WWE has four co-branded pay-per-views each year, with WrestleMania, Survivor Series, SummerSlam, and The Royal Rumble as the only four that both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live superstars both compete in. That means that the other events will be exclusive to one brand or the other, and 411mania reported that the Money in the Bank pay-per-view would be SmackDown Live exclusive.
This is the second “themed” WWE pay-per-view that has received a recent announcement that it is brand-specific. The WWE also announced that they are bringing back the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, and it will be SmackDown Live exclusive as well.
Clash of Champions and Hell in a Cell were the first brand-exclusive “themed” pay-per-views since the WWE brand split, and they were both Monday Night Raw exclusives. Clash of Champions theme is that all titles are on the line, and Hell in a Cell featured three of the Cell matches. The two SmackDown exclusive pay-per-views were generic, non-themed events.
TLC was the first “themed” pay-per-view for SmackDown Live, a show where there were numerous matches using tables, ladders, and chairs. Elimination Chamber takes place in February 2017 and will feature the giant Chamber match. The WWE did not hold the event at all in 2016.
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That event takes place after the Royal Rumble and will likely either have the Chamber match for the WWE Championship or to determine a top contender. There is also the chance that SmackDown Live could use it for their Intercontinental title.
However, the biggest news is the Money in the Back going SmackDown Live exclusive. Money in the Bank is a show that awards a briefcase where the winner can cash it in at any time for a world title match. Money in the Bank is almost always a huge running storyline through the year, although things were different this year in that match.
Money in the Bank last took place in June when Seth Rollins beat Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship only to lose it to Dean Ambrose, who won the Money in the Bank match earlier in the night.
Money in the Bank in 2017 will take place on June 18 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Since it is SmackDown exclusive, that opens up some things for SmackDown Live to play with between WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
Plans seem to be changing when it comes to booking for WrestleMania. The biggest rumors are for Monday Night Raw to have Roman Reigns battle Braun Strowman and John Cena to fight Undertaker. However, those matches are not “locked in” and could change leading into the big show.
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No matter who the champion is coming out of WrestleMania for the two brands, there should be plenty of great options for a Money in the Bank match on a SmackDown Live exclusive pay-per-view. AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, John Cena, Apollo Crews, Luke Harper, and The Miz could all excel in Money in the Bank.
Having six stars in the Money in the Bank match would dilute the rest of the show on a brand-exclusive pay-per-view. Of course, SmackDown Live will figure that out at Elimination Chamber, which sees a large number of top stars in one match as well months before Money in the Bank.
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SmackDown Live doesn’t have another exclusive pay-per-view before The Royal Rumble. That event will see all the stars competing in the Royal Rumble and competing for a WWE or Universal title shot. After that, SmackDown Live gets Elimination Chamber while Raw gets Fastlane.
WrestleMania is next, followed by Payback (SmackDown), Extreme Rules (Raw), Money in the Bank (SmackDown), and Battleground (Raw). That leads into SummerSlam and then the WWE rotation starts over.
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