By Jason Powell
WWE Money in the Bank 2017 Kickoff Show
Aired live on WWE Network and social media
St. Louis, Missouri at Scottrade Center
-Renee Young hosted the show with panelists Sam Roberts and Booker T. Roberts noted that it was his first Father’s Day as a father (congrats to him). They spoke about the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and played up that it was the first in history.
-Dasha Fuentes checked in from the social media lounge and said she would be joined by Jimmy and Jey Uso, who will have the pleasure of answering the worst of the questions that fans submit via social media.
-The hosts pimped WWE Network. Booker picked Samoa Joe to beat Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire. Renee Young hyped Daniel Bryan’s return for Tuesday’s Smackdown. A video aired on the women’s MITB match.
-Naomi joined the panel at their spot on the main floor. She spoke about how the mood is tense, but the women are thankful for the opportunity of being in the first women’s MITB match. Roberts pointed out that she would need to be prepared to have the winner cash in at any time. Naomi also spoke about her match with Lana and said she is not underestimating her. Young brought up the 32-woman tournament. Booker brought up the possibility of someone cashing in on Naomi. She said she has a game plan.
-Young announced that the women’s MITB ladder match will open the show. Booker picked Tamina to win. Roberts predicted Charlotte will win.
Powell’s POV: Of course, the interesting part of this announcement is that they could conceivably have the winner cash in during or after the Naomi vs. Lana match. I’m not surprised by the women’s MITB match opening the show. WWE likes to have some distance between gimmick matches when they have more than one of the same kind on the same show.
-Jimmy and Jey Uso joined Fuentes in the social media lounge. They were asked what Day One Ish means. They said it was a stupid question, then said it was going through the mud and wanting it. They were also asked what makes New Day different from any opponents. They said they have been in the right with them many times and they think they have their number. The final question was which legendary team they would face. They said it was tough to answer and listed Hart Foundation, Harlem Heat, Demolition, Samoan Swat Team, Head Shrinkers, Hardy Boyz, and more.
-A video package aired on the Naomi and Lana saga that led to the title match. Roberts said fans are scratching their heads over the decision to give Lana a title shot in her first match. Booker said Lana has been around Rusev and learned a lot of dirty tricks. He still picked Naomi to win. Roberts went with Lana to win. Renee made a rare pick by going with Naomi.
-Jinder Mahal was featured in an Indian themed video package. Booker praised Jinder for working on his craft when he left WWE. Booker picked Jinder to retain even though “Randy is my guy.” Roberts went with Orton to win.
-A WWE Great Balls of Fire ad aired and focussed on the Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe main event.
-The broadcast team of Tom Phillips, JBL, and Byron Saxton checked in.
1. Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley vs. Primo Colon and Epico Colon. Mojo gave Primo the “you ain’t hype” bit. Epico and Primo had the advantage going into the break as they targeted the surgically repaired knee of Ryder. They took a break during the match. The heels continued to isolate Ryder, who eventually made a hot tag to Rawley. Mojo had Primo pinned at one point. The referee could have counted to three because Epico was late in breaking it up. The Hype Bros hit the Hype Ryder for the win moments later…
Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley beat Primo Colon and Epico Colon in 8:30.
Powell’s POV: The Primo and Epico reboot seemed to last for a week and they have been back to being enhancement guys since then. It will be interesting to see how long they keep Ryder and Rawley together. It’s not like Smackdown needs another babyface tag team, especially with American Alpha still on the roster.
-Young and company hyped the network and the pay-per-view, as well as Daniel Bryan’s return to Smackdown on Tuesday.
-A video package aired on the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
-Young, Roberts, and Booker discussed the men’s MITB match. They spoke about how they have seen MITB make careers. Booker said it has also broken careers, and he mentioned Joey Mercury as an example. Roberts spoke about the buzz that Shinsuke Nakamura has been a rock star due to the entrances since he arrived on Smackdown, but added that he hasn’t shown it in the ring. Booker predicted an AJ Styles win. Roberts picked Sami Zayn to win.
Join me for live coverage of the WWE Money in the Bank event in a separate post on the main page.
Wasn’t the Samoan Swat Team and The Headshrinkers the same team? Wasn’t their dad on those teams? Shouldn’t they know that?
They were probably just having some fun. It’s also possible I heard it wrong.