WWE Money In The Bank (June 2015)

Original Airdate: June 14, 2015

From Columbus, Ohio; Your Hosts are Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Jerry Lawler

Opening Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Roman Reigns v Randy Orton v Sheamus v Dolph Ziggler v Kane v Kofi Kingston v Neville: Big brawl to start, of course. Kofi takes advantage of the odd number of participants, and manages avoid a beating, but his attempt to sneak up the ladder doesn't win him any friends. Everyone takes turns trying to climb, but Sheamus and Kane end up clearing the ring, and Sheamus climbs, but Kane saves. Dolph drops Kane with a DDT and climbs, but Sheamus saves, and gets rid of Ziggler with a Samoan drop - which I totally just mistyped as 'seamen drop' no less than three times. Everyone plays dead on the floor as Sheamus has his way with Kingston for a bit, until Neville springboard dropkicks in to save. Neville tries to send Kingston into the ladder with a slingshot, but Kofi manages to Spiderman the landing, but Reigns stops the climb. Reigns powerbombs Kofi onto a ladder, then powerbombs Neville onto him for good measure. He climbs, but Kane saves with a chokeslam off of the ladder. Kane climbs, Orton saves. Orton climbs, Kingston saves. Neville springboards into the ring and up the ladder, but Randy pulls the carpet out from under him, and hits the RKO. He climbs, and nearly gets it this time, but Sheamus saves, so Orton delivers an inverted headlock backbreaker. Into the ladder, but Sheamus reverses, and executes the Brogue Kick. He climbs, but Ziggler wakes up to slug it out atop the ladder with him, and Dolph manages to apply a sleeper up there. That brings both guys down, and Neville capitalizes with a Red Arrow on Sheamus. Neville climbs, and nearly gets it, but Kane pulls him down for a chokeslam - saved when Ziggler superkicks him off. They decide to get rid of Kane completely before fighting over the climb again, but Kane big boots a ladder back into their faces. Reigns saves with a Superman Punch, and we get a random dog pile sequence on the floor off of a Roman tope suicida. That was really lazy and manufactured, in that the guys weren't even bunched up for any reason, and then suddenly they're all huddling up to setup the spot. With everyone down, New Day runs out to help Kingston climb, but Reigns powerbombs him out of the ring - in another contrived dog pile spot. Orton tries sneaking up with an RKO, but Reigns counters with a Spear, and the path is clear! He climbs, but the lights suddenly die, and Bray Wyatt shows up to take him out with a Sister Abigail - allowing Sheamus to get the case at 20:40. This was okay. Just sort of a bunch of random stuff without much overall direction, and way too much playing dead on the floor from everyone, but certainly not boring. Terrible ending, though. * ¾

WWE Diva's Title Match: Nikki Bella v Paige: Sloppy start, as both girls seem to be having communication issues. Out to the floor, Paige manages a somersault bodyblock off of the apron, but gets dropped onto the rail as she tries to follow-up. Yeah, but those things are so soft and padded these days, that the spot kinda loses the impact. Inside, that gets Nikki two, and a snap suplex is worth two. Paige tries a sunset flip, but walks into a clothesline for two, and Nikki hits a slingshot suplex for two. Bella grounds her with a bodyscissors that looks to be more uncomfortable for Nikki than for Paige, then into a reverse chinlock when Paige escapes it. Paige escapes that too with a superkick for two, but walks into a spinebuster for two. Whiplash gets two, but Paige blocks the Rack Attack. PTO, but Nikki blocks, and hits a springboard kick for two. Rack Attack, but Paige counters into the Rampage for two. Fight on the top rope ends in both gals falling out to the floor - allowing Brie Bella to switch off with Nikki. Inside, she cradles Paige for two, but Paige reverses for the title at 11:00. However, Brie reveals she's not Nikki (which she feels she has to prove, but showing us her bra is stuffed, as if anyone would confuse the two these days otherwise), and the match restarts - Rack Attack finishing at 11:17. That's super long for a Diva's match these days. These girls can always be counted on to try hard, if nothing else - which is exactly what this way: good effort, and nothing else. ¾*

WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Ryback v Big Show: Ryback wins an immediate power-showdown with a spinebuster, and he adds a Meat Hook. Clothesline knocks Show over the top, and Ryback follows out to abuse Miz. He pays the price for his loss of focus by walking into a spear from the challenger, and Show hammers him in the corner. Show's looking fat and old here. Chokeslam, but Ryback counters into a cross-armbreaker, then vertical suplexes him to setup a splash for two. Meat Hook, but Show counters into the Chokeslam for two. He goes for a big knockout punch that puts Ryback on the floor, but Miz attacks him as he goes to retrieve him - Ryback getting DQ'd off of it at 5:35. Just like any nasty shit, the quicker it's over, the better. ¼*

John Cena v Kevin Owens: Cena is the United States Champion and Owens is the NXT Champion, but this is non-title. They size each other up with some shoulderblock in the early going, until Owens grabs a standing side-headlock. Cena escapes, and wins a criss cross with a clothesline, but walks into a dropkick, and Owens adds a senton splash for two, then grabs a chinlock. Cena escapes with a dropkick of his own, and throws a pair of jumping shoulderblocks, so Owens responds in kind, then punctuates it with a side suplex. Kevin hits his own version of the five knuckle shuffle, but Cena counters an FU attempt into an STF. Owens escapes, so Cena delivers a nice inverted vertical suplex for two, but walks into a double-knee facebuster for two. Pop-Up Powerbomb, but Cena counters with a side suplex to setup his own Five Knuckle Shuffle. FU, but Owens counters with a release German suplex, then somersault bodyblocks him in the corner for two. Scrapbuster, but Cena counters into a crucifix, so Kevin drops him like a Samoan for two. Swanton bomb hits the knees (a visually impressive spot that the camera crew accentuated by capturing it perfectly), and Cena muscles an electric facebuster for two. FU only gets two, so Cena tries a Samoan drop off the top rope, but Owens counters into a sitout powerbomb for two. Pop-Up Powerbomb, but Cena counters with a rana, so Owens settles for a superkick instead, worth two. John manages to fight him off long enough to execute a tornado DDT for two, but a flying guillotine legdrop misses, and Owens capitalizes with a package fallaway powerbomb for two. Excellent sequence. Flying moonsault misses to allow Cena another FU for two, so Cena tries a superplex, but Owens counters into a fisherman's superplex for two. These guys are letting it all hang out here, bless 'em. Owens keeps coming, so John is ready with an STF, but Kevin gets the ropes. Brilliantly executed sunset bomb gets Cena two, and his frustration allows Owens to catch him with the Pop-Up Powerbomb, but it only gets two. Both men are at a loss, so Owens resorts to simply punching him in the head until he dies, but Cena keeps coming with a springboard stunner, and he's able to follow-up with the FU for the pin at 19:14. I agree with the crowd - this WAS awesome! Great storytelling, great action, lots of drama. The result was inevitable, but they probably should have held off another month or two before having Owens return the job, though. **** ½

WWE Tag Team Title Match: The New Day v The Prime Time Players: Xavier Woods starts with Darren Young, and they trade off on the mat. Tag to Big E puts Darren down with a release overhead suplex, and the champs take turns stomping mudholes in the corner, in a fun sequence. Wood gets two off of it, and a splash/legdrop combo is worth two. They continue cutting the ring in half on Young, until Darren manages to block a gutwrench suplex, and dodge a charge in the corner from Big E. Tag to Titus O'Neil, and we have a four-way brawl - O'Neil catching Woods with the Clash of the Titus to capture the title at 5:47. This was okay. *

Main Event: WWE World Heavyweight Title Ladder Match: Seth Rollins v Dean Ambrose: Ambrose wins the initial criss cross with a clothesline, and he ties the champ up on the mat, but misses a cross corner charge, and Seth goes for the ladder. Ambrose stops him by suplexing him in from the apron, and unloading a short-clothesline, followed by a bulldog. He tries a corner splash, but gets countered with a reverse STO into the turnbuckles, and Seth uses a high knee to knock him back out to the floor. This time, Rollins follows with a bodyslam out there, and he adds a whip into the steps before going for the ladder again, but Dean still stops him - this time with a tope. The ladder gets dragged over to the ring, and they fight over it - Ambrose winning by using the ladder to swat a diving Rollins out of the air. Well, that'll do the trick. Dean climbs, but Seth is hot on his heels, and they slug it out on the top of the ladder. Whomever is in charge of raising the title belt missed their mark here, as it's hanging down way too low, to the point where you could likely grab it from halfway up the ladder. Maybe it's the same guy from SummerSlam '95, and he's overcorrected? They fight over a suplex onto the ladder, which Dean wins, and he adds a bodyslam to setup a flying elbowsmash - complete with Dusty Rhodes tribute gestures. Nice. Clothesline puts Seth on the floor, and Dean climbs, but Rollins returns with a chair, and bashes his challenger's knee to knock him off. Seth keeps after the knee to try and prevent Ambrose from making future climbs - corkscrew legwhipping him over, and beating on it with the ladder. Figure four gives us another Dusty tribute bit when Ambrose reverses, but Seth quickly escapes, and hangs his challenger in a tree of woe - beating on the knee with a chair, before punctuating it with an insane flying double stomp onto a hung Ambrose. With Dean left hanging out to dry, Seth climbs, but Ambrose manages to get free, and tip the ladder over. Seth goes back to the knee to cutoff the comeback, but Dean stops another flying double stomp by throwing a chair at his head, followed by a 2^nd rope clothesline that sends Rollins reverse somersaulting to the mat. They spill out to the floor for a totally superfluous brawl through the crowd like it's 1999 again, and Seth leaves him for dead deep in the stands, then rushes back to make a climb. He takes too long retrieving a new ladder, however, and Ambrose returns with a clothesline off of the announce table. The ladder ends up getting planked between the ring and the announce table, and Dean backdrops Seth through it, then retrieves another ladder. He's battered, but he fights his way to the top, only for Rollins to pull him off with a powerbomb - which Dean counters with a rana over the top to the floor! Fight on the announce table ends in Ambrose hitting the Dirty Deeds onto it, and he literally crawls back into the ring and up the ladder, only for Seth to show up with his mortal enemy (a television) to knock him off. Seth Pedigrees him, and climbs, but Dean grabs his ankle to stop the effort. He's too hurt to capitalize, however, and now Seth is good and mad - dragging him out to the floor for a powerbomb into the guardrail. Then, just to make sure he gets the point, Seth gives him another. Dean taking that bump square on his ass like that can't be good for his tailbone. Still not satisfied, Seth piles a few chairs onto a ladder, and sitout powerbombs his challenger onto them - though that seems a bit counterproductive. Seth then buries him under the ladder and a pile of chairs out there, before heading in to claim the belt, but Dean is on him! They race to the top of the ladder, and both remove the belt simultaneously - but Seth is the only one still holding it as they hit the mat, and retains at 35:42. As a main event, this absolutely delivered, with both guys putting in tons of effort, making good use of psychology (along with excellent selling of the knee stuff by Ambrose throughout), and given plenty of time to properly tell the story. Their timing and coordination were also top notch throughout, and they managed to not only keep things engaging for thirty five minutes, but also keep it from becoming repetitive, or devolving into endless finisher-counter-finisher sequences. ****

BUExperience: The strength of the main event and the Cena/Owens match alone are enough to make this one worth checking out, and while the rest of the card was on the dull side, nothing was actively bad, and what was good was really good.

***