1) Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Asuka vs Sasha Banks vs WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Alexa Bliss
vs Shayna Baszler vs Liv Morgan vs Carmella
The bell sounded, as Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks continued to mouth off at one-another. Carmella joined in on the confrontation, the SmackDown Superstars immersing themselves in brand-drama. Liv Morgan and Asuka exchanged words, when Shayna Baszler dramatically launched her towel from around her neck across the ring at "the Empress of Tomorrow!" It got the match underway immediately, with Asuka and Shayna going at it! Liv and Carmella battled as did Alexa and Sasha in the corner. Quickly spilling to the floor, "the Empress of Tomorrow" lit Shayna up with kicks against the ring apron, when through the ropes came Liv with a baseball slide! Morgan was in this to prove herself, looking to grab the ladder from the rampway just for Sasha Banks to shove her face-first into it. "The Legit Boss" bounced Morgan face-first off the steel, though at ringside, Carmella would smuggle a ladder out from beneath the ring. The opportunistic winner of the 2017 Women's Money in the Bank Ladder match slid the ladder into the ring, but would receive it back in her face brutally, the recipient of a kick from one, Shayna Baszler!
"The Queen of Spades" picked up the deadly weapon and rammed it into the ribcage of Alexa Bliss, soon dropping it and hanging her upside down in the tree of woe! The MMA Fighter set it up and began to climb, but the WWE Women's Tag Team Champion quickly escaped and was able to deck Baszler in the back! Bliss climbed up beside her, both sounding off with punches when Alexa shoved Baszler off from halfway up the ladder! Liv returned and was able to prevent Bliss from climbing for the briefcase, when Asuka came from behind with a leaping spinkick for Morgan! Revenge for moments prior, "the Empress of Tomorrow" fired up with a succession of strikes on the woman who beat her for the titles last month at WrestleMania, Alexa Bliss, but from the top rope interjecting herself dove Carmella with a crossbody onto both of them! "The Princess of Staten Island" once again began to climb up, but Sasha Banks would shove the ladder, knocking her into the top rope below! Sasha connected with a Meteora from the second rope onto Bliss, and teased the Bankrupt on Asuka, but she would come firing back with a step-over wheel kick!
Asuka connected with an inverted DDT on Sasha Banks for good measure, before picking up the ladder and placing it over her head! Spinning it around in 360-degree rotation, the crazed "Empress of Tomorrow" wiped out Carmella and Liv with the ends of the ladder, when in came Alexa Bliss with the low dropkick! Placing the ladder on top of her, "Little Miss Bliss" did the work in delivering Insult to Injury, colliding with the ladder to temporarily remove Asuka from the equation! Bliss favored her ribs, when Carmella came from behind with the Princess Kick! "The Princess of Staten Island" set up the ladder on a slant in the corner, where she would send Liv into the steel. Propping her against it, Carmella looked to charge into it but Morgan would sidestep it - 'Mella colliding with the ladder! Morgan dumped it on top of her, before setting it up and beginning to climb. Instead, Shayna Baszler came from behind taking the arm and slamming it into the side of the ladder. "The Queen of Spades" put the boots to Sasha Banks who tried to re-enter, when Alexa Bliss came from behind with a second ladder, ramming it in her way!
Alexa Bliss began to climb the ladder, when Liv Morgan put a halt to it. Liv hoisted her between the legs in the electric chair - when Shayna Baszler cut her from beneath with a leg kick! Both women fell flat on their faces, when "the Queen of Spades" followed with the Two of a Kind gutwrench suplex on "Little Miss Bliss". Little did Shayna know that Asuka was watching and re-emerged, but as the two talked trash to one another from afar, "the Empress of Tomorrow" prepared to engage, when Carmella intercepted with a big boot! "The Princess of Staten Island" shared glances with Shayna, who smirked back at her. Baszler turned her attention to stomping a mudhole in Alexa Bliss in the corner, while Asuka was given the Bronco Buster! Sasha Banks zipped in to attack Carmella from behind, when Baszler formed a temporary alliance with Carmella - defending her and sending Banks into the ladder on the mat with a snap suplex! Liv suddenly slipped in and tackled Carmella, but again Shayna came to her apparent new friend's aid - Baszler kicking her in the chest!
"The Queen of Spades" instructed Carmella to set the ladder up, when Alexa Bliss came firing once again with forearms for "the Princess of Staten Island". Bliss looked for a hurricanrana on Shayna Baszler, who kept her hoisted before swinging her head-first into the middle turnbuckle pad twice - and a third time, into the rungs of the ladder! Meanwhile "the Legit Boss" began to sneak her way up the ladder, just to have Shayna climb up the opposite side. Sasha Banks fought for her life to escape Shayna, who snatched her foot and hooked it with her arm! Banks kicked herself free, but Liv Morgan came from nowhere with a springboard! Morgan darted onto the same rung as Sasha, executing ObLIVion from halfway up the ladder! The briefcase hung in wait, as Shayna Baszler went to continue her ascent, just to have Asuka come in ducking Carmella - and a roundhouse kick took her down. "The Empress of Tomorrow" snuck up behind Shayna, who looked down to see her mortal enemy. Waving up at her, Asuka proceeded to shove the ladder - causing the MMA Fighter to be sent sailing over the top rope, crashing to the ringside floor!
Asuka set the ladder upright once more, now beginning a climb of her own, but Alexa Bliss slowly made her way back up. The WWE Women's Tag Team Champion smiled at "the Empress of Tomorrow", who had not forgotten WrestleMania. The two began swinging punches, but Alexa was able to pull Asuka by the hair face-first into the peak of the ladder! Next stepping up, Alexa proceeded to prepare Asuka - both women sent crashing down to the canvas with a suplex from the ladder! Both women rolled around the canvas in agony, but "the Princess of Staten Island" re-emerged and spotted a prime opportunity. Setting the ladder up, she began to climb up high and go for the briefcase - but in her quest to become a two-time Money in the Bank victor, Sasha Banks would impede by climbing up behind her and applying almost a standing Bank Statement! Carmella tried to fight her off, when out of nowhere came Shayna Baszler with a wild steel chair shot to the spine of "the Legit Boss!" As Banks collapsed to the canvas, 'Mella scurried to the top of the ladder, but Shayna would stop her!
Dragging her down, the two women got into an argument, when Carmella boldly swung for the Princess Kick! Shayna Baszler was able to sidestep it, quick to drag "the Princess of Staten Island" down with a sleeper suplex. Betrayed by her temporary ally, Shayna took it one step further by catching the crawling Carmella by the wrist! Planting it firmly against the canvas, Shayna had Carmella trapped with her elbow pointed up - as the MMA Fighter brutally stomped down on the pinpoint of the elbow! 'Mella screamed in pain and rolled out to the apron, fearing a broken arm, when into the ring returned Asuka one more time for a showdown with Shayna! As Carmella's cries echoed in the background, Asuka and Shayna squared off with "the Empress of Tomorrow" ducking a clothesline and striking with kicks. Shayna caught a third and connected with a knee to the jaw. Asuka connected with a sole butt before hitting the ropes and striking with the hip attack - and folloed with a second, as Shayna knelt prone against the ropes! Baszler struggled as the Asuka Lock was attempted, able to elbow her way free.
Reversing into the Yokosuka Cutter, Shayna Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch on Asuka...but Sasha Banks came in with the steel chair! Swinging repeatedly at the anatomy of a defenceless Asuka, "the Legit Boss" followed with two shots to the spine of "the Queen of Spades!" Repositioning the ladder, Sasha prepared to climb but was thwarted by Alexa who dragged her down. Blocking a forearm strike, Bliss delivered the Code Red when Liv Morgan came in with a hurricanrana DDT! Morgan began to climb the ladder, interrupted by Alexa who shuck off the cobwebs. The two women began to slug it out - but Sasha also climbed the ladder! Banks, Morgan and Bliss scrapped for supremacy at the top of the ladder - when Baszler beneath them pushed the ladder and sent all three to the canvas! Bliss fell to the ringside floor, as Liv laid prone on the apron. Baszler smirked with nobody around to prevent her - but out of nowhere came Asuka with a ruthless spinkick! Asuka grinned, quick to ascend the ladder and to secure the briefcase!
Winner, Women's Money in the Bank Briefcase Holder: Asuka (19:15)
Hugging the Money in the Bank Briefcase tightly, Asuka gritted the handle in her teeth after a hellacious start to this year's Money in the Bank event! "The Empress of Tomorrow" had outlasted five of the best women in a feat of endurance like no other, with a guaranteed championship opportunity at any given time within a year ahead of her. Shayna Baszler rolled out to the floor in pain from the spinkick that came moments before, while at ringside Carmella would have her arm checked on by a ringside trainer. It was carnage everywhere, but it was Asuka who was victorious in the first of two Money in the Bank Ladder matches tonight!
A video graphic aired, showing that Money in the Bank 2020 was emanating from the WWE Performance Center - the WWE's "Athletic Hub" for future WWE Superstars.
Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton applauded the spectacular efforts of the six women involved in the first of two Money in the Bank Ladder matches tonight. Representing the RAW Brand, Phillips and Saxton welcomed us to Money in the Bank before discussing some of the matches taking place tonight - including the dream match pitting WWE World Champion Drew McIntyre against Edge.
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Kayla Braxton was backstage standing by with Sheamus, introducing him as one of two men who had the opportunity to leave tonight as WWE Universal Champion. "The Celtic Warrior" did not take kindly to the hypothetical, saying there was no other choice involved. What had started as eight men had been wound down to two men - himself and Jeff Hardy. Pointing out the adversity that "the Charismatic Enigma" had faced, having witnessed his mini-documentary series each week on Friday Night SmackDown, the Celt believed that there was no worse choice for a champ than that man. Sheamus claimed he had his own vices, but they were far better than Jeff's - because his biggest was that he was always gunning for a fight. For him, it was fight night every night, and he was going to do to Jeff exactly what he'd done to Braun Strowman, and what he could have done to Daniel Bryan. For such a long time, he felt like people forgot who he was: but the Sheamus people knew was back, and tonight "the Rainbow-Haired Warrior" was going to need all of the help he could get.
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The Dangerous Corridor