WWE Money In The Bank predictions by @LukeWachob

This Sunday, WWE presents Money In The Bank, one of the company’s more must-see shows of the year if you ask me. The eponymous (titular?) ‘Money in the Bank’ ladder match pits six wrestlers against one another, with the winner earning a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at the time of their choosing. On top of that, this year’s card features John Cena vs. AJ Styles and Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It’s sure to be a big night, so let’s make some predictions.

Pre-show: Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

This feud was a good idea but I’m ready to move on now. Corbin, who made his main roster debut at WrestleMania, has a lot of potential as a heel and should be working with guys who can generate sympathy and turn crowds against him. Ziggler can be exciting in the ring but his character has never been someone I want to cheer for. Make Corbin look strong with a win here and then get him a fresh opponent.

Pre-show: Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews

Apollo Crews hasn’t made the impact I was hoping for since signing with WWE. Whether it’s his work in NXT or on the main roster, Crews hasn’t been a factor in major storylines and hasn’t stolen any shows with match-of-the-night performances. He’s athletic, enthusiastic and photogenic, but something is lacking. Maybe a Brogue Kick to the face will set him straight. I’ll pick Sheamus to win and cross my fingers for a program between the two that finally moves Apollo’s character forward.

U.S. Championship Match: Rusev (c) vs. Titus O’Neil

You don’t often hear his name mentioned with the likes of Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, but I think Rusev belongs with the best of WWE’s new new generation. After a mostly wasted year of bad love triangles and lame factions, I’d like to see him rise back up the card with a lengthy U.S. title run. That means a win for the Bulgarian Brute Sunday.

Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (c) vs. The Club vs. Enzo and Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillains

Popular babyface champions who have had a long run with the belts? Check. Struggling heel tag teams that need a push to stay alive? Check. A gimmick match that allows a new team to win without the old champs losing? Check. I’m seeing all the ingredients of a title change here. Both the Vaudevillains and the Club need help, but here’s the difference: the Vaudevillains are a comedy act, the Club is supposed to be intimidating. They haven’t been so far, at least not enough, and that needs to change. Anderson and Gallows should win the belts Sunday and start dominating the tag division.

Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Natalya and Becky Lynch

WWE’s decision to keep Sasha Banks off TV lately feels like preparation for a Charlotte-Sasha title match at SummerSlam in August. That would be awesome, but in the meantime we’re left watching the champ tread water with women she’s beaten before. Natty and Becky win Sunday, but Charlotte isn’t dropping the title anytime soon, or to any of the women in this match.

AJ Styles vs. John Cena

Before I predict who wins, let me make a prediction about the match itself: it’s going to steal the show. AJ has been on fire for months and Cena’s been out of action since October. It’s a matchup we’ve never seen before between guys who think of themselves as the best in the world at what they do. I’m sure we’ll get rematches, but I’m hoping #1 is a classic by itself.

As for the outcome, I think Cena wins. We’ve already seen the “new guy from the indies surprises Cena with upset victory” storyline with Kevin Owens. To really get AJ over as a dastardly heel, put Cena over clean and force Styles to play dirty to keep up.

Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Alberto Del Rio

Ah, the big question: who will go home Sunday night with the Money in the Bank briefcase, one small step away from becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion? This is where it helps to remember WWE is splitting its brands again. With two champions, WWE can afford to make an unconventional choice for one of them, and the MITB could be used to justify a midcard wrestler suddenly ascending to the top.

That’s why I’m picking Kevin Owens. Like Stone Cold Steve Austin, I believe Owens deserves a run with the championship. Vince McMahon has a certain preferred look for his top star that Owens doesn’t fit but having two champions solves that problem – send Roman to the Today Show while Owens is running roughshod over Smackdown.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins

A bunch of weak episodes of RAW have watered down the hype for what should be a great match. But this early in Roman’s run, is there really any doubt about the outcome? I predict wrestling stuff happens for 15 minutes before The Big Dog gets the pinfall victory on a spear.  Nothing wrong with that – in fact we’ll probably see it again next month.