WWE Money in the Bank 2018: Match Card, Potential Spoilers, Predictions and More

That familiar sound of flesh cracking against ladders is coming, as WWE Money in the Bank delivers a double dose of its trademark match Sunday.

On the pay-per-view, Braun Strowman will look to continue his domination and wipe out the field in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks, meanwhile, are set to compete in a loaded ladder match of their own. By the end of the night, two Superstars will be one cash-in away from claiming championship gold.

Chicago's Allstate Arena will host both of those bouts, a so-so midcard lineup and the potential conclusion to the AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura WWE Championship saga.

The PPV card offers surefire bangers in the form of the ladder matches. The Intercontinental Championship clash promises to be a surprise hit. Money in the Bank, though, is no dream show, as evidenced by the underwhelming contests ahead for Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan.

In a way, the mixed bag of an event is a microcosm of where WWE is as a whole right now.

The midcard lacks momentum. Rising stars are front and center. And Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship are nowhere to be seen.

News, Potential Spoiler

James Ellsworth may be fated to influence the Money in the Bank ladder match again.

PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson reported: "Ellsworth looks to be returning to WWE soon, PWInsider.com has learned. There have been several recent creative pitches for Ellsworth to pop up in some capacity, and PWInsider.com has confirmed he is slated to be at the WWE Money in the Bank PPV in Chicago.

Credit: WWE.com

Last year, Ellsworth pulled down the Money in the Bank briefcase to allow Carmella to win. He has been wrestling on the independent scene since January and last competed for WWE in November.

The New Day has yet to reveal which member will battle in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. One report, though, pointed to it being the trio's powerhouse who gets the nod.

The PWInsider.com crew noted on a recent Elite audio show that they are hearing Big E will be the Superstar to represent The New Day at Money in the Bank (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats).

There has also been some talk about Ronda Rousey's future with WWE thanks to an off-hand comment.

Ric Flair told broadcaster Chris Van Vliet that he believed Rousey has only signed a one-year contract with WWE. Before one starts mulling over how that could affect how WWE handles her in the months ahead, another report contradicted that info. As Raj Giri noted for Wrestling Inc: "We have confirmed that Rousey's contract with WWE is a multiyear deal."

Match Card

• The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)
• Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn
• Seth Rollins vs. Elias (Intercontinental Championship)
• Carmella vs. Asuka (SmackDown Women's Championship)
• Big Cass vs. Daniel Bryan
• Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal
• Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey (Raw Women's Championship)
• Women's Money in the Bank ladder match (Ember Moon vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Naomi vs. Lana vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya)
• Men's Money in the Bank ladder match (Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Roode vs. Finn Balor vs. Rusev vs. Samoa Joe vs. The Miz vs. one member of The New Day)
• AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Last Man Standing; WWE Championship)

Credit: WWE.com

Predictions

• The Bludgeon Brothers retain.
• Lashley over Zayn.
• Rollins over Elias.
• Asuka over Carmella via disqualification.
• Bryan over Cass.
• Reigns over Mahal.
• Rousey over Jax.
• Banks wins Money in the Bank contract.
• Samoa Joe wins Money in the Bank contract.
• Styles over Nakamura.

Jax vs. Rousey

WWE put itself in a no-win booking situation with the Raw women's title bout.

If Jax wins, Rousey will have lost her first singles match, damaging her aura from the get-go. After all, Rousey is supposed to be a badass set to conquer an unfamiliar world. Going 0-1 in one-on-one bouts doesn't paint that picture.

Should Rousey win, though, WWE will have missed out on telling a long, engaging story about her rise to the top. She will have claimed the crown too easily, too early.

Leading up to the bout, WWE has played up Jax's experience advantage. The champ has taunted the former UFC star, saying she can do things to her she has never seen in the Octagon.

Rousey, though, took to her new home, putting on arguably the best match at WrestleMania 34.

Women's Money in the Bank

Former champions crowd the ladder match field. Banks, Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch Naomi and Natalya have all won gold in the past.

Flair lost the SmackDown women's title thanks to a Money in the Bank cash-in in April. Bliss, Naomi and Natalya all held that crown last year. It's been a longer drought for Lynch, who dropped the title to Bliss in 2016.

Unless Lana or recent NXT call-up Ember Moon emerges victorious on Sunday, one of those previous titleholders will step closer to redemption.

This will mark just the second year WWE has put on a women's Money in the Bank ladder match. The first time out, the company made the mistake of creating some unfortunate optics. Ellsworth essentially won the match, giving a man the big moment in a historic bout.

WWE needs not get cute with its booking this time around. 

Men's Money in the Bank

How do you overcome a monster?

That will be the central narrative of the men's ladder match. Braun Strowman has been unstoppable of late. He won a 50-man Battle Royal in Saudi Arabia, broke a ladder with his bare hands and is fresh off defeating Kevin Owens, Finn Balor and Bobby Roode in a Fatal 4-Way match.

That kind of result has inspired Owens to conspire against The Monster Among Men. On the final Raw before the PPV, KO tried to recruit his fellow ladder match combatants to gang up on Strowman.

That's likely the only way anyone stops him.

Strowman doesn't need the briefcase anyway. It is supposed to be a means to gain an unfair advantage on the champion. The behemoth's unworldly physical gifts already give him one.

The conniving Miz is a more likely option for the winner. Owens would be a good fit with the briefcase in hand too. Or else WWE may look to make Samoa Joe extra dangerous, arming him with a contract he can use at any moment.

The field is essentially wide open, and that gives the bout added electricity. 

Last Man Standing

A decisive end is coming. After a double count-out at the Greatest Royal Rumble and a no-contest at Backlash, Nakamura is set to challenge Styles once more.

The King of Strong Style has taken to doling out low blows since his loss to Styles at WrestleMania. He has become a more entertaining version of himself, the kind of bully who grins down at a crumpled enemy.

Nakamura's extra-painful new weapon is sure to come into play in what is likely his last chance at the WWE title for a while.

The two rivals have yet to create the classic we know they are capable of, unable to match their memorable pre-WWE showdown in Japan in 2016. Their bouts have gotten better with time, and perhaps their magnum opus is upon us.

After a shoddy stretch for Raw and a Backlash PPV that flopped, Money in the Bank has the tools to shake all that off. The roaring Chicago crowd, two ladder matches and two enemies looking to leave each other unable to stand are poised to add up to a big win for WWE.