WWE.com and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly breaks down WWE Money in the Bank and Raw with his "best" superlatives for the two shows.
WWE MONEY IN THE BANK
*Note: For a PLE, the best moments of each match are considered
ROMAN REIGNS vs. LA KNIGHT (The incredible near-title change): There were so many memorable moments from this World Heavyweight Championship Match. The fact that Reigns made Knight wait for an uncomfortable amount of time before his music hit is a total boss move. It felt (at least to me) like an intentional power play to test Knight’s tolerance and patience. It’s part of Reigns' current state of mind. But the best moment had to be the incredible near-title change when Knight caught Reigns with The BFT. Reigns barely kicked out before the referee finished his three-count (tremendous job by the ref). That, plus Cole telling the audience that nobody has ever kicked out of Knight’s move created the ambiguity that maybe Knight did win. It was a great moment that kept Knight from being buried by another title match loss.
WOMEN’S MITB LADDER MATCH (Tiffany’s scary tumble): I don’t know if I would call this the best moment, but it definitely stood out. Tiffany Stratton’s swan dive off the top of the ladder and onto the floor at the Smoothie King Center was both spectacular and scary as hell. You can lean toward spectacular since Stratton didn’t get hurt and won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, but it's something that won’t soon be forgotten. These six women all had their “wow!” moments, with the Sol Snatcher near the top. Lola Vice and Roxanne Perez bouncing off a ladder like ping-pong balls was wild, too. Overall, we saw some scary moments.
OBA FEMI vs. BRONSON REED (Oba’s shot put): The best individual moments of this match were the sheer power, athleticism and physicality that these two put on display. Oba Femi’s pair of shot puts on Reed stood out most, but the whole match made you say “wow” out loud. But if this match didn’t have the physicality, then something went awry. It delivered, but I would be remiss not to throw flowers at Bronson Reed's feet. His power was still there, but he moved quicker, his moves were crisper and his high-flying antics (for a 300-pounder) were worth noticing.
LIV MORGAN vs. STEPHANIE VAQUER vs. BECKY LYNCH: (Double submission): Michael Cole said it best when he asked who would win if Morgan had tapped out with both Lynch and Vaquer administering a submission move. Who would’ve won? Good question, Cole. The double move lasted about 10 seconds and was broken up by a couple of head butts, but it was more than just a unique move. It was a nugget of what was to come between Vaquer and Lynch on Raw.
MEN’S MITB LADDER MATCH (Ambulatory Evans): It says something when you have stars like CM Punk, Kevin Owens, Penta, Bron Breakker and Trick Williams, and the most “unknown" of the bunch stands out the most. That was Je’Von Evans. Evans put his body on the line and really earned attention. If his mid-air spear from Breakker wasn’t enough, driving an ambulance to the ring and then crashing through the roof of said ambulance off of a 15-foot ladder will never be forgotten. You could say it'll be memorable forever. Evans showed grit and determination against the company’s top players.
RAW
BEST MOMENT (Carmelo Hayes joining The 946): The best moment of Raw is when Carmelo Hayes revealed himself as seemingly the latest member of The 946, thus strengthening the faction even more. Nobody saw this coming. Hayes hasn’t been seen on television in a while, and removing his photo from his social media accounts fueled speculation. He's now seemingly the newest member of the hottest faction in WWE. What I like about it, other than nobody saw it coming, is that he offers an alternative to the group of big, tough, aggressive members.
BEST MIC MOMENT (Oba Femi and Paul Heyman): Typically, if Heyman is involved in something that involves talking, he wins and wins substantially. I am not saying his interaction with Oba wasn’t top-notch, especially with Heyman’s undertones of being a rudderless Advocate desperate to latch onto his next big thing. Heyman’s butt-kissing of Oba was quite transparent, but that was the entire point. Femi wasn’t having any of it. Oba’s meteoric rise to the top of WWE has been based on his look and his ability, but he’s low-key great on the microphone. Femi didn’t have much to say to Heyman other than reminding him he’s not Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns, but the point was made loud and clear—special shout-out to grabbing Heyman’s microphone during his pitch and throwing it out of the ring.
BEST MATCH (Chad Gable vs. Ray Fenix | Intercontinental Title Match): You don’t even have to be a hardcore wrestling fan to realize that you were watching something special with Gable against Fenix. But that was to be expected. Fenix and Gable spent a lot of time together on the mat when the latter was in the role of El Grande Americano, and that came through on Monday. At more than one point in the match, you felt that Fenix was going to win the title. Now, I didn’t love that Fenix tapped out despite controlling the entire match, but it made sense why he tapped. Somehow Gable won the match and made Fenix look better. It was a spectacular match, and I’d be remiss not to point out the tone of Joe Tessitore and Corey Graves' call, which elevated the gravity of the match.
BEST MOMENT: (Je’Von Evans/Penta/Bron Breakker): The opening moments of Raw ultimately focused on Bron Breakker re-establishing himself as "The Badass" he is after losing the Money in the Bank Ladder Match by attacking Evans and Penta, but Evans came out looking the best. Evans returning after his brutal fall at WWE Money in the Bank gave the crowd a chance to show their gratitude, and it made him look even more like the good guy in all of this, especially when he pushed Penta out of the way to save himself from Breakker’s nasty Spear. It wasn’t flashy, but it was needed and well done.
MVP: (Solo Sikoa): Solo Sikoa continues to impress with the range of things he can do, and he showed it on Raw. Solo had two backstage moments with The Usos, and then LA Knight did nothing to clarify his intentions. What is his relationship with Roman Reigns? Is he setting up LA Knight? We don’t know. Then, he gets in the ring and instantly becomes the key component of the main event with The 946 before Hayes showed up. Just imagine, we didn’t see any of his unique sense of humor on this night. Solo Sikoa shone more than anyone in my eyes throughout Raw.
