With Hell in a Cell behind us, the pay-per-view schedule continues right into the Money in the Bank event. Taking place on July 18, with fans in attendance, this event will see eight women get a chance to climb the ladder, grab the briefcase, and get a guaranteed shot at a championship.
The four women that have qualified are:
On tonight’s RAW, WWE had an interesting way to have the women of the red brand qualify. There were two tag team matches that took place with the winning pair of each match claiming their spot.
The first match was Eva Marie and Doudrop taking on Naomi and Asuka.
Eva returned officially to WWE last week as she was scheduled to take Naomi one-on-one. Instead, she came to the ring with Doudrop (Piper Niven, call up from NXT UK) who took out Naomi in quick fashion. This week, when Eva was introducing her new friend, Doudrop kept trying to tell her that her name was Piper, however, the leader of the Eva-Lution gave her a name of her own.
Eva was poised to start this week’s match against Asuka but quickly tagged in her partner. She took herself to the outside of the ring instead of staying on the apron which basically caused Doudrop to be at a 2-on-1 disadvantage. Eventually, Eva would find herself in the match after all the work was done for her she tried to get the pin on Naomi but there was a kick out. Immediately, Eva tried to tag back out.
As she went for the tag, Doudrop left the ring apron obviously upset at the name that Eva gave her instead of calling her Piper. Naomi would take advantage of the dissension that is already going on between the newest members of RAW and gets the pin on Eva.
This means that Naomi and Asuka are the first two women qualified for this year’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
The second match involved Alexa Bliss who teamed up with frenemy Nikki Cross as they faced Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.
A few things looked different for the team of Bliss/Cross. Bliss came out to new music/theme, making her character even more maniacal. Cross on the other hand has taken a page right out of the Hall of Famer Molly Holly‘s playbook and is now dawning a superhero outfit. She received new music/theme as well.
Once we were able to get through these changes, the match was on. Cross shined in the match showing off her newly found confidence while Bliss almost hypnotized Reginald to slap Nia Jax. By the end, Cross would twist up Shayna Baszler into a pin to get the win for her and Bliss.
Who will be the other four women to qualify for the MITB match? As for SmackDown’s side, Liv Morgan is certainly ready to take her place.
Check back in with Diva Dirt for more news on Money in the Bank!!
