This Saturday, seven men and seven women will compete for the right to claim a briefcase that can drastically alter the trajectory of their WWE careers at Money in the Bank 2022 on Peacock. And while Roman Reigns will be an observer – watching to see who will emerge with a guaranteed match for his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship – Bianca Belair, Ronda Rousey, Theory and Reigns’ own blood in The Usos will all have to defend their coveted titles in what is set to be a packed six-match card.
Welcome to what will be the first in a series of predictions columns here at NBC Sports EDGE for WWE’s Premium Live Events on Peacock. Those on our staff who consider themselves wrestling fans and members of the WWE Universe couldn’t wait to dive into this show and give their thoughts. For WWE Money in the Bank, it’ll be baseball manager D.J. Short and former WWE.com writer, former UpUpDownDown host and EDGE’s current news desk manager Mike Murphy with the takes.
WWE Money in Bank 2022 Event Details
Date: Saturday, July 2, 2022
Start Time: 8PM ET/5PM PT (Kickoff starts at 7PM ET/4PM PT)
How to Watch: Peacock (United States), WWE Network (Outside US)
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Street Profits vs. The Usos (c) – Undisputed Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos have been on the back foot for a week-and-a-half now with The Street Profits carrying all the momentum in the world into this match (barring any swings on SmackDown). The Profits have been here before, know what it takes and have the confidence, but time and time again The Usos have been able to bend but not break during their current championship run. Plus, we’ve seen this scenario play out in WWE frequently with challengers coming into title matches with a head of steam and losing in the end. The Street Profits will put up one hell of a fight and might pull off the upset in a match that has show-stealer written all over it, but history says to expect The Usos to hold strong once more.
-Mike Murphy
Winner: The Usos
Carmella vs. Bianca Belair (c) – Raw Women’s Championship Match
Rhea Ripley was originally positioned to challenge Belair, but plans were changed after the Judgment Day member wasn’t medically declared to compete. It’s very possible Ripley could have won in order to give a boost to the new faction. However, Carmella jumped in as a replacement after winning a five-way match on Raw on June 20. Carmella is a versatile performer and is no stranger to championships herself, but odds are they are kicking the can down the road in regard to Ripley making a run at the gold. Look for Belair to retain in decisive fashion.
-D.J. Short
Winner: Bianca Belair
Lashley vs. Theory (c) – United States Championship Match
This might be the toughest match to call on the night – and yes, that includes the Money in the Bank matches. The wild card here is one John Cena and whether or not he will make his presence felt at the show. If Cena doesn’t, then this is all Theory despite Lashley’s recent tear. The young Superstar has next big thing (the saying, not Brock Lesnar) tattooed to his face and his stock would take a serious hit with a clean loss to “The All Mighty.” But if Cena does do something – a phsyical distraction, a video on the tron or even just his music hitting to play mind games – it will distract Theory enough to let Lashley take advantage and get the win while also protecting WWE’s young stud.
The latter is what we feel will happen. A Theory/Cena SummerSlam matchup doesn’t need the United States Championship on it and it makes forecasting that outcome less predictable and thus more entertaining. Plus, it would get Lashley back on the right track after a disappointing first half of 2022.
-Mike Murphy
Winner: Lashley
Natalya vs. Ronda Rousey (c) – SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Natalya punched her ticket to MitB by winning a six-pack challenge on Smackdown. Things have gotten personal since then, with some pointed promos and exchanges on social media. Natalya pushed a stroller to the ring last week while dressing like Rousey. She’s doing a good job getting the crowd on Rousey’s side and should deliver in the ring as well, but it’s very hard to believe she’ll actually win this match. Rousey appears headed for bigger things (Is Bayley finally ready? Charlotte returning?) at SummerSlam. This match is likely just a vehicle to get us there.
-D.J. Short
Winner: Ronda Rousey
Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Gonzalez vs. Lacey Evans vs. Asuka vs. Shotzi – Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
This is a pretty stacked field that could go several ways. Raquel Gonzalez has been a breath of fresh air in the division and it’s been fun to watch her rise. Alexa Bliss could use this win to catapult her back into the spotlight and remove the still-lingering stain of her old supernatural persona. And you can never forget about Asuka.
However, the biggest storyline going into this match has been that this is Becky Lynch’s last chance at having a means of challenging Bianca Belair and ripping the Raw Women’s Championship from her. And if the card is structured properly, we could very well see Lynch kicking off the event with a win, then cashing in on Belair later on in the night to echo SummerSlam 2021 (Carmella played a minor roll in that shocker of a moment, too). This would then set the stage for a banger of a program where Belair could redeem herself once again in defeating “Big Time Becks” almost one year to the date of that initial humiliation.
Also, it’d be fun to see poster Superstars and known married duo Lynch and Seth “Freakin’” Rollins win the two titular matches.
-Mike Murphy
Winner: Becky Lynch
Riddle vs. Seth “Freakin’” Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Omos vs. Sheamus vs. Sami Zayn vs. ??? – Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Oh, what could have been. It was previously easy to imagine Cody Rhodes having a spot here and winning the briefcase as part of his stated quest to win the championship. However, even though he’s sidelined, it’s still possible there’s an avenue to that story arc through this match. And Rollins winning the match could set the stage for that very possibility. “The Visionary” has been on an incredible run — even taking his recent losses to Rhodes into account — and the briefcase would add a compelling dimension to his character. The constant threat of another calculated cash-in by Rollins would be a lot of fun.
McIntyre is the other name to watch here, as he could use the briefcase to simply challenge Reigns at “Clash at the Castle” (assuming he outlasts Lesnar at SummerSlam), but that wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. We’re still missing one competitor and Riddle and Omos are the names on the rise, but Rollins is the best bet among the group.
-D.J. Short
Winner: Seth “Freakin’” Rollins
