The stipulation for the WWE Championship match is revealed on Smackdown Live. What terms will Shinsuke Nakamura choose in his title match against AJ Styles? Additional contenders are named for both Money in the Bank ladder matches.
Daniel Bryan and Jeff Hardy for a chance to compete for the Money in the Bank briefcase. The winner faces Samoa Joe for a spot in the annual ladder match. Meanwhile The New Day must choose which one of their trio will participate in the same match.
Smackdown Live emanates from Worcester, Massachusetts this 22nd of May, 2018.
Miz TV
This week’s Miz TV features The New Day. This segment is a thinly veiled attempt on the part of the Miz to stir up drama as two of The New Day members must sit out the Money in the Bank ladder match. Xavier, Kofi and Big E are immune to these tactics as they continually advocate the merits of their fellow stablemates during their selection process. The purveyors of positivity cannot come to an agreement as to who among them should wrestle at Money in the Bank.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8A_0pTvAU4]
The Miz quickly shuts this down the love fest proclaiming he will ultimately win the briefcase regardless of who is chosen to fight. The sheer brilliance of The Miz is on display in this segment as he banters with his guests. Big E immediately challenges the A-Lister to an impromptu match.
The New Day are benefiting from this plot development heading towards the next pay per view. The potential implications of a New Day member winning the briefcase is intriguing. Also, as Xavier Wood points out on commentary, the trio maintains the element of surprise heading into the ladder match by withholding the participant’s identity.
Big E and Miz wrestle until The Bar rushes to ringside, attacking The New Day. Miz uses this distraction to nail the Skull Crushing Finale for a pin fall victory.
Lana Day Is Born
Aiden English is now introducing Lana as well as Rusev for WWE appearances. The melodious English ushers Lana to the ring to face Billie Kay to qualify for the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
The IIconics make fun of the prematch singing with their own duet. It is clear they do not consider Lana a serious threat. To their credit, Lana has yet to win a singles match at this point.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLV4gSC5vl4]
At the opening bell English gets back on his microphone to get the crowd’s attention. He holds up a large sign that reads “Lana Day” and the crowd immediately rallies behind the Ravishing Russian. The crowd profusely chants the name of what may be considered the next unofficial wrestling holiday. Peyton Royce and then Billie Kay confront English outside of the ring, slapping him for promoting his sign.
Lana runs to the aid of English and levies a couple of stiff kicks to each of the IIconics. Lana throws Kay into the ring and executes an X-Factor for the win and a spot in the ladder match.
The crowd is firmly behind entire Rusev camp as evidenced by the overwhelming pop following Lana’s victory. It seems as though incorporating Lana into the mix has only expanded how over the entire Rusev Day gimmick is. It is unlikely that Lana could win the ladder match in theory but she seems to fit the part of a classic briefcase holder. Crowd reaction aside, Lana is otherwise a heel who has limited in ring experience. In a perfect booking scenario this makes her a perfect candidate for a sneaky cash-in to garner heat. Also, as the WWE hints, it is now possible for a couple to both hold Money in the Bank briefcases at the conclusion of the next pay per view.
Almas Dominates
Manager Zalena Vega chastises Smackdown Live for providing less than five star treatment to her client in a backstage promo. Tonight Andrade “Cien” Almas crushes another nameless, independent wrestler in a squash match.
These faux contests may not seem like achievements for the former NXT star but they protect him from crucial, early losses. This is a smart move on the part of WWE to minimize the risk of ruining another talented NXT recruit.
Nakamura Reveals His Stipulation
AJ Styles does not hide his impatience as he stands face to face with Shinsuke Nakamura. The WWE champion immediately demands to know the stipulations for their upcoming match at Money in the Bank.
The challenger remains reluctant to divulge his terms for what could be his last chance to obtain the WWE Championship. Nakamura plays with the champion and the crowd, teasing a pillow fight match. Styles refuses to entertain the ridiculousness of The Artist and attempts to leave the ring.
Nakamura launches an attack that evolves into a brawl through the crowd and back to the ring area. At ringside Nakamura lands a Kinshasa knee strike to end the confrontation. As Styles lays unconscious Nakamura begins an unofficial ten count as he gloats over his conquest. It becomes apparent what stipulation Nakamura has chosen as he finishes his count and announces a last man standing match stipulation for their championship match.
This stipulation seemingly addresses the recent string of low blows that have abruptly ended the pair’s recent clashes. A low blow will no longer stop the match and it is assumed that the move would not hinder a competitor from answering the ten count. Hopefully this there is one last definitive match between Nakamura and Styles before they each move on to a fresh feud. Unfortunately this stipulation historically does not feature great wrestling or resolve feuds.
Tag Team Title Shot Opportunity
Gallows and Anderson and The Usos face off for a tag team title shot at the seemingly invincible Bludgeon Brothers. The Usos have already come up short in their previous contests with Harper an Rowan. The Good Brothers were quick to point this out to The Usos in their trash talking segment before the match.
From here the match was quickly underway with punches from Jimmy and Jey. A quick match results in a win for Gallows and Anderson however. Although Harper and Rowan now face their most decorated opponents to date, it is hard to imagine Gallows and Anderson pulling out a victory over such a dominant tag team at this point.
Naomi vs Sonya Deville: MITB Qualifying Match
Sonya Deville and Naomi both seek to clench a spot in the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. Both women look extremely strong in tonight’s contest. Naomi has a track record of great performances but Deville hangs with her every step of the way in this match. At one point both women conclude a sequence with a dual enziguri kick in mid air which is extremely impressive looking.
Naomi ultimately gains the victory with a pin out of nowhere. This finish allows Naomi to win without diminishing the efforts of Deville. The former NXT wrestler continues to have great matches with other Superstars after branching out from Absolution. Deville continues to demonstrates she can work and keep up with the main roster. Add to that the fact that she is confident on the mic and she can easily create future opportunities for herself.
At the end of the day however, neither Naomi or Deville would likely emerge victorious in the ladder match for the Women’s briefcase.
Jeff Hardy vs Daniel Bryan: Winner Faces Samoa Joe
Following the very real injury to Big Cass, WWE must improvise in the booking of Daniel Bryan. As the United States champion, Hardy currently does not have a title defense lined up at the moment so both competitors seem to stand a chance at obtaining a spot in the ladder match. Bryan has high profile success in ladder matches but Hardy literally reinvented the use of the ladder within the realm of wrestling. This last minute booking decision creates a compelling story.
Both men use fast paced, high risk offense in their first ever meeting. Each competitor is evenly matched and neither can gain the upper hand for too long. One particularly great moment features Bryan Yes! Kicking Hardy in a tree of woe in the corner. Hardy is able to reverse this and counters with a Whisper in the Wind of of the top rope.
Bryan’s vicious style of offense wears on Hardy but the Charismatic Enigma attempts a Swanton Bomb. This is countered by Bryan who is able to get his knees up. A series of near falls fallow as both wrestlers struggle for an opportunity at Samoa Joe. Bryan clenches the same submission he injured Big Cass with and makes Hardy submit.
During all of this Samoa Joe has been commentating on the match and immediately addresses Bryan over the PA system following the match. Joe reminds Bryan that he has no reason to celebrate this victory, for he faces the Samoan Submission Machine the following week on Smackdown Live.
Although both of these men could easily win the ladder match itself, either seem likely briefcase holders. Joe is too intimidating to hide behind a contract and Bryan has already cashed in a briefcase previously. Bryan also knows what it is like to be a victim of a cash in and his sportsmanship would most likely ruin the idea a spontaneous title match.
That being said either competitor would elevate the star power of the upcoming ladder match. Samoa Joe needs the victory more given his recent inability to win high profile matches.
