WWE Money in the Bank Preview: Predictions You Can Take to the Bank

What's up, ladies and gentlemen? My name is Eric Kanes and I am back here today with my monthly pay-per-view preview.

I am going to break things down and give you guys the realistic odds for each match.

Before I go on today, I'd like to do a quick plug. I am currently working on an online project related to wrestling. Once it is finished, I will reveal all of the details on my Facebook page. If you are interested, make sure to add me.

And now, without any further ado, let's get this thing started!

SmackDown Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Earlier in the week, I wrote a 2,000 word column, giving my thoughts on the odds of each man winning which you can read right here.

In summary, here are the chances that I think each man has and my quick thoughts on each man:

Heath Slater - None

My grandma a better chance of winning than he does.

Justin Gabriel - None

He's there for the spots.

Kane - None

Tyson Kidd should've been in this match instead.

Daniel Bryan - None

Not ready for the main event. All of his momentum has been lost.

Sin Cara - None

Definitely not ready for it. Should have a fantastic showing, though.

Cody Rhodes - Slim to None

Needs a complete gimmick overhaul before this is considered.

Wade Barrett - Likely

Great all-around talent. I'd love to see it happen.

Sheamus - Very Likely

Seems to be the route they're going.

Personally, I'm fine with Sheamus winning. It's a safe choice and it's better than giving it to someone like Sin Cara and destroying all of his main event credibility.

However, I think Sheamus is in a perfect position to become #1 contender without the briefcase.

With that said, I'd love to see Wade Barrett get the win. He's already a credible main eventer. They have a lot of time to build his momentum back up.

Eric's Pick: Sheamus

Big Show vs. Mark Henry

Here we've got a match that is not very enticing considering who is in it but it is still fairly unpredictable. I could see it going either way.

On one hand, Big Show has been getting his ass handed to him each week during this program. It's amazing how WWE has no clue how to book their monsters. When you have him taking constant losses, it really hurts his credibility in the future.

On the other hand, Mark Henry is red hot right now. He needs this win and might even be a potential world title challenger in the future.

It's a tough pick to make but I'll go with my gut feeling and lock in on Big Show. WWE never likes to have PPVs where too many heels win.

Eric's Pick: Big Show

Randy Orton vs. Christian

Here, we've got another interesting match-up. We've got Christian, who's been doing way more jobbing than he needs to in the past couple of months. He's lost to Randy Orton in every world title match they've had thus far.

There's no way WWE would make him look this weak unless they wanted to permanently bury him. Even that wouldn't be a viable option since there aren't many other top level heels on SmackDown.

Then we've got Randy Orton, who seemingly never loses. So far, he's come out on top nearly every week since Capitol Punishment.

With all of that said, I will once again go with my gut and say that we see an upset here. Orton and Christian have a long, competitive 20-minute match and Christian will somehow find a way to cheat to win.

However, he will still be groggy after the match, and that's when Sheamus or Wade Barrett will come out and cash in their briefcase.

Either that, or he'll finally have a celebration on SmackDown only for the Money in the Bank winner to cash in then. Maybe the winner won't cash in. Either way, I see Christian winning here and then continuing to get screwed in some way.

Eric's Pick: Christian

RAW Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Just like with the SmackDown match, I wrote a long column analyzing the match earlier this week which you can read right here.

If you don't feel like reading it, here are the chances I gave each participant and my quick thoughts on each one:

Evan Bourne - None

He's the "Shelton Benjamin" of the group. He'll be in every Money in the Bank ladder match to perform the high spots but he won't win.

Jack Swagger - None

One of my favorites in this match. However, WWE already dropped the ball with him twice. No need to make the same mistake. Build him up properly. Shoehorning him into the main event scene is the lazy way to do it.

Rey Mysterio - None

He's there for the star power. Possibly for a high spot.

Kofi Kingston - None

If John Cena remains face, there's no way Kofi is cashing in on him.

Alex Riley - Slim to None

WWE is pushing him, so it's possible. However, he's just not ready for this.

R-Truth - Slim

My personal favorite in this match. He deserves it the most based on how over he's gotten. If he wins, I'll mark the f*ck out.

The Miz - Likely

I can see it happening. I'm not against it.

Alberto Del Rio - Very Likely

Needs more character development and some more big wins to seem like a credible threat going into SummerSlam. If he's not cashing in before SummerSlam, it could work.

So there you have it. I'd love to see R-Truth win it. I'd be fine with The Miz winning it. Alberto Del Rio is my pick, although I don't think he's ready. Also, I hope WWE doesn't have a swerve just for the sake of having a swerve.

Eric's Pick: Alberto Del Rio

Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella

Easily the most irrelevant and predictable match on the card. Kelly Kelly goes over. I'll be in the bathroom.

Eric's Pick: Kelly Kelly

John Cena vs. CM Punk

And now, we get to the main event. The most anticipated match in years. The match that will make most people shell out their money: John Cena vs. CM Punk.

This match has the potential to completely change the direction of WWE. There is so much interest going in that it can draw a lot of people in or turn a lot of people off.

There have been so many proposed theories for this match ever since CM Punk's shoot promo that I won't go through all of them. However, here is my personal favorite and the one I'd like to see - CM Punk and John Cena have a competitive 20-25 minute match. Vince McMahon is sitting at ringside, watching this match.

Cena hits the AA on Punk but Punk kicks out and vice versa; Punk hits the GTS on Cena and Cena kicks out. Vince cringes both times. To end the match, CM Punk hits the GTS on Cena and goes for the cover but this time, Vince runs in and pulls the referee out. Off the distraction, Cena finishes Punk off and Vince calls for the bell.

This would allow Cena to turn heel and Punk to eventually return as an anti-hero. Maybe he'd return at once with the story being that he re-signed to make Cena's and McMahon's lives a living hell. Maybe Cena would feud with a returning John Morrison until Punk returned. There are so many possibilities if the WWE went this direction.

However, I doubt that this will happen although I think Cena will win. Maybe Punk will win and then Del Rio will cash in.

I don't know and honestly, I'm glad that I don't. Either way, I know one thing for sure and that is that this will be one hell of a match-up.

Eric's Pick: John Cena

Bonus Questions

As always, here are some bonus questions for my readers. The questions are in bold and my answers are in regular text:

Which superstar left off the card should have gotten a spot on the show?

This time, it's a tie between Tyson Kidd and Zack Ryder. Kidd should've been in the SmackDown MiTB match while Ryder should've been in the RAW one. Kidd deserves it based on his in-ring work and based on the fact that his style would probably be perfect for the match.

Ryder deserves it because he has a bigger following than most of the guys in the match. There are eight spots open so I don't see why he couldn't gotten one of them. It's not like anybody's going to buy the PPV just to see Jack Swagger.

How do you think this pay-per-view will do in terms of buyrates?

It should do great. We have four matches that have potential to be in the ***1/2+ range, they did a fantastic job building up the main event, and none of the matches have a clear-cut winner. Should get the second highest buyrate of the year so far, behind WrestleMania.

Which match will steal the show?

Definitely John Cena vs. CM Punk. There's just too much anticipation going in. It might not be a technical classic, but I'd expect them to tell a great story.

Should WWE keep doing a "Money in the Bank" PPV or should there be one Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania?

It should stay as a pay-per-view. I love it. It's unpredictable. It's my third favorite PPV concept of the year, behind WrestleMania and Royal Rumble.

Will you be watching this PPV?

Of course. I'll even buy it. Don't remember the last time I was this excited for a wrestling show.

Will you be writing about this PPV?

I might write something after the event ends. However, on Sunday night, I'll just be chillaxing and enjoying the show.

And that shall conclude my official Money in the Bank pay-per-view preview. Until next time, I'm out!

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