It’s one thing to predict the winners and losers at Money in the Bank 2018, but how about taking a guess at the match order on that card? WWE has announced 9 different matches for the main card of Money in the Bank 2018, excluding the Kickoff match featuring Bludgeon Brothers versus Gallows & Anderson. Here is my subjective view of how important each of these 9 segments rank on the Money in the Bank card, ordered from most important to least important. Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Men’s Ladder Match Women’s Ladder Match Seth Rollins vs. Elias Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass Carmella vs. Asuka Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn It is important to come up with a list like this to get an idea of which matches are going to be placed in the key spots on the card or take up the most time, and which matches might end up in the cool-down spots or be given the least amount of time. Main event The most difficult cards to accurately predict are the ones with the most matches and without a clear main event, and Money in the Bank has a check mark in both of those boxes. There are 3 matches that all have a reasonable chance to close out this event. Ronda Rousey is the biggest star on the show and is competing for a championship, so that might be a no-brainer selection. The WWE Championship match between Styles and Nakamura has yet to headline the past three pay-per-view (PPV) events, but it feels like this time it needs to have a decisive winner, which could mean it ends the night. And then there is the Men’s Ladder Match, which has main evented this PPV in past years like 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2017. If Rousey is winning the title, then she will probably main event the card. But after the way she tapped out Nia Jax on Raw, I’m thinking the finish of her match might end up being screwy and an unsatisfying way to end the night. And even if Ronda is booked to go over squeaky clean, I think there is a high potential for the match to bomb, which means it shouldn’t be the main event. I would love to pick the WWE Championship match as the main event, but if it ends up following both ladder matches as well as Rousey, it might not seem so spectacular to the crowd in the 4th hour of the main card. The Men’s Ladder Match is a safe bet to captivate the audience in the 4th hour while also delivering high quality action in the ring. It did main event last year’s card over the WWE Championship match too, so it’s not like that’s a hard rule that can’t be broken. Ah, screw it. Last year’s WWE Championship match was Randy Orton versus Jinder Mahal, which is a match that should never main event anything. This is AJ Styles versus Shinsuke friggin’ Nakamura for the WWE Championship. Those two guys in a Last Man Standing match can win that 4th hour audience over. Furthermore, I think a SmackDown star will win the Men’s Ladder Match, which means it would be ideal to keep a cash-in possibility alive for later in the night. Therefore I’m picking the WWE Championship match for the main event. Opening match The opening match of the night is usually one of the mid-level attractions with good work rate that doesn’t require a dedicated video package ahead of time to hype it up. It was an easy call last year at Money in the Bank to open the card with the Women’s Ladder Match, because only 5 matches were advertised for the main card, and so bookending the night with both ladder matches seemed logical. That’s not necessarily the case this year. With 9 total matches on this card, it’s not nearly as set in stone that the Women’s Ladder Match should open the card. However, I’m looking at all 9 matches and the only other good choice for the opening slot appears to be Rollins versus Elias. I’m going to stick with the women’s ladder match. WWE generally likes to keep some distance between each women’s match, and the Women’s Ladder Match should probably take place before both championship matches, in order to set up a potential cash-in tease. That gives me the following card: Segment 1: Women’s Ladder Match Segment 2: Segment 3: Segment 4: Segment 5: Segment 6: Segment 7: Segment 8: Segment 9: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Segment 2 and Segment 8 One of the least important matches of the night will probably follow the Women’s Ladder Match in Segment 2, and there will likely be a cool-down match in Segment 8 (sandwiched between a major match in Segment 7 and the main event in Segment 9). Carmella’s match with Asuka won’t be great and could make some sense in Segment 8, but I think Rousey’s match should be the final women’s match of the night. Carmella also doesn’t appear to be a good fit for Segment 2, because I don’t think WWE really ever runs two consecutive women’s matches on PPV. Lashley and Zayn could go out there and have a killer match, so it feels strange to reserve it as a cool-down match on this card. But their storyline has been terrible and it is certainly possible that Lashley just beats Zayn down in like 7 minutes. Considering how bad the story is, I don’t think there is much hope that the fans will care about the match, so I’m putting this one late in the show in Segment 8. That leaves Bryan or Reigns for Segment 2, which also sounds bizarre. Bryan tapped out Cass super fast at Backlash, whereas most Reigns’ matches go longer than 10 minutes. So maybe another emphatic mauling of Big Cass at the hands of Bryan could make some sense in Segment 2. That gives me the following card: Segment 1: Women’s Ladder Match Segment 2: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass<doc-sep>Everything you need to know about WWE’s Money in the Bank 2018. WWE kicks off its summer pay per view schedule at Money in the Bank on Sunday. Fans will hope the show is more entertaining than the last PPV, May’s Backlash, which saw fans exit en masse during the Samoa Joe-Roman Reigns main event. On paper at least, MITB looks like a promising show, with a card full of intriguing singles matches to complement the men’s and women’s ladder matches. The show will mark Ronda Rousey’s WWE singles debut as she faces Nia Jax in a Raw Women’s Championship match. There are also rumors that fan favorite James Ellsworth could make his WWE return to help Carmella in the SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Asuka. How to watch Live stream: As always, the PPV is only available to stream on the WWE Network. Start time: 7 p.m. ET (pre-show begins at 6 p.m. ET) Run time: WWE Network has blocked off 3 1/2 hours for the show Location: Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois (outside Chicago) Match card • SmackDown Tag Team Championship match — The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (pre-show) • WWE Championship match — AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Last Man Standing) • Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match • Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match • Raw Women’s Championship match — Nia Jax (c) vs. Ronda Rousey • SmackDown Women’s Championship match — Carmella (c) vs. Asuka • Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal • Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn • Intercontinental Championship match — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Elias • Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass Predictions For a full list of predictions, visit our friends at Daily DDT.<doc-sep>Credit: WWE.com That familiar sound of flesh cracking against ladders is coming, as WWE Money in the Bank delivers a double dose of its trademark match Sunday. On the pay-per-view, Braun Strowman will look to continue his domination and wipe out the field in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks, meanwhile, are set to compete in a loaded ladder match of their own. By the end of the night, two Superstars will be one cash-in away from claiming championship gold. Chicago's Allstate Arena will host both of those bouts, a so-so midcard lineup and the potential conclusion to the AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura WWE Championship saga. The PPV card offers surefire bangers in the form of the ladder matches. The Intercontinental Championship clash promises to be a surprise hit. Money in the Bank, though, is no dream show, as evidenced by the underwhelming contests ahead for Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. In a way, the mixed bag of an event is a microcosm of where WWE is as a whole right now. The midcard lacks momentum. Rising stars are front and center. And Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship are nowhere to be seen. Video Play Button Videos you might like News, Potential Spoiler James Ellsworth may be fated to influence the Money in the Bank ladder match again. PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson reported: "Ellsworth looks to be returning to WWE soon, PWInsider.com has learned. There have been several recent creative pitches for Ellsworth to pop up in some capacity, and PWInsider.com has confirmed he is slated to be at the WWE Money in the Bank PPV in Chicago. Credit: WWE.com Last year, Ellsworth pulled down the Money in the Bank briefcase to allow Carmella to win. He has been wrestling on the independent scene since January and last competed for WWE in November. The New Day has yet to reveal which member will battle in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. One report, though, pointed to it being the trio's powerhouse who gets the nod. The PWInsider.com crew noted on a recent Elite audio show that they are hearing Big E will be the Superstar to represent The New Day at Money in the Bank (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats). There has also been some talk about Ronda Rousey's future with WWE thanks to an off-hand comment. Ric Flair told broadcaster Chris Van Vliet that he believed Rousey has only signed a one-year contract with WWE. Before one starts mulling over how that could affect how WWE handles her in the months ahead, another report contradicted that info. As Raj Giri noted for Wrestling Inc: "We have confirmed that Rousey's contract with WWE is a multiyear deal." Match Card The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (SmackDown Tag Team Championships) Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn Seth Rollins vs. Elias (Intercontinental Championship) Carmella vs. Asuka (SmackDown Women's Championship) Big Cass vs. Daniel Bryan Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey (Raw Women's Championship) Women's Money in the Bank ladder match (Ember Moon vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Naomi vs. Lana vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya) Men's Money in the Bank ladder match (Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Roode vs. Finn Balor vs. Rusev vs. Samoa Joe vs. The Miz vs. one member of The New Day) AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Last Man Standing; WWE Championship) Credit: WWE.com Predictions The Bludgeon Brothers retain. Lashley over Zayn. Rollins over Elias. Asuka over Carmella via disqualification. Bryan over Cass. Reigns over Mahal. Rousey over Jax. Banks wins Money in the Bank contract. Samoa Joe wins Money in the Bank contract. Styles over Nakamura. Jax vs. Rousey WWE put itself in a no-win booking situation with the Raw women's title bout. If Jax wins, Rousey will have lost her first singles match, damaging her aura from the get-go. After all, Rousey is supposed to be a badass set to conquer an unfamiliar world. Going 0-1 in one-on-one bouts doesn't paint that picture. Should Rousey win, though, WWE will have missed out on telling a long, engaging story about her rise to the top. She will have claimed the crown too easily, too early. Leading up to the bout, WWE has played up Jax's experience advantage. The champ has taunted the former UFC star, saying she can do things to her she has never seen in the Octagon. Rousey, though, took to her new home, putting on arguably the best match at WrestleMania 34. Women's Money in the Bank Former champions crowd the ladder match field. Banks, Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch Naomi and Natalya have all won gold in the past. Flair lost the SmackDown women's title thanks to a Money in the Bank cash-in in April. Bliss, Naomi and Natalya all held that crown last year. It's been a longer drought for Lynch, who dropped the title to Bliss in 2016. Unless Lana or recent NXT call-up Ember Moon emerges victorious on Sunday, one of those previous titleholders will step closer to redemption. This will mark just the second year WWE has put on a women's Money in the Bank ladder match. The first time out, the company made the mistake of creating some unfortunate optics. Ellsworth essentially won the match, giving a man the big moment in a historic bout. WWE needs not get cute with its booking this time around. Men's Money in the Bank How do you overcome a monster? That will be the central narrative of the men's ladder match. Braun Strowman has been unstoppable of late. He won a 50-man Battle Royal in Saudi Arabia, broke a ladder with his bare hands and is fresh off defeating Kevin Owens, Finn Balor and Bobby Roode in a Fatal 4-Way match. That kind of result has inspired Owens to conspire against The Monster Among Men. On the final Raw before the PPV, KO tried to recruit his fellow ladder match combatants to gang up on Strowman. That's likely the only way anyone stops him.<doc-sep>WWE Money In The Bank takes place this Sunday in Chicago, Illinois. Despite a stacked card, the big miss from the show will be the WWE Universal Championship which will next be defended at SummerSlam. Money In The Bank will feature five title matches and ten matches in total, including both Money In The Bank ladder matches. As of now, it looks like the WWE Championship match will main-event MITB but rumours suggest that WWE could go with Nia Jax vs Ronda Rousey as the main-event. Follow Sportskeeda for the latest WWE news, rumors and all other wrestling news. The main attractions of the show, though, are the two Money In The Bank ladder matches as 16 Superstars look to secure two contracts for guaranteed title shots. Who will leave Money In The Bank with each of the coveted briefcases? Read on to check out our full preview and predictions ahead of the PPV. You can also take a look at the complete match card below. Full Match Card: Finn Balor vs Braun Strowman vs The Miz vs Rusev vs The New Day (One Member) vs Bobby Roode vs Kevin Owens vs Samoa Joe (Men's MITB Ladder Match) Ember Moon vs Charlotte Flair vs Naomi vs Becky Lynch vs Alexa Bliss vs Natalya vs Lana vs Sasha Banks (Women's MITB Ladder Match) AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship) Nia Jax (c) vs Ronda Rousey (for the RAW Women's Championship) Carmella (c) vs Asuka (for the SmackDown Women's Championship) Seth Rollins (c) vs Elias (for the WWE Intercontinental Championship) Roman Reigns vs Jinder Mahal Bobby Lashley vs Sami Zayn Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass Pre-show The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships) 1 / 11 NEXT<doc-sep>
Rosemont, IL's Allstate Arena will host WWE's Money in the Bank PPV on Sunday, June 17. It's been a while since the last major WWE PPV, as events will no longer be just for Raw or Smackdown superstars. Going forward, each show will be dual-branded, much like Backlash was last month. Money in the Bank will be available on PPV and through the WWE Network as well. The sports entertainment giant is pushing this PPV to be a bigger event, and Money in the Bank will have an earlier start time compared to other shows, starting at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT, with a Kickoff show starting one hour prior. We're expecting this show to be as long as Survivor Series or Royal Rumble, and the reasoning behind this is to accommodate all the wrestlers, at least that's according to some of the MITB rumors. As of this writing, no matches have been announced for the Kickoff, and currently, there are ten matches on the card with a couple more expected to be booked. The main events of the evening will be the two Money in the Bank matches: one for the men and one for the women. Last year, Baron Corbin and Carmella--with help from James Ellsworth--won those respective matches with Carmella successfully cashing in her contract earlier this year. In 2018, the ante has been upped as there will now be eight superstars instead of six in each MITB match. As of this writing, all the combatants are locked in, but the New Day just needs to decide which member will compete in the men's match. Alongside those two ladder matches, Ronda Rousey makes her singles debut. Her last match was at Wrestlemania when she teamed with Kurt Angle to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Rousey will be fighting current Raw Women's Champion Nia Jax for the title. Additionally, Sami Zayn will fight Bobby Lashley, which comes from the fallout of a terrible segment where Zayn interviewed Lashley's supposed sisters who were men in drag. Even after Zayn gave a heartfelt apology, Lashley still wants revenge. However, aside from the MITB matches, the bout to watch will be AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing match. The two men have been involved in a bitter rivalry filled with numerous punches and kicks to the groin, many of which have ended the match for numerous reasons. Now, the only way to lose this match is to be knocked out until the ref counts to 10. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of low blows in this match. While it has yet to be booked, The B Team--made up of Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel--won a tag team battle royale match on the June 4 episode of Raw, making them the number one contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships. However, even after the June 11 episode of Raw, it doesn't seem like this match will take place at MITB. It could be announced between now and the PPV, but as of this writing, that match won't be this Sunday. Money in the Bank Match Card: The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Good Brothers (For the Smackdown Tag Team Championship) - KICKOFF SHOW Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass Nia Jax (c) vs. Ronda Rousey (For the Raw Women's Championship) Carmella (c) vs. Asuka (For the Smackdown Women's Championship) Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn Seth Rollins (c) vs. Elias (For the Intercontinental Championship) AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship) Lana, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte, Ember Moon, Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Sasha Banks (Money in the Bank match) Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Bobby Roode, Braun Strowman, The Miz, Rusev, Finn Balor, and one member of The New Day (Money in the Bank match) Come back to GameSpot on Sunday, June 17 for live coverage of the show.