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WWE Money In The Bank 2021 assembled a potentially great card. With this being the first pay-per-view for WWE back on the road in front of fans, the company had to deliver a strong lineup to capture the imagination of their fanbase. The performers more than stepped up and exceeded expectations on this show.
From the Kickoff Show through to the main event of the evening, there were many spectacular contests that could argue to be the match of the night. The evening will be remembered for its tremendous closing angle featuring John Cena's return to confront WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, but the WWE Superstars had a banner event before it transpired.
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With this crucial pay-per-view in the books, fans can look back on the evening and assess what each match had to offer. In this article, let's take a look at the star rating for every match at WWE Money In The Bank 2021.
Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships (WWE Money In The Bank 2021 Kickoff Show)
The WWE Money In The Bank 2021 Kickoff Show saw Rey and Dominik Mysterio defending their SmackDown Tag Team Champions against The Usos. After Jimmy and Jey reunited with Roman Reigns, they looked to bring gold back to the family and to make "The Tribal Chief" proud here.
The entrances for both tag teams were a good way to start things off at WWE Money In The Bank 2021. The Usos brought their usual energy to getting the crowd hyped, while The Mysterios had a rather unique intro video of them going through a portal to arrive in the arena.
Rey and Dominik Mysterio brought their usual exciting arsenal of high flying to this bout. In particular, Dominik wanted to impress with this being his first pay-per-view in front of the WWE Universe. The Usos felt like they hadn't missed a beat as a tag team despite their few tag team contests since Jimmy's return from injury.
The highlight of this SmackDown Tag Team Championships matchup was Rey Mysterio going for the 619 on Jey, but Jimmy jumped in front to take the bullet for his brother. The Usos took out Dominik and Jey rolled up Rey with Jimmy assisting to push his brother on to win the titles. It was a fun Kickoff Show match to open WWE Money In The Bank 2021.
Star rating: ***
Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka vs. Liv Morgan vs. Naomi vs. Natalya vs. Tamina vs. Nikki A.S.H. vs. Zelina Vega in the Women's Money In The Bank Ladder Match (WWE Money In The Bank 2021)
The field for the Women's Money In The Bank Ladder Match didn't capture much interest heading into the show. There were rumors running rampant that fans would witness someone injecting themselves into this contest from Becky Lynch to Sonya Deville. However, the Fort Worth crowd just got the ladies advertised in the main show opener.
Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Natalya, Tamina, Nikki A.S.H. and Zelina Vega all had their own possibilities as potential winners, making this Women's Money In The Bank Ladder Match a tough one to call. Alexa was her typical self where the fans were into her in-ring work, but somewhat divisive with her hypnotizing gimmick where she made Zelina Vega climb down from the ladder.
Bliss was taken out and given the monster treatment during the latter portion of this bout. Naomi brought excitement with the Fort Worth crowd heavily in her corner. She laid out Vega on a ladder bridge in the corner and gave Liv a powerbomb on top of Zelina in a nice spot. Natalya and Tamina used their experience to work together at times and play disruptors for the other women.
Asuka was charismatic and had the crowd invested in some of the action here, but not quite as much as Liv Morgan. The former Riott Squad member was the sentimental favorite and came close on several occasions. Zelina Vega bumped all over and looked good in her first spotlight match since her return, while Nikki A.S.H. dived off a ladder onto her opponents in this Money In The Bank.
Nikki would use her opponents fighting and reaching up for the briefcase all at once to her advantage to sneak up the top of a ladder and win this match. This felt like a good decision and Nikki's win was a breath of fresh air. The Women's Money In The Bank Ladder Match was clunky and uneven at times, but it had enough fun action to make it a good opener to the main pay-per-view.
Star rating: **3/4
AJ Styles & Omos vs. The Viking Raiders for the Raw Tag Team Championships (WWE Money In The Bank 2021)
The Raw Tag Team Championships Match at WWE Money In The Bank 2021 didn't have the best buildup coming in. AJ Styles and Omos have been good champs, but WWE didn't do enough to properly make The Viking Raiders feel like a threat to their reign. However, the action here did well to make up for this.
The two teams had decent chemistry with one another. The Viking Raiders showed glimpses of why they were valued during their runs in WWE NXT and NJPW. They came in with a pretty good gameplan of trying to dispose of the monsterous Omos before picking off AJ Styles to walk out with gold at WWE Money In The Bank 2021.
The Raw Tag Team Champions had arguably their best performance yet as a tag team. The assisted Tope Hurricanrana performed during this Money In The Bank 2021 contest was phenomenal and showed how well AJ Styles and Omos have gelled as a team.
Omos is still green and learning in the ring. His selling left a lot to be desired at times, taking the crowd out of this matchup. However, the work of the other three men made up for this. Omos overwhelmed The Viking Raiders and put Erik away with a Tree Slam for the win to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships. It was a solid tag team bout here at WWE Money In The Bank 2021.
Star rating: ***
Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship (WWE Money In The Bank 2021)
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley needed to regain his confidence at WWE Money In The Bank 2021. Heading into his WWE Title defense, Kofi Kingston had his number and had got in his head. Due to losses to Kingston as well as his New Day brethren Xavier Woods, Lashley felt that he had gotten soft from his dominant run that led to him becoming champion.
The Fort Worth crowd at WWE Money In The Bank 2021 were hot and very vocal in their support of Kofi Kingston. This led to Kofi coming out with some offense early on, looking to overwhelm the larger Bobby Lashley. However, this didn't last long at all. Lashley turned things around with a vicious spinebuster that sucked the energy out of the crowd.
Lashley never let up from there. He ran Kofi Kingston into the ring post and followed in the ring, hitting three dominators. Lashley rained down strikes on Kingston and finally ended things with the Hurt Lock to retain the WWE Championship in seven minutes. This was complete and utter annihilation by the All Mighty WWE Champion.
This WWE Championship Match was very one sided. Some fans will argue that they don't want to see Kofi Kingston go down in this way again, but Bobby Lashley needed this due to how the leadup went. This was the Lashley that fans wanted the most. He was a destroyer and made a statement here at WWE Money In The Bank 2021.
Star rating: **
Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women's Championship (WWE Money In The Bank 2021)
If there was one match where fans weren't given much reason to be excited about heading into WWE Money In The Bank 2021, it was Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women's Championship. The two ladies have been feuding since after WrestleMania 37, but WWE hadn't made either women that likable with the way they have crafted this storyline.
The Fort Worth crowd showed their disapproval immediately into this Raw Women's Championship Match. Fans were hostile and wanted to see Becky Lynch more than either woman here. But Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley willed the crowd into their encounter here at WWE Money In The Bank 2021.
Charlotte and Rhea worked their butts off and put on a superb contest that had ebbs and flows. It was back and forth with both women being able to shine. Rhea Ripley showed off her athleticism, strength and expert timing. This may have been her best singles matchup since her main roster call-up and showed the world why the company has been so high on her.
Charlotte Flair has long been considered one of the best women's wrestlers in the world or of all time. She was a tour de force here, getting every single fan in Fort Worth at WWE Money In The Bank 2021 into this Raw Women's Championship Match. Her facial expressions and body language showed why she is already a legend.
The top rope Natural Selection for a nearfall was a great moment. Flair didn't let up from there though. She attacked Rhea Ripley's leg, trapping it in the steel steps and stomping it out before locking on the Figure 8 to win the Raw Women's Championship. Charlotte Flair walked out of WWE Money In The Bank 2021 a 14-time Women's Champion. It was a tremendous encounter that deserves praise.
Star rating: ****1/4
Big E vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Kevin Owens vs. John Morrison vs. Ricochet vs. Riddle vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins in the Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match (WWE Money In The Bank 2021)
The star-studded Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match had high expectations heading into the night. Big E, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, John Morrison, Ricochet, Riddle, Shinsuke Nakamura and Seth Rollins are some of the most talented performers on the WWE roster. This would be an opportunity for their skills to be on full display here.
Each performer had their moment in this Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match. Seth Rollins and John Morrison teamed up with one another and made a good team by taking out their opponents. Their backdrop on Ricochet was a cool spot early on. Morrison pulled out some parkour to show why he has been so underrated throughout his WWE runs.
Despite the Fort Worth crowd giving him some boos throughout the night, Drew McIntyre shone in this Money In The Bank Ladder Match. He flew and dived on his opponents. McIntyre laid out Ricochet with a reverse Alabama Slam on a ladder. If not for interference from Jinder Mahal and his enforcers, he would have probably retrieved the briefcase.
The Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match was made for a high flyer the likes of Ricochet. His amazing ability was showcased well. He bumped like crazy for his opponents and had a jaw-dropping moment. Riddle looked to push the ladder over with Ricochet on top, but he springboarded off the top rope and did a flip dive onto the rest of the field.
Riddle himself had brief flurries, hitting the RKO on several participants here. Shinsuke Nakamura had some shine, giving out Kinshasas and even a nice Go To Sleep. Kevin Owens dropped several Stunners and looked on the verge of victory before Seth Rollins powerbombed him through a ladder bridge at ringside.
That spot looked like it would lead to Rollins climbing up the ladder for the win, but Big E caught him in the Big Ending off a ladder before climbing the ladder and retrieving the briefcase to win the Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match. It was a stellar contest that lived up to the hype. The Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match had huge spots, brilliant storytelling and the perfect winner.
Star rating: ****1/2
Roman Reigns vs. Edge for the WWE Universal Championship (WWE Money In The Bank 2021)
WWE Money In The Bank 2021 was headlined by Roman Reigns defending the WWE Universal Championship against WWE Hall of Famer Edge. Following Edge's return last month, he has gotten the upper hand over "The Tribal Chief" over the past few weeks. This has made for an entertaining leadup and created plenty of anticipation for this showdown.
Roman and Edge had the Fort Worth crowd in the palm of their hands. Fans were hot for both men, with The Rated R Superstar getting a massive pop during his entrance. There were also dueling chants for Reigns and Edge prior to the two men even locking up in this Money In The Bank 2021 main event.
The Universal Championship bout started out slow with both competitors trying to build more fan engagement. This led to certain vocal fans getting disgruntled during Roman's heat segment where they rained down "you can't wrestle" chants. Reigns would not be deterred and continued beating down Edge with right hands. The Ultimate Opportunist had visual bruises on his face from this beatdown.
Edge made a spirited comeback, but Roman cut him off with a Superman Punch that caused Edge to collide into the referee. This is where the Money In The Bank 2021 main event heated up. Reigns grabbed a steel chair and broke off the leg, looking for revenge on his opponent. Edge blocked and reversed a crossface attempt and locked in one of his own with the chair rung.
The Usos tried to interfere, but they were cut off by The Mysterios. Seth Rollins came through the crowd and superkicked Edge breaking the crossface. Roman Reigns looked for the spear, but Edge hit one of his own. A new referee came down, but Roman kicked out at two. Edge set up for another spear to win this Money In The Bank 2021 main event.
However, Seth Rollins came back down and distracted Edge. The WWE Hall of Famer knocked Rollins off the apron, but Edge then turned around into the spear for Reigns to retain the WWE Universal Championship. This was a great main event that had outstanding storytelling and built to an exhilarating finish to end WWE Money In The Bank 2021, even before the amazing John Cena return.
Star rating: ****1/
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