10 Ways Money In The Bank 2019 Can Save WWE's Year

1. A Cliffhanger Ending

Ricochet Money In The Bank
WWE.com

WrestleMania 35 was a night of fan service and gratification.

The (earned) cynical take was that WWE would never deliver three cathartic babyface World Title wins in the same evening. One or two of Becky Lynch, Kofi Kingston, and Seth Rollins would get the gold, but all three? No chance.

Yet WWE gave their audience exactly they wanted, with the night closing on 'The Man' and her glorious coronation as a double champion. Anticipation was hot for it, too: per Dave Meltzer, WrestleMania's secondary ticket market was hotter than it had been for years. People were fired up for Becky, Kofi, and Seth's respective journey to the top and they turned up/tuned in in droves.

They didn't turn up or tune in for the follow-up, though. The post-'Mania Raw drew its lowest rating in history, and the numbers cratered a few weeks later. Viewers cared about these people chasing the belts, but not holding them. Fan service and gratification didn't work.

WWE must try something different at Money In The Bank, and reviving that old, lost trope, the cliffhanger PPV ending, is the answer. Closing the show with the kind of dramatic uncertainty that compels viewers to return on Monday and Tuesday night should help matters, provided the creative team are still capable of such shocks.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.