5 Worst booking decisions WWE could realistically make at Money In The Bank 2018

The Money In The Bank pay-per-view is often seen, in the eyes of WWE fans, as one of the most exciting events of the year.

However, even the most loyal WWE viewer will have to admit that the company’s weekly television shows, Raw and SmackDown Live, have been very underwhelming recently, while the Backlash PPV in May was among the most disappointing in many years.

Not only did Backlash finish with a meaningless match between two people who aren't even on the same brand, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe, but it featured several booking decisions that didn’t seem to make much sense.

For example, why did Nia Jax cut the biggest babyface promo of her career when, just a week later, she became a borderline heel again? And what was the point of the Superstar Shake-Up if so many people from separate brands were involved in the same matches and segments?

With another PPV on the horizon, let’s take a look at five of the worst booking decisions that WWE could realistically make for Sunday’s show in Chicago.

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#5 Carmella defeats Asuka

There has been speculation that James Ellsworth could return in this match

Since Charlotte Flair ended Asuka’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania 34, it feels like neither woman has really benefited from what, at the time, felt like a truly iconic ‘Mania moment.

Charlotte quickly lost the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Carmella before being defeated surprisingly easily in the rematch at Backlash, while the aura surrounding Asuka was somewhat damaged when she followed up her loss in New Orleans by losing a standard tag match against The IIconics.

To ensure that “The Empress of Tomorrow” still feels like a big deal on the main roster, she surely has to defeat Carmella on Sunday to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship for the first time in her career.

As good as “The Princess of Staten Island” has been as champion, especially on the mic, Asuka is the best in-ring talent in either women’s division right now and it’d be a shame if she fails in her second big opportunity to win a main-roster title.

#4 Shinsuke Nakamura loses yet another WWE title match

Is it finally Shinsuke Nakamura's time to win the big one?

Shinsuke Nakamura will challenge for the WWE Championship for the sixth time in nine months when he faces AJ Styles in a Last Man Standing match at Money In The Bank.

“The King of Strong Style” failed on all five previous occasions when he tried to win the title – twice against Jinder Mahal in 2017 and three times against Styles in 2018 – and he is unlikely to get another opportunity at the gold if he doesn’t win on Sunday.

For that reason, it would be disappointing if the former NJPW star fails to dethrone Styles as WWE champion, especially when you consider how much he has improved as a heel character over the last few weeks.

#3 The main show lasts longer than four hours

Recent PPVs have lasted longer than expected

While the new dual-brand format of PPVs has largely been received well by fans, it’s fair to say that the majority of the WWE Universe isn’t so crazy about seeing a four-hour show, as has recently been rumoured, for every PPV event.

The most recent PPV, Backlash, lasted 3 hours and 25 minutes, which felt far too long for a ‘B’ show, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising if WWE overran their schedule again by making Money In The Bank – one of the most newsworthy events of the year – last longer than is necessary.

If the show is truly spectacular and overruns, like an NXT TakeOver or a Royal Rumble, then fans wouldn’t have as many complaints, but the mid-card matches for this year’s MITB aren't exactly the most inspiring, so there’s no need for the event to go on any longer than four hours.

#2 Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn ends in a disqualification

Bobby Lashley's return hasn't matched expectations

On paper, a rivalry between the obliviously obnoxious Sami Zayn and the returning Bobby Lashley probably seemed like a good idea. In reality, however, this has been one of the worst storylines of 2018 so far.

Neither guy is really to blame, although it’s obvious that Lashley isn’t the best at promos, as the build-up to the match has largely centred around comedy segments and awkward in-ring chit-chat which fans have hardly reacted to.

Hopefully, the Money In The Bank match will draw a line under this feud, but you can’t put it past WWE to keep this storyline going beyond MITB by having Sunday’s encounter end in a disqualification.

#1 Kofi Kingston or Xavier Woods enter the men’s ladder match

Only one New Day member will be in the men's ladder match

Don’t get us wrong, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are great. As a tag team, they’re probably future Hall of Famers, and both guys could easily rack up multiple title reigns as singles competitors, like Kofi did earlier in his career, if The New Day were ever to separate.

However, the breakout star of the three-man group should be Big E, and it’ll be a disappointment if the 285-pounder isn’t chosen to represent the four-time Tag Team champions in the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match on Sunday.

As of the time of writing, there still hasn’t been any confirmation on who (Who?! Who?! Who?!) will be the eighth participant in the match, but it’s clear that Big E has the biggest potential to be a future WWE champion compared to his fellow New Day members, so it’d be nice to see him given the spotlight as a singles guy for a change.