WWE Money in the Bank live results: Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

WWE’s first pay-per-view since WrestleMania 35 takes place tonight as the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut hosts Money in the Bank.

Ricochet, Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor, Ali, Andrade, and Randy Orton will be the participants in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match. Naomi, Natalya, Dana Brooke, Nikki Cross, Bayley, Mandy Rose, Ember Moon, and Carmella are set for the women’s match.

We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

Raw & SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will defend her titles in separate matches. Charlotte Flair is challenging for Lynch’s SmackDown championship, while Lacey Evans will challenge for the Raw championship.

After their title wins at WrestleMania, Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston both have defenses tonight. Rollins puts the Universal Championship on the line against AJ Styles. Kingston is defending the WWE Championship against Kevin Owens.

Other matches set for tonight’s main card are: Roman Reigns vs. Elias, The Miz vs. Shane McMahon in a steel cage match, Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio for the US title, and Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari for the Cruiserweight title.

The pre-show begins at 6 p.m. Eastern time and will feature SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan vs. The Usos in a non-title match. The main card starts at 7 p.m. Eastern.

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By Dave Meltzer

DANIEL BRYAN & ROWAN VS. USOS NON-TITLE

Good match. The Usos won the non-title match to set up a title match. Both Usos did individual topes on Rowan and then both did simultaneous topes. Bryan went for a tope but got hit with a double superkick. After more superkicks, with Bryan laid out, both Usos came off the top rope with a double splash on Bryan and got the pin.

WOMEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK: NAOMI, CARMELLA, MANDY ROSE, NIKKI CROSS, EMBER MOON, BAYLEY, NATALYA AND DANA BROOKE

Bayley won as the odds showed with the late betting. The finish saw Sonya Deville first take out Carmella (who did a knee injury angle earlier but came back out for the inish) with a spear on her. Deville put Mandy Rose on her shoulder and climbed up to the top and was at the top. Bayley climbed up the other side, knocked Deville and Rose off the ladder and pulled down the briefcase to win. The match was sloppy and very practiced early but some of the stunts got over really big, in particular Moon coming off a ladder on the floor and jumping into the ring with an eclipse on Natalya. Another spot was several women on the ladder and it was pushed over and they all took bumps.

In the post-match interview they openly talked about Sasha Banks being on Raw so we’ll check if she’s back. 

Sami Zayn interrupted a HHH phone call and was looking for Shane McMahon. Zayn was scared of what Braun Strowman was going to do tonight. HHH announced that Strowman was banned from the building. Zayn asked HHH for protection. HHH told him if he wanted protection to tape up his fists.

SAMOA JOE VS. REY MYSTERIO FOR U.S. TITLE

Mysterio pinned him with a huracanrana off a power bomb in 93 seconds  It looks like they are doing controversy over whether Joe’s shoulder was down. The left shoulder was clearly off the mat during the pin which was clearly a planned spot. Rey and Dominick celebrated after. Joe attacked Rey after the match and threw Rey into the ring. Joe planted him with a uranage. Joe may have suffered a broken nose during the match from a Thesz press. Joe gave him a second uranage and dared Dominick to get in the ring. Joe gave Mysterio a senton. The whole scenario was well done with the idea of eventually Dominick getting involved. Dominick helped Rey to the back. 

Strowman evidently is in the building and throwing things around and looking for Sami Zayn.

SHANE MCMAHON VS. THE MIZ IN A CAGE MATCH

Shane won again. Shane and Miz both climbed to the top of the cage. Shane was on the other side and they teased Miz superplexing him back but Shane slipped out of his shirt so Shane fell to the ground to win while Miz held the shirt. The crowd was into the match. There wasn’t much good about it. Miz did hit Shane with hard chair shots to the back. At one point Miz used a skull crushing finale on a chair and Shane got his foot on the ropes but they had made clear no rope breaks in a cage match. The story is the ref stopped counting because Shane is the boss. So that malkes two matches in a row where they used ref incompetence in the match story.

Mick Foley announced WWE will have another title. Just what they need. Sounds like bringing back the hardcore title.  

TONY NESE VS. ARIIYA DAIVARI FOR THE CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE

Nese retained the title with the running Nese into the corner. The work was solid, actually good for the time they were given. The crowd didn’t care. Daivari kicked out of a 450 after a Fosbury flop and and Nese kicked out of a frog splash and rainmaker.      

HHH confronted Strowman. Zayn was taken out. He denied he did it. HHH said that he won’t let Strowman be in the match for taking out Zayn. Strowman denied doing it. HHH told him to leave, he’s not going to call the police just asked him to leave. He left. They said Zayn was taken to a local medical facility fom being hung upside down earlier.

BECKY LYNCH VS. LACEY EVANS FOR THE RAW WOMEN’S TITLE 

Evans dame out with a gun shooting dollar bills with Evans face on it, basically the Okada gimmick. The match was okay. Nothing bad about it but crowd wasn’t much into it and really nothing special. The finish saw Evans use a chop block but the ref didn’t count the pin and Lynch reversed into the disarm-her for the submission. Another match booked for ref controversry. Charlotte Flair came right out.

BECKY LYNCH VS. CHARLOTTE FLAIR FOR SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S TITLE

Flair won the title back in a short match. Match was going fine, lots of trading of elbows. The finish saw Evans come back out and give Lynch the women’s right. But Lynch used an inside cradle for a near fall. Flair kicked her in the face and got the pin.

Lynch atacked Evans after. Flair helped out and Flair and Evans worked together to beat down Lynch. Bayley ran in with her briefcase and clotheslined Flair and attacked Evans. Bayley gave Evans a Saito suplex and Flair attacked Bayley. The crowd was way behind Bayley. Flair went after Bayley but Bayley threw her into the turrnbuckles and Bayley cashed it in.

CHARLOTTE FLAIR VS. BAYLEY FOR SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S TITLE

Bayley used the elbow off the top to win the title in 20 seconds. So Flair becomes the nine-time champion in her eventual 17. The crowd went nuts for Bayley winning. Really that was the best thing on the show so far. 

Roman Reigns was to face Elias but backstage Elias clocked Reigns with a guitar shot. Elias just came out. 

Elias did his singing act and went to leave. Reigns ran through the curtain and gave him a Superman punch.

ROMAN REIGNS VS. ELIAS

The match started, Reigns hit a spear and pinned Elias in nine seconds.

SETH ROLLINS VS. A.J. STYLES FOR WWE UNIVERSAL TITLE

Excellent match. Rollins retained by moving out of the way of the phenomenal forearm and hit the ripcord knee, superkick and curb stomp for the pin. Styles confronted him after the match like he wanted to fight him again. Rollins held up the belt. Styles then offered his hand. Some fans booed because they wanted to see them fight but they shook hands and fans cheered. Both guys showed up in great shape. The big spot was Rollins going for a curb stomp earlier but Styles caught him and gave him a Styles clash for a near fall. Rollins also did a super high frog splash that looked awesome. This was the rare WWE PPV match that would fit in on an NXT show. 

Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods interview. 

KALISTO & GRAN METALIK & LINCE DORADO VS. LARS SULLIVAN

Sullivan destroyed all three. It wasn’t a match. Sullivan head-butted Kalisto for real and split his own head up. It looked pretty intense with Sullivan standing there with that look and his head split open.

KOFI KINGSTON VS. KEVIN OWENS FOR WWE TITLE

Kingston retained with the trouble in Paradise after Owens came off the top rope with a swanton into double knees. The match was good, but never reached great. It was clearly a mistake putting this on after Rollins vs. Styles as fans were way hotter for the prior match and they’re tiring out now. Kingston did a corkscrew plancha into a superkick. Kingston had used a Trouble in Paradise early but Owens rolled out of the ring. Kingston kicked out of the pop up power bomb. Kingston grabbed the ropes to avert the pin when Owens hit the stunner. 

They are pushing Super Showdown as being bigger than WrestleMania. They announced Strowman vs. Lashley and Demon Finn Balor vs. Andrade for the IC title. They said more annoucnements tomorrow night.

MEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK: BARON CORBIN, FINN BALOR, DREW MCINTYRE, RANDY ORTON, RICOCHET, ALI, AND ANDRADE

Brock Lesnar won the match. He didn’t come out until the very end as Ali had the match won and Lesnar showed up, destroyed Ali and pulled the briefcase down. The crowd went nuts for the surprise. The match itself was excellent with far too many dangerous spots to mention. Orton was throwing people on tables. McIntyre threw Ricochet overhead into the ladder. Balor did a doubler foot stomp on a ladder on Corbin. Andrade gave Balor a sunset flip onto a ladder bridge. It was a crazy bump. Ali used a Spanish fly on Andrade off the ladder. Corbin choke slammed Ali thorugh the Spanish table. Corbin choke slammed Balor on the ladder. McIntyre suplexed Balor on the ladder. McIntyre threw Ricochet over the top rope onto a ladder bridge.    Basically everyone killed themselves and then Lesnar came out and laughed and won. The place went nuts for Lesnar winning. Ali was split open in the final spot and some cameramen were run over when Lesnar came down.