WWE Money in the Bank 2015 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights

WWE Money in the Bank 2015 proved the sequel can outclass the original.

Seth Rollins faced his former ally and current archenemy, Dean Ambrose, once again. This time out, with WWE's top prize hanging above the ring, two wrestlers churned out a work of art that topped their previous meetings.

John Cena and Kevin Owens' second collision may not have had the ending some fans were pulling for, but the competitors surely stepped up. The case that Round 2 was better than Round 1 is not hard to make.

They would have stolen the show at most pay-per-views, but not here; Rollins and Ambrose were just too good.

In other bouts, Sheamus became the newest Mr. Money in the Bank, and The Prime Time Players became tag team champs.

How well did all the twisted steel and high risks involved throughout the night propel the latest pay-per-view? How did WWE do in telling its stories of triumph and heartbreak?

The following is a look at how Money in the Bank's highs and lows answered those questions, complete with results, highlights and letter grades.

King Barrett vs. R-Truth (Pre-Show)

After promising to dethrone King Barrett, R-Truth had his foe reeling, using his speed to his advantage.

Barrett, though, gained control in a hurry. He pounded the rapper with stomps and a kick to the gut that brought R-Truth to his knees. Barrett missed with several Bull Hammer attempts.

R-Truth then rolled up his opponent for the win. He celebrated by taking Barrett's crown momentarily and darting back to the locker room.

Result

R-Truth wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

R-Truth says he will be known as "King What's Up?"

"The royal garb? I think he left off the 'age.'"—Jerry Lawler on Barrett's new outfit

Grade

D

Analysis

WWE is turning on the cheese with Barrett's gimmick. His ring gear is too much of a Halloween costume; he's leaning on corny dialogue.

And why WWE persists on having him lose is baffling. What's the point of winning the King of the Ring tournament if it doesn't propel him at all? Having him lose to R-Truth, who is essentially the Santino Marella of the moment, is a mistake.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match

• Randy Orton 
• Sheamus
• Neville
• Kane
• Dolph Ziggler
• Roman Reigns
• Kofi Kingston

With a brawl breaking out around him, Kofi Kingston looked to sneak up a ladder. He took a pounding from his foes instead. The usual ladder-centric chaos followed.

Sheamus clubbed Kane and others with a ladder. Neville tried to monkey flip Kingston into another one. Reigns sent Kingston spine-first into the steel.

Kane, Kingston, Orton and Reigns all nearly had their hands on the briefcase, but each attempt to unhook it was met with violent resistance.

Kingston, though, had The New Day to help him. Big E and Xavier Woods dumped him in the ring and tried to block everyone else from entering. Reigns overcame that obstacle—but not an unforeseen one.

Bray Wyatt attacked him, sending him crashing to the floor. That opened the door for Sheamus to take the briefcase for himself.

Result

Sheamus wins the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"One Superstar will have his career changed, his life altered."—Michael Cole

Kingston hops onto ladder after monkey flip attempt from Neville.

Reigns powerbombs both Neville and Kingston onto a ladder.

Orton RKOs Neville as the high-flyer looked to leap over him.

Reigns powerbombs Kingston onto all of his opponents outside the ring.

"This is your ticket. Punch it! Punch it!"—John "Bradshaw" Layfield

Grade

A

Analysis

Lots of close calls and some welcome surprises led to an excellent bout. The spots didn't feel forced. The hunger for victory was clear.

Early on, there wasn't the best psychology. Wrestlers climbed the ladder despite a whole pack of opponents just feet away from them, for one. Things improved in that area later on, though.

The Wyatt attack creates a compelling opportunity for both men. They will make for great rivals.

It's also smart of WWE not to have Reigns win. He can get into the title picture on his own. Sheamus is the more unexpected, curveball option.

Seeing where WWE takes The Celtic Warrior will be mighty intriguing.

Paige vs. Nikki Bella (Divas Championship)

A vicious, relentless Nikki Bella dominated the challenger early. She sent Paige into every hard surface available. She grounded her with a bodyscissors and punished her by cranking her neck back.

Paige responded with an STF, but the champ escaped. She had the same results with the PTO.

Brie Bella tried to replace Nikki illegally, but Paige rolled her up for a three-count. Confusion followed. Nikki then pounced with a forearm and a Rack Attack for the win.

Result

Nikki wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Nikki sends Paige crashing into the guardrail.

"This is like watching North Korea and Iran in the World Cup. You don't want anyone to win."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield

Nikki hits a springboard kick.

Grade

B

Analysis

This is Nikki's best work to date. With all the talk of other women set to revolutionize the division, this served as a statement, one that said, "Don't forget about me."

Her heel work has improved. She's increasingly good at being a nasty predator in the ring.

The faulty logic of this not ending in a disqualification hurts the bout, though. Brie interfered; the match should have been over.

Clearly, the story between these wrestlers isn't over. Paige is likely to find herself an ally to even things up going forward. That's a great chance to have Charlotte or Sasha Banks come up from NXT.

Big Show vs. Ryback (Intercontinental Championship)

The Miz griped about not being in this title bout before promising to create art on commentary.

Once the battle began, Ryback took the fight to Big Show right away. He nailed the giant with the meat-hook clothesline before looking to finish things off early with Shell Shocked.

Ryback took time out to throw The Miz over the announce table. Big Show then pounced, overpowering the champ.

A right hand from The World's Largest Athlete knocked Ryback out, but it also knocked him out of the ring. The Miz jumped in, ending the bout early.

Result

Big Show wins via disqualification.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"I will create an audio/visual masterpiece."—The Miz

Ryback locks Big Show in an armbar.

Ryback lifts the big man for a suplex.

Grade

C

Analysis

It's wise of WWE to make this match go short, as it allowed the two competitors to offer a more intense matchup, but it ended in anticlimactic fashion. It turned out to be a setup for the future rather than something to savor now.

The Miz's involvement is clear foreshadowing that a Triple Threat is on the way. 

This first go-round was better than most expected in terms of in-ring action, but it's hard to imagine the two powerhouses sustaining that for a longer match. The Miz will bring energy, speed and some variety into the next contest.

John Cena vs. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens began by barreling over John Cena and cranking his arm around Cena's head. A loud, fervent crowd cheered for each man as the battle continued from there.

Both Owens and Cena whipped out new moves to topple each other. Their trusty signature weapons came next, with Cena going for the Attitude Adjustment and Owens landing with the cannonball.

Cena grew frustrated as he failed to keep Owens down. After hitting his finisher and getting only a two-count, he argued with the referee in an out-of-character move.

The back-and-forth action saw both men get inches away from victory. A second Attitude Adjustment from Cena, followed by Owens dropping Cena on his head from the top rope, wasn't enough to end things.

Cena showed his foe respect afterward, telling him that he belongs. The two shook hands, but Owens attacked, powerbombing Cena onto the apron.

Result

Cena wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Owens mimics Cena with a series of shoulder blocks and a Five Knuckle Shuffle.

Cena hits an inverted suplex.

Owens spins Cena from off his shoulders into a powerbomb.

Owens kicks out of a second Attitude Adjustment in an extremely close two-count.

Grade

A+

Analysis

This bout had that proverbial big-fight feel from the entrances onward. That's a testament to Owens' growing star power.

The narrative was built around Cena having to use a variety of new moves to put away Owens. Cena getting angry and flustered helped make the NXT champ look like something special despite the loss.

Another Owens win would have given him a surplus of momentum, but having him push Cena that hard and leave him lying afterward is a hell of a consolation prize.

The New Day vs. The Prime Time Players (Tag Team Championship)

Big E and Xavier Woods riled up the crowd before defending the tag team titles.

The champs focused their attention on Darren Young first. They took turns pounding on him in the corner. When Titus O'Neil finally entered, he rolled over Woods and Big E.

A Clash of the Titus ended the bout.

Result

O'Neil and Young win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"Kofi Kingston was robbed, just like he is every single year."—Woods

Big E hurls Woods into Young.

Grade

D

Analysis

The New Day continue their excellent heel work. It's impressive that they have been able to develop their characters while standing in the center of the spotlight.

The match itself, though, was nothing special. This was clearly designed to be the palate cleanser between the Kevin Owens-John Cena match and the main event.

There was no electricity surrounding the title change. Blame a lack of buildup and an anticlimactic win from the new champions. Just like the in-ring action, The Prime Time Players' big moment felt incomplete.

Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins (WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match)

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins began their clash with a staredown—the challenger wearing a smirk, the champion with an intense glare instead.

They opened with a slow pace, which continued for much of the action. Ambrose measured Rollins with strikes. His former ally responded by smashing him onto the floor and into the ring steps.

Once the ladders came into play, The Lunatic Fringe took control. He punished Rollins with the steel, looking mighty comfortable in the process.

Rollins took a chair to Ambrose's knee, shifting the matchup in dramatic fashion. The champ then played the part of torturer, zeroing in on the injured leg with a variety of painful holds.

It took guts for Ambrose just to continue and even more to climb back into the match. A thrown chair and a clothesline helped him make a comeback.

The battle then moved into the stands before the two drained competitors returned to the ring, where the challenger broke a ladder with his opponent's body. Ambrose struggled to climb to the title, allowing the match to continue.

A shot with a TV monitor, a Pedigree and a powerbomb into a stack of chairs atop a ladder didn't manage to do Ambrose in. He was struggling for the title to the last second, but Rollins pulled it down.

Result

Rollins retrieves the WWE title.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"Show them why I chose you. Show them that you are not the future, that you are the man."—Triple H to Rollins backstage

Ambrose hits an elbow drop off a ladder in honor of Dusty Rhodes.

"You gonna climb with one leg?"—Rollins to Ambrose

A ladder to the head stops a rebound clothesline attempt from Ambrose.

Rollins uses a figure-four around the ring post.

Ambrose nails Rollins off the ropes with a flying clothesline.

Rollins hurls a ladder out of the ring toward his opponent.

Ambrose flips Rollins onto a ladder.

Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds onto the Spanish announce table.

Grade

A++

Analysis

An instant classic caps off a night loaded with great matches.

Rollins and Ambrose just wrecked each other in there. All the violence made sense, contributing to the story, building up both men.

This was a showcase of Rollins' vicious side and Ambrose's inhuman amount of heart. Using a tried-and-true heel-face dynamic, the match made Ambrose look heroic in gutting it out despite everything he faced. Rollins, meanwhile, got his most impressive win since becoming the champ.

What a job by WWE to elevate both winner and loser, and what a job by Ambrose and Rollins to create another masterwork in their long-running feud.