WWE Money in the Bank 2019
May 19, 2019
XL Center
Hartford, Connecticut

Watch: WWE Network

Meet our previewers

August Baker: Taking advantage of the VOW Wildcard Rule, August is back to preview a WWE event, and he brought his tag team partner, 15-month-old Baby Abigail, to help make predictions. Since she calls everyone she sees “Dada!” she will be making her picks by choosing between a random assortment of blocks. So just like the WWE booking team! Follow on Twitter @augustbaker12.

Kevin Wilson: Hello everybody! I think this my first ever WWE preview at Voices of Wrestling after five years on staff so I hope I do it right. I watch WWE TV very intently every week so I am sure my predictions will be better than some baby anyway. Follow me on Twitter @JoshiPuro where I never talk about WWE but I sometimes post cool Kana pictures.

Daniel Bryan & Rowan vs. The Usos

August: Daniel Bryan continues to prove that he can do no wrong. He’s probably the only heel in WWE who you actually want to see lose a match, as opposed to just not want to see at all. So, of course, he gets stuck on the pre-show. Oh well. This should still be pretty good if you ignore the two commercial breaks that will undoubtedly interrupt it. Uso’s are a great team, and Rowan works best in tag situations. While the Uso’s are a pushed commodity, The Planet’s Champions should hold these belts for a good long while. Prediction: August – Bryan & Rowan. Abigail – Bryan & Rowan

Kevin: Poor Daniel Bryan. One day he is on top of the world, the next he is wrestling on the pre-show. Which WWE will tell you it is just as prestigious but in reality, at least 20% of this match will be shown on split screen while they promote the real show. Even with the Wildcard Rule, I don’t think they’d give The Usos the SmackDown titles, plus I don’t think Bryan will be losing another belt so quickly. But it should be a good match anyway. Prediction: Bryan & Rowan

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Tony Nese © vs. Ariya Daivari

August: 205 Live was my favorite hour of wrestling every week. It was easily the best thing WWE was putting out, and unless New Japan had a stellar main event, 205 was still my top pick. But they replaced Mustafa Ali, Buddy Murphy, and Cedric Alexander with Tony Nese, Davari, and Michael Bennet. The word “downgrade” is not nearly strong enough. Speaking of, how are Murphy and Cedric doing on Raw and Smackdown? Sure would be nice to see them once in a while. Nese should keep the title I guess. The fewer main events Davari has, the more interesting 205 Live will be. Prediction: August – Tony Nese. Abigail – She grabbed both blocks at the same time. So I guess a no contest?

Kevin: Even though only six people watch 205 Live, at least in the past you could always count on them putting on a killer match on the PPVs. I think that streak is over. Like my good friend August, I am rooting for the lesser of two evils in Tony Nese, although either way this feels like a big step down from the caliber of matches we used to get. Probably the match I am least excited about on the show, which says a lot since Roman/Elias is coming up later. Prediction: Tony Nese

WWE United States Championship
Samoa Joe © vs. Rey Mysterio

August: If Joe is going to threaten and stalk people’s families in every feud, he needs to wear some face paint and carry around a machete. The two obviously have a better match then what we got at WrestleMania, so hopefully, this will be it. The involvement, or lack thereof, of Dominic, makes this hard to predict, but Joe should probably lose the belt to someone with some future upside like Ali. Prediction: August – Samoa Joe. Abigail – Rey Mysterio

Kevin: I am emotionally torn on this one. Samoa Joe is a good heel and I have really enjoyed his programs lately, but I am also a life-long Mysterio mark and it would be fun to see him win a title one last time. Samoa Joe still feels fresh as champion and there are a lot of options for him on SmackDown to take on next so I would give him the edge here. Still, if Mysterio gets a flash pin win I won’t complain. Prediction: Samoa Joe

Steel Cage Match
The Miz vs. Shane McMahon

August: Do y’all watch Miz and Mrs? Of course you don’t. You, unlike me, are a viewer of discerning taste. Meanwhile, I have seen a few episodes. While the show does make the Miz into a likable dude, it doesn’t make him into a badass. Coincidentally, despite beating guys like the B Team and Sanity single-handedly, WWE television has also not made Miz look like a badass. Vegas wouldn’t take odds on Shane falling from the top of the cage, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Shane wins the match, but Miz gets a moral victory by knocking Shane off the top. Prediction: August – Shane McMahon. Abigail – The Miz

Kevin: The running joke with Shane for the last few years is that he keeps getting put in matches where he can find high things to jump off of, but WWE isn’t even being subtle about it here. I like Shane and his utter lack of concern for his personal health, it is a quality gimmick and one I fully support. I am however starting to get tired of these two together so I am hoping Miz wins and gets out of this feud. My prediction within a prediction is that Miz finally hits that high spot that Daddy always wanted him to and he wins after a successful big dive of his own, putting away Shane for good. Prediction: The Miz

Roman Reigns vs. Elias

August: No one still likes Roman. Poor Roman. Meanwhile, Elias is a highlight of every segment. This is a superficial match though, that doesn’t really have a point. They’re not really feuding about anything except vague McMahon bullshit, and vague McMahon bullshit is my least favorite thing in wrestling. Roman’s match at Mania was disappointing so it will be interesting to see if that was the start of a trend or an anomaly. Prediction: August – Roman Reigns. Abigail – Elias

Kevin: So they get Roman back, he does the talk show tour, fans are actually cheering him as a solo wrestler for the first time in years, and so his first post-WM PPV match is against…. Elias. Great job. Now I love Elias but I love him as a guitar-playing asshole, not seeing him in matches like this. It also does Roman no favors as since Elias isn’t a great wrestler, the chances of this being a good match are pretty slim. The longer it goes the more the fans will lose interest, and they will eventually either go to the bathroom or start booing. A really low level and lazy match, Roman needs to win in three minutes or less or they have really lost their minds. Prediction:  Roman Reigns

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Natalya vs. Dana Brooke vs. Naomi vs. Bayley vs. Mandy Rose vs. Ember Moon vs. Carmella vs Nikki Cross

August: Nikki Cross being Alexa Bliss’s dumb friend who gets manipulated is the most interesting thing she has done on WWE television, mostly because it’s the only thing she’s done on WWE television. Looking at the lineup doesn’t fill me with hope that this match will be any good, unfortunately. Two duds and a lot of “competent, I guess” people in this match. My prediction is based on who would be most interesting to cash in the contract later in the night. Baby Abigail’s prediction is based on an assorted mix of colored cups. Prediction: August – Bayley. Abigail – Naomi.

Kevin: These are hard to predict so to help myself, I first cross out the wrestlers I think can’t win. So not Natalya, Dana Brooke, Ember Moon, Carmella, or Nikki Cross. They have so many different directions they can go with Becky currently having two belts, as I assume she will lose one of them tonight. I am down to Mandy Rose or Bayley, I’ll guess that Becky wins twice and then it is Mandy that cashes in to win a title, as when in doubt, go with the blonde. Prediction: Mandy Rose

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Sami Zayn vs. Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Baron Corbin vs. Ali vs. Finn Balor vs. Andrade vs. Randy Orton

August: Lots of potential winners here. In fact, I think an argument could be made for anyone except Ali to walk out with the briefcase. If they want the briefcase to go to a young high flyer, Ricochet is right there. So allow me to make the case for Sami. Sami is exactly what WWE wants their heels to be, an annoying slimy prick who says what management really thinks. And with some hints of a renewal of his alliance with Kevin Owens, heel Sami with the briefcase would be the most entertaining, especially if his “friend” wins the WWE title. Just keep it off Baron Corbin, please. Keep everything, including cameras, off Baron Corbin. Prediction: August – Sami Zayn. Abigail – Sami Zayn

Kevin: Unlike the women’s Money in the Bank match, this one is harder as there are fewer wrestlers I can just cross off. So many good options for potential winners. I am down to either Ricochet or Drew McIntyre, as I think Corbin will get a title shot without the briefcase and Sami is too goofy. Between those two I will go with McIntyre as it just feels like something Vince would do to get him re-elevated after having so little success against Roman lately. I doubt he’d make having a briefcase part of his ‘gimmick’ like some wrestlers do so it would be a quicker cash-in, but I don’t think the winner will cash in later tonight like I believe the women’s winner may do. Prediction: Drew McIntyre

WWE Universal Championship
Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

August: This should be considered a dream match, but has received almost no hype. Maybe because there’s no real story here. Maybe because Styles hasn’t had a great match in over a year. This could be a great match. It could also be a boring “epic” match that no one cares about. If I had to make a prediction, I lean towards the latter, unfortunately. This is an important match for both guys. AJ needs to prove he can still go, and Seth needs to prove that he can make people care about him. Prediction: August – Seth Rollins. Abigail – AJ Styles

Kevin: What a dream match! I am mostly optimistic that this match will be good as their styles should match together pretty well. I don’t foresee any scenario that Styles wins, it doesn’t really fit with the story as the feud feels a bit forced and like they are just filling time until Seth moves on to McIntrye or Corbin. Hopefully, even with the obvious end result, they both step up and don’t coast through with a safe and forgettable match. Prediction: Seth Rollins

WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch © vs. Lacey Evans

August: Maybe it’s my relentless optimism about the WWE product (ha!) but I don’t think it’s too late to make Becky Lynch a breakout star. They did her wrong in the post Rumble pre Mania story, but two strong wins at this show could fix a lot of ills. If WWE wants to make a star, they have to win matches. John Cena, a star, won big matches. Roman Reigns, not a star, lost big matches. If they want Becky to be a star, she has to win both of these matches and do so without shenanigans. And she definitely needs to win this one. There might be upside to Lacey Evans, but it’s way too soon for her to beat the person who just won the main event of WrestleMania. Prediction: August – Becky Lynch. Abigail – Lacy Evans

Kevin: To say that Becky’s run since WrestleMania hasn’t done her any favors would be an understatement, and as a big fan of hers it has been disappointing to hear her reactions get softer and softer as fans slowly give up. The feud against Evans was poorly thought out as no one gives a shit about Evans, and when fans don’t care about the challenger it is harder to care about the champion. Becky better win this and should win this, otherwise, she may as well go ahead and hop in the coffin as her run at the top would be over. A truly uninspiring title defense and one that needs to end as quickly as possible. Prediction: Becky Lynch

WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch © vs. Charlotte Flair

August: So while I think Becky can be a superstar, she’s not there yet, and the overexposure of being on both shows dilutes her presence. So I think she needs to win both of her matches, but lose one of the belts. Good thing this is Money in the Bank! If my pick of Bayley winning the briefcase is correct, it would cement a new attitude for her and immediately freshen up the main event scene on Smackdown. While I’m generally over the MitB concept, this is what it was made for. As for this match itself, it will be fine, but no doubt dragged down by it being Becky’s second match of the night. Prediction: August – Becky Lynch. Abigail – Becky Lynch

Kevin: I assume these two matches won’t really be back to back, and whether one or the other title match is before the MITB match could tip off who wins these matches. Anyway, this will be one of the better in-ring matches on the show (or should be), but as Becky points out we have seen these two wrestle so many times that there isn’t much new to say about it. I don’t see a scenario where Becky leaves this show with two titles so this is the one I think she loses. Since I think Becky will ultimately lose the title, either she wins the match and gets cashed in on, or she loses to Charlotte. There is a lot to consider here but I’ll go with Becky winning and then Mandy Rose cashing in on her. But if Bayley does win the MITB, that opens up the winner of this match as I could see Bayley cashing in on either one. But I’ll stick with my original prediction and guess Becky wins both the scheduled title matches. Prediction: Becky Lynch

WWE Championship
Kofi Kingston © vs. Kevin Owens

August: This is maybe the hardest singles match to pick on the show. Taking the belt off Kofi now might feel like cutting the legs off from under him, but Owens is someone they are going to push, and I like the idea of him being champion while Sami holds the MitB briefcase. With Big E gone, it’s easy enough for Kofi to lose with the excuse that he didn’t have his friends behind him. They would pretty much be invalidating the best thing that happened at WrestleMania though, but the thing about “moments” is they don’t last forever. Prediction: August – Kevin Owens. Abigail – Kofi Kingston

Kevin: Even though August struggled here, I already called Vegas and put all my money on Kofi. It does feel too soon to take the belt off of him and while I really like Kevin Owens I don’t think he needs the belt right now to continue his path. WWE has been more willing recently to end events with non-endings (or dumb endings) and I think that will happen again here. I don’t think Kofi will win clean but it will be an Owens DQ or just a brawl to end the show. So Owens will stay protected and the feud will continue, but Kofi will walk out with the title. Prediction: Kofi Kingston