WWE Money in the Bank: 10 Bold Predictions for the Upcoming PPV

WWE's second-ever Money in the Bank pay-per-view is just six days away, and I'm highly intrigued about what might happen in Chicago.

Admittedly, though, I'm sort of on the fence about how the PPV will actually play out.

On one hand, I think that this could be one of the—if not the—best pay-per-views of the year. But on the other hand, I also have this nagging feeling the WWE could let us down. Big time.

How will the latter happen? Well, if the show's far too predictable, of course.

So, I'm going to think a little bit outside the box here and go the other route.

Here are 10 bold predictions for Money in the Bank.

 

10. Smackdown's MITB Match Will Be Better Than Raw's

Remember Smackdown's Money in the Bank ladder match from 2010?

In my book, it was the best MITB match we've ever seen, an action-packed bout that kept us entertained from start to finish.

Now, I don't think the blue brand's match will be as good this year, but I'm betting that it tops Raw's.

Though Raw's bout might have a little more star power and Smackdown's match has a whopping six MITB rookies (Daniel Bryan, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Sheamus, Sin Cara and Wade Barrett), most of those guys should be able to hold their own in this match.

Bryan's the best wrestler on Smackdown, Sheamus proved at WWE TLC in 2010 that he can put on one heck of a ladder match, Gabriel should be good for some nice high-risk spots and ditto for Sin Cara.

I'm honestly not sure how Slater and Barrett will fare, but having MITB veteran Kane as well as Cody Rhodes in this match—in addition to the guys I mentioned—will make it one that's worth watching. 

9. Mark Henry Will Beat the Big Show in Less Than Five Minutes

When the feud between The Big Show and Mark Henry first started, I thought to myself, "Oh no. Not this again."

But it's actually been built up pretty well, and I've really been enjoying the intensity of the new heel Henry.

It's nice to see him booked in a good angle for once, and it seems like this feud is going to benefit him a whole lot more than it's going to benefit The Big Show.

Show's somewhat buried on a crowded Raw roster—though he seems like he's on Smackdown, huh?—while Henry's currently one of the top guys on the blue brand.

The WWE seems to be more behind a Henry push right now, which is why I think he destroys Big Show in quick fashion at Money in the Bank.

You don't want these two putting on a long match anyway, so giving Henry the short, decisive victory makes him look great while also preventing us from getting too bored.

8. Christian Will Pin Sheamus to Win the World Heavyweight Championship

I know what you're thinking: Sheamus isn't in the World Heavyweight Championship match at Money in the Bank.

Not yet, my friends. Not yet.

You probably noticed how Sheamus was billed as a major threat on Friday's Smackdown, and I think there's something to that.

With his recent interaction with both Christian and Randy Orton, there's a good chance Sheamus will be removed from Smackdown's MITB ladder match and placed in the World title bout, thus making it a Triple Threat match.

Still, Sheamus won't win.

He's there to take the pin from Christian, so that Orton doesn't take the clean loss—no shocker there—and the "questionable" finish will allow Orton to face Christian one-on-one to settle their feud at SummerSlam.

 

7. Beth Phoenix Will Attack Kelly Kelly Post-Match and Turn Heel

I've said it for weeks now, and I'll say it again: Beth Phoenix is about to turn heel.

After the fans voted Kelly Kelly into a Divas Championship match on the "Power to the People" edition of Raw—and she won her first title—Beth has been largely absent from WWE TV.

She's usually right by Kelly Kelly's side, but instead, it's been Eve in that role.

Why? Well, I still say it's because Beth is jealous the fans didn't vote for her, and she's about to snap.

And after Kelly Kelly successfully defends the Divas title against Brie Bella at Money in the Bank, I think Beth finally does it.

6. John Morrison Will Replace Alberto Del Rio in Raw's MITB Match

There are reports circulating around the Internet that John Morrison could be sidelined through SummerSlam and into September.

But my belief is that these "reports" are red herrings, which are meant to throw us off and set up a possible swerve.

That swerve is Morrison returning early at Money in the Bank and replacing Alberto Del Rio in Raw's MITB ladder match.

With Del Rio gaining No. 1 contender's status on Monday's Raw, he doesn't need to be in the match, unless the plan is for him to be No. 1 contender while also holding that coveted briefcase.

But I don't like that idea whatsoever, and it would be a smarter move to remove Del Rio from the MITB match altogether and replace him with ladder match stud John Morrison.

5. It Will Be the Best Pay-Per-View of the Year

The inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view in 2010 was one of the top two or three pay-per-views of the year. Maybe even the best one.

So, why can't it happen again? After all, everything is set up perfectly for this to be a great show.

CM Punk will compete in his hometown in what will likely be his final WWE match, Randy Orton will wrestle Christian in what should be another four-star bout, the table is set for a Beth Phoenix heel turn, the Money in the Bank ladder matches are always incredibly entertaining, and even Big Show vs. Mark Henry has a certain appeal.

If the creative team makes the right booking calls or at least some surprising ones, there's no reason to think that this can't be the best pay-per-view of 2011.

4. A Surprise Entrant Will Win Smackdown's MITB Match

As I noted in an earlier slide, I think Sheamus will be added to Smackdown's World Heavyweight Championship match.

Of course, that means that there will be an opening in the Money in the Bank ladder match for the blue brand.

Who's gonna fill it?

I'd love to see a Smackdown star like Tyson Kidd or Ted DiBiase added to the bout (and actually win it), but I'm about 99 percent sure that the WWE will go a different route.

If the WWE does use the "surprise participant" booking tactic, I think someone from Raw will join the Smackdown match...then go on to win it.

Someone like Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler or even Jack Swagger (after losing the Raw one) would be a good fit here to add some much needed depth to Smackdown and also change things up a bit.

After all, it's far too predictable to have Cody Rhodes or Wade Barrett win this thing. 

3. Kofi Kingston Will Win Raw's Money in the Bank Match

A lot of people have already handed the Raw Money in the Bank briefcase to Alberto Del Rio.

Nah, it's not happening. Too boring, too predictable, too repetitive (considering he won the Royal Rumble).

The WWE has a chance to do something great here, and giving Kofi Kingston the briefcase and a subsequent gimmick tweak or heel turn would be, um, great.

Kingston recently dropped the United States Championship, and we've seen this storyline play out dozens of times in the past: The mid-carder drops the secondary title, only to move up to the main event scene shortly thereafter.

After looking at Raw's MITB match, I could certainly see that happening here.

Alex Riley's not ready for the briefcase, The Miz doesn't need it again, R-Truth's run as a WWE title contender is likely already over, and Del Rio's already locked up the No. 1 contendership. Then you have Jack Swagger (doubt he wins two years in a row), Evan Bourne (I wish, but seriously?) and Rey Mysterio (like HBK, he won't win titles at the end of his career) as huge long shots to win the match.

So, does a Kingston win really seem that far-fetched now?

2. CM Punk Will Defeat John Cena for the WWE Championship...

Plenty of WWE fans are under the assumption CM Punk is leaving the WWE after Money in the Bank, and thus will not be at the WWE Championship July 17.

Even if the first part is true, that doesn't necessarily mean the second part is.

There are obviously a lot of ifs, ands or buts here, and there are a number of different scenarios that will allow Punk defeat John Cena for the WWE title on Sunday.

That's precisely what will happen, too.

Having Cena win, especially clean, would be far too easy of a booking decision, not to mention one that's bad for business.

If Vince McMahon really wants to shake things up or create controversy, he'll do so by having Punk beat Cena at MITB and win his first WWE Championship. 

1. With the Help of Vince McMahon

After the confrontation between John Cena and Vince McMahon at the end of last Monday's Raw, I can't help but think that there will be more tension between these two in the future.

I'd love to see McMahon—embarrassed by the way Cena spoke to him last week—decide to screw over Cena by helping CM Punk defeat him at Money in the Bank.

If Punk's staying, you can have McMahon/Punk vs. Cena for the next several months. If Punk's leaving (which seems likely), you can just have the reincarnated uber-heel McMahon vs. Cena.

After all, we know that the "if you lose, you're fired" stipulation means next to nothing, and Cena can still appear on WWE programming even if he's "fired" on Sunday.

In that case, McMahon will eventually bring Cena back, with his main goal being to make Cena's life a living heel.

Though obviously nowhere near as good, McMahon vs. Cena could be the WWE's 2011 version of McMahon vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin.