What we learned from WWE Money in the Bank 2015

Sunday night’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view opened with a solemn 10-bell salute to Dusty Rhodes, who passed away on Friday. A spectacular video tribute aired later in the show and the presence of “The American Dream” was felt throughout the evening, owing in large part to the strong NXT presence on the PPV. Rhodes has had his fingerprints all over the WWE’s developmental system, which has produced current WWE main roster talents like Neville, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Big E, Xavier Woods, Paige, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. It was poignant and moving to be reminded that such a beloved pillar of wrestling’s past has so indelibly shaped the stars of WWE’s present and future.

In Dusty’s honor, everyone put forward their very best performances on Sunday night. The result was a Money in the Bank that was memorable and moved a lot of things forward in fun and exciting ways.

In the match on the Kickoff show, Barrett debuted a new regal shirt-type entrance gear, but snazzy new duds couldn’t net him a win. R-Truth got the pin with a crucifix.

What we learned: R-Truth celebrated with Barrett’s crown for a bit following the match, so we may be continuing this feud. Perhaps the “King” title will be passed like days of yore? I could definitely get behind a “King Truth” run. His royal Truthness would be a lot of fun and allow for the return of our beloved Bad News Barrett.

In a bit of a surprise (and a move that appeared to telegraph the end of the show), the titular Money in the Bank match kicked off the PPV proper. Everyone in the world expected Roman Reigns to win this match (and when it went on first, to cash in his title shot at the end of the show). But when Reigns appeared to have the match won, the lights went off and Bray Wyatt appeared, attacking Reigns and costing him the briefcase. Sheamus survived a desperate salvo from Neville to grab the case for the win and the guaranteed title shot.

What we learned: This was a really great match that moved a surprising amount of things forward. Sheamus now has a much-needed added level of threat and importance being the new Mr. Money in the Bank and appears to have a ready-made feud with Neville, which should be exciting. Wyatt vs. Reigns is actually a pretty fresh new match-up and pits the company’s golden boy against someone who COULD be the golden boy on the heel side of the equation. (Later in the PPV, WWE announced that Reigns and Wyatt will face off in a singles match at next month’s Battleground PPV.) Even Kofi Kingston and the New Day looked like serious threats with their strength in numbers when Big E and Xavier Woods came to Kofi’s aid. For a few moments, it really seemed like Kofi (KOFI!) could be the next in line for a big world title shot.

After a really, really, really good match, Paige thought she had the match won after “twin magic” backfired and she pinned Paige. Apparently the pinfalls don’t work AGAINST the Bellas as a result of “twin magic” and the ref waved off the pinfall. While Paige was focused on Brie, Nikki sneaked back into the ring and hit Paige with the Rack Attack for the win.

What we learned: A very clever, but disappointing finish. One would think Paige has enough of a beef with both Bellas to continue the feud and get one more shot at the title, but during the match, a backstage shot showed every other Diva on the main roster watching on a monitor. So it seems like a shake-up might be coming soon and we could get a new challenger or two in the mix for the title.

The match ended with a disqualification victory for Big Show (meaning the title does not change hands) after The Miz appeared and attacked both men.

What we learned: The feud will continue, but will now include The Miz. This just means the feud will only get better, because The Miz is great and can carry a feud solely based on how good he is at getting people to hate him. It feels like we haven’t had a simple and direct three-way feud in a while, so go ahead and bring it on, I say.

In a rematch of the already-classic Kevin Owens debut, which happened two weeks ago at Elimination Chamber. The second time around, these two had what very well may be the match of the year so far. The ending was what we all expected, as Cena won, but it took three Attitude Adjustments and several new moves to put Owens away.

What we learned: As disappointing as it was to see Cena get his win back, WWE actually managed to make Owens not look like an also-ran putz as he pushed Cena to his absolute limit as few people have other than Brock Lesnar. When the match ended, Cena tried to tell Owens he belongs in WWE and shake his hand, but Owens attacked him and gave him the apron powerbomb, the move that put Sami Zayn out of action twice. Owens taunted him and tossed Cena’s United States Championship down as Cena had to be helped to the back. This feud appears to be heading toward a rubber match and surprisingly, everything remains compelling and exciting. The crowd was rabid for Owens and for this match, so here’s hoping he can win the best-of-three and get catapulted into superstardom, where he belongs.

In a very fun but pretty short match, the Prime Time Players picked up their first championship after the title changed hands when Titus O’Neil hit Xavier Woods with a sit-out powerbomb.

What we learned: It seems a bit premature for the New Day to lose the titles so soon, especially when they were just starting to build a head of steam, but both of these teams deserve some time in the spotlight right now. It will be interesting to see what a prolonged feud between the two teams can lead to, rather than a short two-week build since Elimination Chamber.

This was another terrific match and nearly outdid the Owens vs. Cena match. Rollins and Ambrose, bitter rivals, completely went to war with one another for nearly half an hour and Rollins finally won the big one, all on his own.

What we learned: The match had more or less a photo finish, as both men had their hands on the belt as they fell off the ladder, but Rollins wound up in full possession when they both hit the ground, so I guess ladder matches have the same possession rules as the NFL. Makes sense. Both Rollins and Ambrose looked incredible here and Ambrose still has a strong, legitimate claim to the belt. These two can go at it for the rest of the year as far as I’m concerned. If this feud continues, just fine by me. But this match should do plenty to silence detractors of both Rollins and Ambrose, as they proved they belong firmly on the top of the card.

★★★

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