WWE Money in the Bank 2023 is coming up this Saturday and before the event takes place, let’s run down everything you need to know about the upcoming pay-per-view.
Who is scheduled for the card? How interesting does the show seem? What’s going to happen with all the matches?
Here is a full preview of WWE Money in the Bank 2023.
PPV EVENT INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, July 1, 2023
Start Time: 2 p.m. ET (kickoff), 3 p.m. ET (main show)
Location: O2 Arena, London, England
MATCH CARD, PREDICTIONS & HEAT INDEX ANTICIPATION LEVELS
(as currently advertised; card is always subject to change)
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
MEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH:
Butch vs. Damian Priest vs. LA Knight vs. Logan Paul vs. Ricochet vs. Santos Escobar vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Logan Paul wins.
Thoughts: I like every single one of these guys, but not a single one of them gives me the impression they’re going to successfully cash in their briefcase. These dudes are doomed. And by proxy, this Money in the Bank ladder match feels like one of the least star-studded or least important ones of them all. The bell-to-bell action should be fun. It’s a ladder match with many talented people involved. But the only scenario I can imagine WWE getting ANYTHING out of is Logan Paul winning, just to set him up for a cash-in failure that people laugh at, after being upset that he wins this.
WOMEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH:
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Iyo Sky vs. Trish Stratus vs. Zelina Vega vs. Zoey Stark
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Iyo Sky wins.
Thoughts: Much like the men’s match, I just don’t think the women this year have much of a chance to make any big waves. There’s a 100% success rate so far with the women’s MITB. This is the year one of them fails, I think. At most, I can picture Iyo Sky cashing in on Asuka and winning the belt to upset Bayley and start a feud between those two, but that effectively pushes Asuka, Bianca Belair AND Charlotte Flair out of the scene. Flair probably would just beat Sky to win the title down the line, maybe. I think the match is going to be kind of a wreck and the winner won’t have much to show for it, but I hope I’m wrong about both.
BLOODLINE CIVIL WAR TAG TEAM MATCH:
Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa win.
Thoughts: Either The Usos win by having Solo Sikoa take the fall, or, which I feel is more likely, The Usos lose and this is their means to just hit the reset button. It’s all dependent upon whether or not WWE wants to milk it even longer and have either one of The Usos fight Roman Reigns at the next event for the title. But I think we’ll be seeing Reigns against someone else, be it Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio or maybe even a guest act. Ultimately, the most this can lead to is Jimmy or Jey having grounds to challenge and lose a title match in August.
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Seth Rollins wins.
Thoughts: For a first post-title win feud, this works. Balor’s established enough and a viable threat, even though he absolutely will not win that belt here. Rollins gets to fight an opponent that allows him room to go up from here (eventually losing the belt to Gunther, I’m assuming) and Balor being European can tap into that crowd a bit more, too, even though he’s not from the UK itself. This is all very logical booking and I can only assume the logical outcome is what will take place, with Rollins retaining and no Money in the Bank cash-in to follow any time soon.
WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez
Heat Index = Chilly
Prediction: Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler win.
Thoughts: This is pretty straightforward stuff. Rousey and Baszler aren’t dropping those titles until at least around SummerSlam, if not much later. They’re certainly not losing them back to the champions who only won them because Rousey and Baszler weren’t healed up in time to win them as originally planned. This is just a means to get some people on the card, and I don’t expect much out of it.
SINGLES MATCH:
Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio
Heat Index = Chilly
Prediction: Cody Rhodes wins.
Thoughts: Look. I’m a big fan of Cody Rhodes. I think Dominik’s stuff has been fun. But this match is a joke. What is the rational explanation for Cody not being even interested in ATTEMPTING to join a qualifying match for Money in the Bank? The guy’s character is always talking about “finishing the story” and he just fights Brock Lesnar for a few months, and then moves on to Dominik Mysterio?? And you mean to tell me this is your big plan that was worth not giving him the belt? Nope. I’m not liking it. Just admit that you only cared about Roman Reigns reaching certain records and that you don’t have a backup plan for how to keep Cody hot, so you’re now trying to just do whatever to fill the void.
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Gunther (c) vs. Matt Riddle
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Gunther wins.
Thoughts: Riddle is one of the best options on the Raw roster to be fed to Gunther right now. He’s someone who will act as a good stepping stone on Gunther’s journey toward the main event, but he’s also someone who can bounce back from a loss. Riddle’s carefree attitude will allow him to come up short, brush it off, and start a feud with someone else. Plus, I’m assuming this match will be rather good. I don’t expect Match of the Year territory, but I do think it’ll be a worthwhile fight to watch. Gunther keeps the belt, as they’re not too far off from having him beat Honky Tonk Man’s record in September.
OVERALL PPV:
How excited am I for the event as a whole?
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Thoughts: Ladder matches can be fun or a mess. There’s a chance some big moves are made here and an even bigger chance this ends up being a rather fruitless endeavor in the grand scheme of things. Some matches outside of those have potential, too, and others feel like they don’t serve much of a purpose. I’m not getting my hopes up, but I also hope that I’m wrong and this ends up kicking all sorts of ass.
What do you think is going to happen at WWE Money in the Bank? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!
