Money in the Bank 2016: Three Major Matches and One Perfect Cash-In Rescue an Uneven Card

The opener has enough popular acts to generate immediate energy, even if the four-team rules make legal-man continuity difficult to follow. New Day and Enzo and Cass provide the crowd connection, Gallows and Anderson bring the most credible power offense, and the Vaudevillains function as useful targets for the faster sequences. Several exchanges are visibly messy, including mistimed tags and a near collision around Trouble in Paradise, but the finishing stretch improves dramatically. Big E's apron Spear, the Magic Killer, Cass' big boot, and New Day's final combination create believable near finishes in quick succession. Kingston ultimately pins English after the champions capitalize on the chaos. It is imperfect but lively, and New Day's retention preserves the record-setting title reign while giving every team enough offense to remain relevant.

Corbin and Ziggler produce a competent match that suffers because the feud has already repeated itself too many times. Ziggler is the ideal opponent for making Corbin's offense look violent, selling the Deep Six, clotheslines, and ringside impact with his usual commitment. Corbin works a deliberately slower pace and controls long stretches, which draws boredom chants before Ziggler's comeback briefly improves the atmosphere. The strongest section comes late, when Ziggler lands the Fameasser and superkick for convincing near falls before Corbin regains control. A trip from the top rope sets up the End of Days and a clean pin. The match accomplishes its developmental goal by giving Corbin another decisive victory, but twelve minutes feels excessive for a rivalry that no longer has enough story to justify the runtime.

The women's tag is functional but clearly serves the post-match turn more than the match itself. Charlotte and Dana control Natalya through quick tags and distractions, while Becky provides the best burst of energy after finally receiving the hot tag. The crowd's chants for Sasha Banks reveal the larger problem: the audience is already looking beyond the four wrestlers in the ring toward the next Women's Championship direction. Natalya's Sharpshooter creates the most credible finishing opportunity before Dana breaks it up, and Charlotte capitalizes on a collision between the babyfaces to hit Natural Selection for the pin. Then the real story begins, with Natalya attacking Becky and turning heel. The seven-minute match is acceptable setup, but almost every memorable consequence happens after the bell.

Crews and Sheamus work a straightforward veteran-versus-newcomer match that gives Crews a useful win without fully convincing the audience that he has moved up a level. Sheamus supplies the structure through heavier strikes and control, while Crews relies on speed, power, and sudden athletic counters. The strongest near fall comes when Sheamus hits White Noise from the ropes and expects the match to be over. Crews survives, then catches Sheamus in a crucifix pin for the upset. The result is logical because the story is built around Sheamus underestimating the newer wrestler, but the flash pin also prevents Crews from earning a truly emphatic breakthrough. The wrestling is clean enough and the eight-minute runtime is appropriate. It feels more like a useful television-level development than a memorable pay-per-view achievement.

Styles and Cena immediately justify the dream-match billing with a long match built around discovery. Cena repeatedly reaches for familiar sequences only to find Styles countering from angles he has not faced before, while Styles has to survive the Attitude Adjustment, STF, and increasingly forceful attempts to slow him down. Their transitions into the Calf Crusher and Styles Clash are especially smooth, and the near falls become more convincing as the match passes twenty minutes. The finish is the only major flaw. A referee bump allows Gallows and Anderson to hit the Magic Killer despite Styles choosing a contract that barred them from ringside, and they place Styles on Cena for the pin. The interference protects the rematch, but it denies Styles the clean breakthrough the performance itself deserves.

Ambrose, Jericho, Cesaro, Del Rio, Owens, and Zayn create a ladder match that feels dangerous without becoming random. Every wrestler gets a distinct stretch: Cesaro strings uppercuts and ladder-assisted offense together, Del Rio uses submissions from the ladder, Owens attacks with brutal power, and Zayn absorbs several of the night's nastiest bumps. Jericho remains the opportunist who constantly appears near the briefcase, while Ambrose spends enough time outside the central action that his late surge feels plausible. The best spots escalate naturally, especially Owens' splash onto a ladder and Zayn driving opponents into the steel rather than simply waiting for stunt setups. Ambrose finally knocks Owens onto a bridged ladder and climbs alone to retrieve the contract. The winner is predictable, but the execution makes the outcome satisfying rather than routine.

Rusev and Titus are placed in the worst possible position, directly after the ladder match and immediately before the world-title main event. The crowd understandably cools, leaving two physical wrestlers to work uphill from the opening bell. Titus brings intensity through clubbing offense and a few power bursts, while Rusev controls with strikes and repeatedly drags the match back toward the Accolade. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the execution, but the challenger never feels likely to win and the feud lacks enough emotional weight to overcome the placement. Rusev eventually lands the kick to the back and forces Titus to submit in the Accolade, then taunts Titus' family afterward. The champion looks strong. The match itself functions almost entirely as a bridge between much larger attractions.

Rollins and Reigns overcome a deliberate opening pace to produce an excellent second half. Reigns controls with power and gradually leans into the hostile crowd response, while Rollins sells the danger of every Superman Punch and Spear attempt as he searches for counters after months away from competition. The match changes once Reigns crashes through the barricade on a missed Spear, giving Rollins the opening to attack with greater urgency. Reigns still survives the first Pedigree and appears ready to finish the challenger with another Spear. Rollins catches him in mid-motion with a Pedigree, then immediately lands a second one for the clean championship victory. That finish is decisive and surprising. The match's historical value rises further because Rollins barely has time to celebrate before Ambrose begins the cash-in sequence.