10 Ways WWE Screwed Up At Money In The Bank 2017

5. Robotic Love

Carmella James Ellsworth
WWE

Rumours of Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett’s imminent arrival in WWE started swirling as soon as the duo left Impact Wrestling in March. It took them a while to get there, but they finally showed-up at Money In The Bank, and although they made their entrance to a wonderfully ludicrous ‘80s-style power ballad, the segment had little impact.

Switching Mike’s surname makes sense, as ‘Kanellis’ carries more name value than 'Bennett' in the WWE Universe, but while their “power of love” gimmick needs further exposition before anyone can draw a conclusion, their spiel did little to build excitement for future appearances.

Their delivery was extremely poor, too. Each of their lines came-off over-the-top and forced, to the point where they both sounded like pre-programmed robots. This is strange, as charisma has always been Mike’s strongest trait, and Maria has developed into a decent talker over the years. Neither seemed comfortable on Sunday night.

Introducing the couple at the pay-per-view felt pointless. Like much of MITB, their segment would’ve been a lot more acceptable had it happened on SmackDown, but came-off as unnecessary on a bigger stage. The Kanellises may yet become a solid upper-midcard act, but they’re off to a poor start.

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.