WWE Money in the Bank 2018: Match Card, Latest Rumors, News and Buzz Before PPV

WWE Money in the Bank will emanate from the historic Allstate Arena in suburban Chicago on Sunday night with a card that features the most talented professional wrestlers on the roster and massive rewards for the lucky man and woman able to scale a ladder and retrieve the coveted briefcases.

Ahead of the event, reports have hit the web suggesting there will be some surprises and have provided insight on a match originally scheduled for the card but was scrapped.

What are they, and how might they affect the show?

James Ellsworth's Return

Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats reports James Ellsworth will make his presence felt Sunday night, saying: "The expectation is that James Ellsworth is indeed returning to WWE at Money in the Bank and he will help Carmella retain the SmackDown women’s title against Asuka."

Ellsworth spent the majority of 2017 paired with Carmella, whom he helped win the Money in the Bank briefcase a year ago at the same event.

Buy or Sell?

Buy. Carmella may be the SmackDown women's champion but her act has been incomplete without boy-toy Ellsworth interfering on her behalf. She was much more over as one half of that pairing and will be again.

The champion may have scored a clean, upset victory over Charlotte at Backlash, but there is no chance in hell she can believably defeat Asuka to retain her title without some sort of assistance. This is the perfect spot to re-debut Ellsworth and have him explode back on to the scene in a meaningless and memorable fashion.

What Match Will Main-Event?

Ortman also reported WWE officials discussed an interesting choice for the main event of Sunday's show.

"There's apparently been some more talk of having Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax main event Money in the Bank," he said.

It would be the first time the women's championship from either brand has headlined a pay-per-view event since Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell 2016.

Buy or Sell?

Sell. If the story behind Rousey vs. Jax were better, most fans would be all for the match being at the top of the card. With that said, there is a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Championship between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura that should go on last.

That rivalry is months in the making and deserves a quality sendoff, even if the story behind it has not necessarily been what fans expect given the talent involved.

Rousey will headline many a pay-per-view for WWE. As the face of the marketing for the pay-per-view, once could argue she already is the main event. But this time, leave it to Styles and Nakamura to try to deliver in the big spot while Rousey entertains from the midcard, which probably suits her inexperience at this point.

Tag Team Money in the Bank Ladder Match Scrapped

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive reported there was a tag team Money in the Bank ladder match that was originally slated for Sunday's show but was scratched.

The report also suggests said match was the reason The Authors of Pain and Sanity were brought to the main roster. The decision not to move forward with the contest left both teams in limbo on Raw and SmackDown Live, respectively.

Buy or Sell?

Sell. If WWE Creative did not have plans for The Authors of Pain or Sanity beyond Money in the Bank, why bother bringing them up?

It is reflective of the same short-term booking that has doomed the main roster writing team for years and has left the shows a quivering mess of talent with no real direction.

Even if the proposed tag team ladder match had taken place, how many of those teams would have descended back into monotony in the immediate aftermath of the show rather than having their hard work and dedication rewarded?

It is probably for the best the match did not happen, even if it robbed Sanity and the Authors of momentary direction.