE didn’t just stay at the Thunderdome.
Another point of contention that WWE should be focused on is creating captivating opportunities with The “Money in The Bank” ladder match. The match’s winner needs to either leave fans paranoid about their favorite champion losing the belt or excited for the prospect of their favorite getting a chance at it.
Looking at the current contenders for the men's “Money in the Bank'' match, WWE should pin the contract to either Ricochet, Big E, or Nakamura, as these stars have garnered cult followings that would help give them the boost they need to get up to the main roster. Not only that, it could also lead to more interesting storylines. For example, should Big E win the contract, we could end up seeing him feud with Roman Reigns, which would bring both phenomenal matches and storylines.
While Drew McIntyre had a massive streak in 2020 and practically carried Monday Night Raw during the pandemic, I believe he should not win the briefcase. If he wins, it more than likely means McIntyre will cash in on Bobby Lashley, not only continuing a rivalry that has already gone on long enough, but also potentially pushing the fans against McIntyre due to overexposure.
I can’t comment yet on the Women's ladder match, due to some remaining unconfirmed stars but I believe either Naomi, Nikki Cross, or Zelina Vega should take the case as they could use the boost in their careers compared to everyone else currently in the match. Over the past couple years, all three of these women have shown their strengths of getting over with the fans and being work horses for the company. It seems only right to put the briefcase on one of these three.
For example, Naomi winning could result in her either feuding with Charlotte Flair later on down the line on Monday Night RAW, which would not only bring about stellar matches, but also a large amount of hype given both women’s massive followings. If Zelina Vega wins, she could feud with Bianca Belair. This would not only give Vega the jumpstart she needs following her return to the company, but also allow WWE to showcase both women’s talent on the mic and in the ring.
“Money in the Bank” will no doubt be the talk of all wrestling fans next Sunday. Whether this discussion will be positive or negative remains to be seen. So long as WWE lets the fans be heard and matches that end the way they should, this pay per view could be the start of a great run for WWE.