WWE Money in the Bank 2019 will be a pivotal pay-per-view for the company at a time when overall interest in the product is at an all-time low.
Recent data, after all, shows that fans aren't paying attention to WWE nearly as much as they once did. WWE's Key Performance Indicators for Q1 2019 showed a 14% ratings drop for Raw, a 13% ratings dip for SmackDown and a 11% decrease in live event attendance over the previous year. Both Raw and SmackDown, meanwhile, have recently hit historic ratings lows. At least traditionally, WWE has responded to massive declines in TV viewership by pulling off a major surprise or two in an attempt to reinvigorate its TV programming and regenerate interest in its product.
That will undoubtedly be WWE's philosophy at Money in the Bank, arguably WWE's fourth biggest pay-per-view and one that will feature a slate of blockbuster matches, including the first-ever WWE bout between AJ Styles and Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair, Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens and a pair of star-studded MITB ladder matches. With the way the PPV is shaping up, WWE will have plenty of chances to get fans talking based on what transpires inside the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
What swerves might WWE pull off at its first post-WrestleMania 35 event? Here are five potentially huge surprises fans could see at Money in the Bank.
The Money In The Bank Winner Immediately Cashes In
Both the men's and women's Money in the Bank matches seem to be wide open this year as they possess an interesting mix of established superstars and rising talents.
While there is no obvious frontrunner to win either match, it certainly stands to reason that one of the two MITB winners could cash in that very same night. That, of course, has happened multiple times in the past, including at last year's pay-per-view when Alexa Bliss shocked the world by cashing in on Nia Jax and walking out of the pay-per-view as Raw Women's Champion. If you look at this year's pay-per-view, the stage is certainly set for a female superstar to follow in the footsteps of Bliss, especially with Becky Lynch holding both the Raw and SmackDown women's titles and potentially having to have three matches on the show.
Whoever wins the women's MITB match is a strong candidate to cash in at Money in the Bank itself, and while that seems less likely for the men's match, WWE could throw fans a huge curveball by having a top heel on Raw cash in on Seth Rollins (or AJ Styles) or doing the same with a top villain and Kofi Kingston over on SmackDown. With Rollins seemingly more likely to be a long-term champion, however, that would make Kingston a more vulnerable target for a MITB cash-in, especially if it's won by one of the blue brand's rising villains.
Elias Upsets Roman Reigns
The uncertain injury status of the then-absentee Daniel Bryan resulted in WWE pulling the trigger on a previously unplanned heel turn for Kevin Owens, but even after Bryan's return, SmackDown is still rather thin on the heel singles side at the top of the card as Bryan is now in the tag team division.
That's why it appears that WWE is moving forward with a strong push for Elias, who is now associated with Shane McMahon and is generating massive heat as one of the best antagonists on the blue brand. In all likelihood, Elias' sudden and unexpected alliance with McMahon is going to lead to some sort of match between Shane-O-Mac and Reigns (perhaps at WWE's next Saudi Arabia event Super Showdown in June), but ideally, it would ignite the first truly compelling rivalry for Elias, who has largely been relegated to musical segments without having any riveting rivalries for the past two years.
Given his past as WWE's former No. 1 merchandise mover and the raucous crowd reactions he generates, Elias is more than deserving of a high-profile role, but if WWE wants to truly establish him as a viable main eventer, he needs to pick up a career-defining win, which is something that has avoided him for his entire main roster stretch. There would be no bigger win for Elias than a victory over four-time WrestleMania main eventer Roman Reigns, which wouldn't hurt Reigns in the slightest but would help Elias tremendously if executed right.
WWE could and should give Elias the clean victory over Reigns, but a tainted win via an assist from McMahon is much more probable.
AJ Styles Turns Heel
The recent interactions between AJ Styles and Seth Rollins have strongly hinted at a potential heel turn for "The Phenomenal One," which is more likely than you might think.
Although WWE may be hesitant to turn Styles, one of its top merchandise movers and most popular performers, it may be a necessity given the current state of Raw's roster on the heel side. The likes of Bobby Lashley and Baron Corbin simply aren't cutting it, and while Drew McIntyre could be Raw's top villain if booked right, there are questions about whether or not that will happen. Meanwhile, The Miz, despite being a natural heel, is currently positioned as a babyface while Samoa Joe finds himself stuck in the midcard yet again.
While Styles probably should remain a babyface, WWE may feel confident enough with Rollins, Braun Strowman, Ricochet and Rey Mysterio as its top fan favorites on the red brand if it wants to move forward with Styles as a heel. Remember that Styles was a heel the last time he was on Raw three years ago and was a remarkably effective one at that. Turning Styles heel isn't going to have some sort of overwhelmingly negative effect on WWE's bottom line, and if the creative team wants an extended, must-see rivalry for Rollins, then Styles is the right man for the job.
That may, however, necessitate a heel turn, which Styles could undoubtedly pull off even at least in part because it would be so shocking.
The Return Of Brock Lesnar
With Brock Lesnar being confirmed for Super Showdown and retiring from MMA, the writing is on the wall: "The Beast" is back in WWE, maybe for the long haul.
Although it isn't clear what type of deal Lesnar currently has with WWE, one report states that he is expected to work SummerSlam, and with him seemingly done inside the octagon, it's a safe bet that it's only a matter of time before he returns to WWE on a part-time schedule similar to the one he worked prior to WrestleMania 35. Especially with ratings for both Raw and SmackDown tanking and Lesnar recently being advertised as a SmackDown superstar, it's apparent that WWE has plans to utilize him again in the near future beyond Super Showdown.
Though Lesnar is not exactly missed by WWE's most diehard fans, he's still viewed as one of the company's biggest draws and is seemingly virtually guaranteed to be back as a part-time attraction. That means that, like it or not, he is probably going to be reinserted into the title picture and/or the main event scene in the near future, especially with Super Showdown just a few weeks away. That also means that both Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston should be worried.
Because "The Beast" could show up at Money in the Bank to ruin their day.
Kevin Owens Dethrones Kofi Kingston
The push and WWE title reign of Kofi Kingston have been a breath fresh air for WWE programming, but because Kingston's title reign was an audible that was never meant to work out the way it did, there may not be any long-term plans for Kingston to be WWE Champion.
Of course, the best moment of Kingston's title reign already happened at WrestleMania 35 when he became just the fourth-ever black world champion in WWE, but harvesting and maintaining the momentum created by that magical moment could prove to be much more difficult. That's precisely why WWE, which had a whopping 11 WWE champions between November 2015 and April 2017, could very easily take the title off Kingston in the near future.
Aside from the recent world title reigns of AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar, WWE has, over the past several years, often booked a number of short world title reigns as it has played a game of hot potato with the WWE and Universal titles. See, for example, the four-month stretch between January and April 2017 when a whopping five SmackDown stars held the WWE title: AJ Styles, John Cena, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal.
If history has taught fans anything, it's that Kingston retaining his title against Kevin Owens at Money in the Bank is far from a shoo-in, especially with Owens generating massive heat after his recent blockbuster heel turn.
Blake Oestriecher is an elementary school teacher by day and a sports writer by night. He’s a contributor to @ForbesSports, where he primarily covers WWE. You can follow him on Twitter @BOestriecher.
