Who Gets the Briefcase? - Money in the Bank...

A Good Saturday to You, Enthusiasts.

 

Enjoying the long weekend if that’s your lot? Pace yourself it’s only the beginning. We are here once again for Money in the Bank and well, it’s not the most exciting card but it doesn’t mean we won’t see good performances. To be honest, that may be the best way for tonight’s players handle today. Just be respectable out there.

 

I don’t run down every match but here are few that have my interest. Generally, the matches I speak on are the “matches to watch” or odd ones out that need to make some sort of splash. The first match is just that, Natalya vs. Ronda Rousey.

 

This is a “true grit” match of a particular kind. We all know Nattie can wrestle but she doesn’t seem to connect with the fans generally. I like her because of her prowess and I can understand her uniqueness. As you can see, I don’t exactly have thousands of followers. Yet the ones I have are either bots or long standing. I get it. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea and I don’t really care, as you can gather from my minimal exposure. I think Nattie has to kinda carry herself in a similar way. She can’t care people don’t get her. She’s a solid performer and she is not going anywhere. She has to use this opportunity to showcase the wealth of her skills. She shouldn’t care if they’re appreciated. She needs to just do the best she can which is amazing. I think we’ll see what she can bring to a table.

 

Rousey, on the other hand, has to hang in there and have a good match. I am kind of curious to see how they handle the execution. It could be that Nattie is skilled enough to battle Rousey on a mastery of the art level. It would be interesting how wrestling could be matched against Rousey’s martial arts training. However, that’s not what has to go down tonight. What has to go down is an entertaining match. The crowd doesn’t know what to do with these ladies so it will be very interesting what they put together to keep us watching without complaint.

 

The next match that intrigues me is the Theory vs. Bobby Lashley. This grabs me because Theory is beginning to solidify as a caricature which is more than expected from him. He’s so young, you don’t expect him to get much but he is understanding the current assignment of a being a little shit. The question will soon become how does this evolve. We may get a glimpse of that tonight. In the meantime, I just hope he doesn’t lose himself in the presentation. His youth makes him impressionable. The lines between him and character can blur. Times as they are, probably best to guard against an existential crisis.

 

As for Lashley, well I think the struggle remains the same. Put on a good show. Though he is muscular, that musculature may be so much that it affects his range of motion. This can cause him to look awkward in the ring. We don’t doubt he could break a person, he just doesn’t look good doing it. Also, we all know he struggles on the mic. That shouldn’t matter too much tonight but he should use these showcase moments to have more fun with the role he’s playing. The more he enjoys himself, the more we’ll enjoy him. Cases like that need to stick to whatever works authentically. It’s clear you can’t force him to do anything too unnatural to him. WWE should encourage him to find his performance comfort zone.

 

Then it’s just the Ladder Matches. The stipulation of the contract allows the winner to challenge for a big-time title. So, of the Men and Women, who is deserving? Let’s examine the Ladies first.

 

Joining the party are Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Lacey Evans, Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi. Many people feel that Morgan may take the match given her general appeal. I feel Becky Lynch has been earning her gold stars so I wouldn’t be surprised they give it to her just to keep her in the spotlight. She may still chase the 24/7 Title too just to reinforce that she’s takes all the gold. That’s right, all. Lacey Evans or Shotzi may be shockers but if so, I would like it to be as such. They play a clever game or some fiasco transpires that opens the door for an opportunity. What I’m getting at with them is that it’s gotta seem natural if they do win. Someone trips over a cable, something believable so they just benefit from circumstance. Anything else may come off too contrived and may not be the “push” that was intended. They need to earn it “fairly” to some degree. Rodriguez just isn’t ready but I’ve seen some of the bangers she had with Rhea Ripley. I think they’ll probably set that off once Ripley is off the Injured List. Make them seem like they have amnesia, but something seems…familiar 😉

  

When it comes to the Men, we have to assume that the real task is a counter for Roman Reigns. I don’t mind that he’s “part-timing it” but if they want to make it more of an “issue” Reigns should probably be amping up his Social Media presence. I think WWE needs to remember how to have fun. Reigns is a Heel but the real task of a Sports Entertainer, Heel or Face, is to be liked/well-received. I think Kevin Owens is the best example of this at present. He’s now just loved as Kevin Owens. That’s essentially what one should aim for. You’re the character for better or worse; sometimes worse, sometimes better.

 

That said, Reigns still needs to develop who he is out there. What I do see does seem corporate driven so, it’s still hard to gauge the character. Everyone seems to agree that Joe Anoa’i is cool but when it comes to Roman Reigns most are like, “He’s better but, meh…” So, if he’s gonna be the Face of the Company he’s gotta be more than “meh”. So, here’s a chance where he can be funny. He could be chilling somewhere, gloating about being well-rested while everyone is busting their ass. Sami Zayn could comment with some brown-nosing comment and a ton of emojis. When the “heat” builds Reigns could speak of  “self-care”. Easy to do when you’re working part-time. Reigns should just lean into the “status symbol” of being part-time in the WWE.

 

But I digress. Who can counter that potential? You have to presume that WWE would just start to experiment with that sort of thing if they haven’t already. What I generally see, Social Media tends to be where they keep it real. They champion their causes. Show their support.  Perhaps WWE personalities may have to further differentiate themselves. Though kayfabe relies on the uncertainty of what’s real, we don’t need our players to suffer real emotional hurts for our entertainment. If they don’t already, I hope that they all have “personal accounts” where they honestly communicate. You would think this has been the case but you never know in this day and age. Some people don’t differentiate due to ease. Again, avoid the existential crisis.

 

So, back to who can measure up to all that potential scrutiny and hold the public’s general interest? In the Ladder Match we have, Drew McIntyre, MadCap Moss, Omos, Riddle, Seth Rollins, Sheamus and Sami Zayn. Word is that a feud is brewing between the Bloodline and Randy Orton with Riddle on the side. Riddle was moved to the forefront due to Orton’s injury. Reigns’ and Riddle’s last match was solid. No matter what anyone feels, both have proven themselves in the ring. Yet, given the recent headlines, giving Riddle the Briefcase doesn’t send the best message. That’s not quite the kind of BDE one wants to portray. I can’t genuinely root for Riddle so I would be surprised if he takes it.

 

Zayn taking it would be interesting. Would he leverage it to gain favor with the Tribal Chief? Omos isn’t ready and Moss may not have crowd appeal. I don’t know what it is because he’s giving it his all but people aren’t fully warming up. Could he be trying too hard? I don’t know what advice to give. It’s not much of a gimmick but he’s not a bad performer. Why do we care? If one is not intimidating, a wrestler has to answer that question. I think that’s why Moss has us a bit stumped.

 

So that leaves McIntyre and Rollins. Well, it all depends on what the endgame for this year is. Rollins and Reigns is a little recent so they may give it to McIntyre. He seems to be slowly understanding the assignment but it’s still kinda hard for me to fully buy him as is. I think he makes a better Heel. There’s a kind of a son-of-a-bitch sentiment about him. I explain him as a “mother fucker”. Like, he would fuck your mother just to put you through the misery of him holding that position in your life. It would be the worst, 3 months, ever. He comes off like that. It wouldn’t be because he loved her. It’s because he could and it would drive you batty because you couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He should just lean into that. People would believe it and he’d probably get work in Hollywood for period pieces or abusive boyfriends. He could be the stodgy villain in the Victorian tale or play the mean step-dad for sure.

 

Does that mean he wins though? Who knows. They may screw it all with some Logan Paul introduction. Just as you think the winner is crowned he just straight steals it. Bails and holds it hostage. I know I suggested this for Lynch but in this case, it may be a “real problem” because this is not what WWE signed up for. Paul can appear to go rogue now that he’s “official”. All in the name of views, right? They could have fun with him if they think about it.

 

So, I’ll leave it there. Yes, it’s open-ended but that may not be a bad thing. WWE needs to broaden its own horizons. People may not be particularly interested because they may have WWE read. They stay within set parameters. You can see the pattern relatively quickly. It’s their own fault if their bored with themselves. I see they’re experimenting and at this point it’s all they can do. Circumstances as they are, it’s hard to validate fake fighting. Isn’t that so…archaic? Not if it is framed as social catharsis.

 

I think WWE should give itself the goal of establishing themselves within cultural history. We can see the historical trace to the gladiator. Even in those ancient times, the need for the release of Human Emotions was clear. Though we may be learning how to better process them, that does not mean they don’t need proper release. If WWE wants to be “forever”, it should prove it serves a purpose. Its relevancy is waning. Why do we care? At the very least this should be fun and cathartic. Let’s see if WWE can tap into that once again. Funny tweets and Likes get retweeted. Try to be open minded. Everyone thinks they have the answers. What pleases one may not please another. Is it really all that simple?

 

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)