Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Women's WWE MITB Match Chance to Create Stars, History

1. Money in the Bank Memories Are on Their Way

Glory amid bent ladders is coming for the women's division. The memories born from the danger and chaos of the Money in the Bank ladder match is on its way as well.

For the first time ever, women will battle to claim the Money in the Bank briefcase.

After Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Tamina, Natalya and Carmella left each other lying on Tuesday's SmackDown, Shane McMahon emerged to clear up the women's title situation.The blue brand's commissioner announced that all five Superstars would clash in a Money in the Bank ladder match on June 18.

The news is welcome. 

There have been 17 Money in the Bank matches to date. All have featured only men. All the great moments and momentum that the bout can create have been alien to female performers.

Money in the Bank helped Shelton Benjamin became a star. 

He leaped from the highest rungs of the highest ladders. He dove and flipped en route to crafting breathtaking images.

The SmackDown women will now get the chance to do the same thing.

Credit: WWE.com

Should Lynch dive onto her foes from a daunting height, she'll add to her resume in a major way. She can come off looking more courageous and ballsy. She can become a part of Money in the Bank history.

CM Punk solidified his status as a rising star with back-to-back Money in the Bank wins in 2008 and 2009. In outlasting a swarm of warriors, Punk looked like a formidable force, a gritty scrapper fans needed to take notice of.

Whoever wins the inaugural women's Money in the Bank match will get a similar boost.

They will have a huge feat to brag about. They will come off as a survivor and a gladiator. A victory would do wonders for the likes of the up-and-coming Carmella or Tamina, who has so often been the forgotten member of the women's division.

And the apex of Dolph Ziggler's career came courtesy of Money in the Bank.

When he ran down the entrance ramp to pounce on a fallen Alberto Del Rio in 2013, the crowd erupted. For that moment, he was the ultimate scavenger, the briefcase-wielding grappler who snatched the World Heavyweight Championship for himself.

That kind of moment would be a career-changer for Natalya, reviving her momentum and solidifying her as a heel to reckon with. It would fatten Flair's resume, give Lynch a climactic moment to share with the crowd or elevate Carmella.

Winning the contract-filled briefcase would provide fuel for The Princess of Staten Island's jetpack as she flies to the top of SmackDown.

She could be presented as an opportunist, looming over the women's champ like a vulture. And being Ms. Money in the Bank would all but guarantee her a title win, not to mention a rousing moment to go along with it.

The powerful narrative device that is the Money in the Bank concept will now be accessible to the women's division. And careers will transform as a result.

2. The Big Dog Reigns at Extreme Rules 

Should one of his opponents in the Fatal 5-Way match slip past Roman Reigns on Sunday's PPV, a streak will die.

Reigns is no stranger to victory, and that's been especially true at Extreme Rules. His record at the PPV is spotless thus far: 

Year	Match	Result
2013	The Shield vs. Team Hell No	Win
2014	The Shield vs. Evolution	Win
2015	Roman Reigns vs. Big Show	Win
2016	Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles	Win

He now enters Sunday looking for his fifth straight win at the event.

Those rooting for Reigns to lose will hope another pattern continues. Per CageMatch.net, The Big Dog is only 2-6 in Fatal 4-Way and Fatal 5-Way matches.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Tommy Dreamer vs. Sandman

Alexa Bliss' feud with Bayley has to have many fans flashing back to the Extreme Championship Wrestling Dreamer vs. Sandman rivalry in 1994.

Bliss whipping Bayley with a kendo stick of late is reminiscent of Sandman flogging Dreamer with a Singapore Cane some 23 years ago. Bayley has shown toughness as she's suffered these beatings, much as Dreamer did in proving he belonged in the gritty world of ECW:

The Kendo Stick on a Pole match at Extreme Rules will easily be a better match than Dreamer vs. Sandman, but Bliss and Bayley will be hard-pressed to match the emotions the post-bout scene created that night when Dreamer took 10 shots from the cane and defiantly asked for more. 

4. Can The Boss Revive 205 Live?

Sasha Banks wandered into the world of the cruiserweights and it has been a joy so far.

Her rivalry with Alicia Fox led to her to get involved with the cruiserweight division and appear on 205 Live. During Rich Swann vs. Noam Dar on Tuesday night, Banks collided with Fox, ripping some of her hair out in the process.

That moment received the biggest reaction of the night.

More of The Boss will be good for the ailing 205 Live. The show and the cruiserweight division has been too isolated. Crossover from stars like Banks will be a nice boost, as will giving stories depth as this Fox-Banks situation has. 

Banks won't be a savior, but having her around will definitely make things more fun.

5. RKO Summer Style 

Randy Orton may not be everyone's favorite wrestler, especially after thumbing his nose at independent wrestling, but his RKO is a never-ending source of entertainment.

The Viper recently reminded us that the move can come out of nowhere. Orton posted an Instagram video of himself hitting the RKO on a kid:

The WWE Network could build a whole show around Orton hitting folks with his finisher in unexpected places.

6. Okada vs. Omega II

Kenny Omega will challenge Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship once more, and it's going to be next to impossible for the sequel to top the original.

At New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom this January, Okada and Omega put on one of the best matches in wrestling history. Drama ran through the bout as the two grapplers slugged it out, as Omega fell just short of dethroning The Rainmaker.

The rematch is set for the June 11 Dominion event.

Chances are, it's a bit of a letdown. There's really nowhere for the two of them to go but down. Even a five-star match would be inferior to their first effort.

7. Since Asuka's Streak Began

Asuka remains undefeated, even surpassing Goldberg's famous streak. The amount of history that's unfolded since the NXT women's champ's first WWE win is a testament to how special her run is.

Asuka defeated Dana Brooke on Oct. 7, 2015.

Since then, Goldberg returned and re-retired. Alberto Del Rio re-signed with WWE before being released again. The Dudley Boyz, Wade Barrett and Ryback have all left the company.

The Lucha Dragons went their separate ways. The Vaudevillains disbanded. The Wyatt Family imploded.

Breezango came into existence. The Mechanics morphed into The Revival.

Chris Jericho formed partnerships with AJ Styles and Kevin Owens, both of which went up in flames.

Alexa Bliss went from being Blake and Murphy's sidekick to Raw women's champ. And when Asuka first arrived, James Ellsworth's only WWE experience was as one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds.

8. Submission Specialists at Work

When Neville and Austin Aries clash for the Cruiserweight Championship at Extreme Rules, there will be only one way to win—forcing the other man to tap out.  

The Submission match is an underused stipulation but one that has led to a number of excellent bouts. To see what that kind of contest looks like at its best, check out the following clips and highlights: 

• Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund: Survivor Series 1994
• Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin: WrestleMania 13
• Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit: Judgment Day 2000
• Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit: Backlash 2001
• Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison: Hell in a Cell 2010

The bar is set high for Neville and Aries, but judging by their previous encounters, they will be up to the task. Expect the cruiserweights to steal the show come Sunday.

9. Weird is the Right Route with R-Truth vs. Goldust

The Golden Truth's split has led to a surprisingly intriguing rivalry.

As R-Truth and Goldust go to battle, WWE has to go all-out, though. The company will be doing this story a disservice if it makes it a cookie-cutter feud.

Goldust is a bizarre character, a man obsessed with Hollywood who believes he's some kind of film star. R-Truth is equally strange. He long had an imaginary friend accompany him to the ring. And he's so spacey that he's often wandered into the wrong matches.

It's only fitting that their feud be an off-the-wall one.

Raw needs to create unique vignettes for the two of them. Little Jimmy needs to reappear to help R-Truth. Goldust should hire a replacement in Marlena. And the enemies should brawl in an abandoned drive-in movie theater at some point.

This is sure to be midcard fare, but it can certainly be memorable if given the green light to travel outside the box.

10. Ryback on 'Gymnastics'

Ryback offered some very NSFW comments on his podcast (h/t Wrestle Zone for the transcription) about the state of pro wrestling. During his rant, he said:

"WWE is pushing guys that cannot hurt a fly. When did gymnastics make you tough? It doesn't. It really doesn't, and I get that it is entertainment, and it has its place, but for that to replace actual toughness, the business was built around being real, that is why you lose casual viewers because they don't buy into that and they never will."

This is such a strange time to make this comment.

The universal champion is the monstrous Brock Lesnar. The WWE titleholder is the veiny, ripped, 6'5" Jinder Mahal. Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin and Roman Reigns, all big dudes with bad attitudes, are three of the biggest stars of the product right now.

There are plenty of athletic, smaller guys on the roster, too. But that should always be the case. Wrestling is a circus that needs a variety of performers, including the gymnasts.

Leave it to Ryback to make such inflammatory comments. This is the same fellow who said (h/t Uproxx) he didn't understand why WWE would try to expand its market in India because the people there don't have any money. 

The Big Guy has done an excellent job of keeping himself in the spotlight via his hot takes.