WWE Money In The Bank 2019
Running Time: 272 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 2
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: July 8 2019
(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)
Money In The Bank marked the first PPV after WrestleMania 35 as we moved into a new era of sorts, given that Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston were (and still are) the top titleholders in WWE. But whilst their matches received the most hype, it was a familiar face who would be the talking point.
The women’s MITB Ladder match kicks things off, and it’s a pretty good bout, though I felt it was a bit rushed. Bayley grabs the briefcase, and as it turned out, her night was not over. A brief Samoa Joe-Rey Mysterio encounter leaves a lasting impression with Joe cut open badly and Mysterio suffering a separated shoulder in the aftermath. The Miz and Shane McMahon’s feud continued inside a Steel Cage, though the match is a bit dull, and Shane’s victory (albeit a lucky one) seemed to remove any chance of Miz benefitting from the rivalry, though their hostilities remain ongoing to this day.
Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari for the Cruiserweight Championship is proficiently-performed, but in front of a crowd largely ignorant to 205 Live, it doesn’t exactly receive the strongest reactions despite their best efforts. Becky Lynch then pulls double duty by defending both her Raw and SmackDown Women’s Titles against Lacey Evans and Charlotte Flair; she gets past Lacey, but succumbs to Charlotte, ironically because of Lacey. However, Charlotte also has to wrestle twice as Bayley chooses to cash in her newly-won MITB case, and triumphs in a memorable moment.
The hurried nature of the card continued as Roman Reigns pins Elias in seconds, albeit after Elias attacked him backstage and led an extended concert in the ring prior to the bell. We then get the true highlight of the show, a classic Universal Championship battle between Seth Rollins and AJ Styles which lives up to the hype; hopefully, we will get a rematch down the line between these two. Lars Sullivan pounding Lucha House Party prevents their scheduled contest from occurring, which is followed by Kofi Kingston successfully retaining his WWE Title against Kevin Owens in a well-worked bout, but one which cannot compare to Rollins vs. Styles.
The main event is the men’s MITB Ladder match, which is organised chaos in the best way. Indeed, it is chock-full of hair-raising stunts, some of which have to be seen to be believed. Everybody grafts, but their efforts are ultimately all for naught, as Brock Lesnar shockingly appears to replace Sami Zayn (who himself was replacing Braun Strowman), quickly cleans house, and wins the MITB contract for himself. I loved the surprise ending, though some did not simply because it was Lesnar that benefitted. That we then got Beat Box Brock (a repackaging that nobody saw coming) will hopefully have made up for the result in the eyes of cynics; it still remains a debate as to when Lesnar cashes in, and if he is successful when doing so.
On the whole, there have definitely been better PPVs, but Money In The Bank 2019 does have its moments (in particular Seth vs. AJ and the men’s MITB Ladder match), so while a DVD purchase is not essential, it would also be worthwhile.
Overall Rating: 7/10 – Respectable
