The Good, The Bad and The NXT: WWE's weekly winners and losers
Thursday 31 May 2018 15:00, UK
Money in the Bank is now just over two weeks away and the field for both contract ladder matches are set as well as most of the card for the show.
It's been an infuriating week for many superstars, but others have been able to grasp that Brass Ring and ensure that they are part of one of the most unpredictable events of the year.
Good week
Drew McIntyre (Raw)
Drew McIntyre has been in white-hot form ever since he made his return to the main roster alongside Dolph Ziggler last month.
The former NXT Champion has been on a mission to prove that he deserves all of the accolades in the business and this week he took out his frustrations on Chad Gable.
McIntyre and Ziggler could be part of the number one contender's battle royal next week and then go on to face Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy for the Raw Tag Team Championships at Money in the Bank.
However the likely scenario is that Jason Jordan will make his return and even the odds after weeks of Ziggler and McIntyre beating down the former Olympian. The Scottish star has shown a side of him that the WWE Universe has never seen before and this new found intensity could reap rewards.
Samoa Joe (SmackDown)
The WWE Universe has waited years for Samoa Joe to finally be given an opportunity to be part of the highest level in WWE and this week on SmackDown Live the former NXT Champion was able to secure his place in the Money in the Bank ladder match when he forced Daniel Bryan to tap out to the Coquina Clutch.
Joe wasn't prepared to be part of a triple threat match, but after Big Cass declared that he was medically cleared and wanted his qualifying match, general manager Paige made the match a triple threat instead.
Joe wasn't phased as he looked to take on both challengers and secure the final spot in the eight-man match. The Samoan Submission Machine could easily be seen as the favorite to win this match and go on to challenge the WWE Champion, which only adds to the unpredictability of the field right now.
Nikki Cross (NXT)
Nikki Cross wasn't promoted to SmackDown Live alongside the other members of Sanity last month, but the strange superstar made up for this when she pinned Shayna Baszler this week on NXT. The Scottish star made the save after Dakota Kai lost to Baszler before she then decided to make Kai the referee and pinned Baszler to become Women's Champion.
Of course, this wasn't legal and Baszler is still the Women's Champion, but Nikki was the one who left the building with the NXT Women's Championship and definitely set up a match between the duo in Chicago next month.
Bad Week
Seth Rollins (Raw)
Seth Rollins was forced to wrestle on his Birthday this week as he donned new red attire to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Jinder Mahal.
The former WWE Champion put up a good fight against Rollins and even Samir Singh tried to interfere and help The Modern Day Maharaja on a number of occasions. These interferences obviously angered Rollins who decided to attack Jinder with a steel chair and cause the disqualification, which means that this feud is far from over.
Rollins tried to celebrate on the announce table after his match since he retained his Championship but The Architect had made a dangerous enemy in Elias earlier in the night, who came out and attacked Rollins with a guitar. Rollins was then put in a neck brace and the medical staff attempted to stretcher him out of the arena, but he refused and opted to walk out instead.
Daniel Bryan (SmackDown)
Daniel Bryan has been targetted by Big Cass ever since the seven-foot star made his return to WWE TV last month and the feud has started to reach the point of personal.
It was Bryan who injured Cass in London a few weeks ago and initially cost him the chance to qualify for Money in the Bank, which is why he decided to return to the ring this week and cash in his opportunity.
Samoa Joe was the one who won the match, but after Bryan was forced to tap, Cass then crawled back into the ring and continued to attack Bryan.
he former World Champion already defeated his current challenger at Backlash, but it appears that Cass didn't get the memo and now he is pushing for another match against Bryan in the near future. With news floating around that Bryan's contract expires in just three months, what does the future hold for the former general manager?
Dakota Kai (NXT)
Dakota Kai has been avoiding Shayna Baszler for the best part of a month but the duo collided in the ring this week on NXT and suddenly the leader of Team Kick had nowhere to hide.
The former MMA star completely dominated Kai as she focused her attack on her left ankle before locking in an ankle lock. Kai did manage to get some offense in the match but Baszler ended it when she locked in the Kirifuda Clutch and forced Kai to tap.
Baszler attacked Kai after the match before Nikki Cross made the save, but it appears that Kai will be out of the title picture for the foreseeable future after such a cruel beatdown from the Women's Champion.
