10 WWE Money In The Bank 2021 Impulse Reactions

Fans return and so does John Cena as WWE's biggest B-Show ever provides bangers and breaking news!

Big E
WWE.com

There was a unique pressure on Money In The Bank 2021, even if it was following one of the worst iterations of the show ever in 2020.

Last years event - for reasons in and out of the company's control - was a chronic mess that spoke as much to the times as it didn't. On one hand, it was a gross promotional tactic to use "climb the corporate ladder" in the branding just weeks after laying off hundreds of staff in ludicrous budget cuts. On the other, it was depressingly sh*t, like just about everything else in life at the time.

This year's show was to be carried by the return of crowds for the first time on pay-per-view since March 2020, but WWE already found itself with a bar to try and get over.

Like Shawn Michaels allegedly pumped full of magic monkey juice and taking a trip to spaceland throughout much of the mid-1990s, AEW offered an almighty "follow that, motherf*ckers" during the second week of crowds - proper crowds - being back full time. The July 14th Dynamite was a fireworks factory, showing exactly why all the a*ses in seats matter so much.

Could Money In The Bank, now a pay-per-view calendar staple, do the same when WWE needed it most?

10. Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio (c) Vs. The Usos

Big E
WWE.com

In a company where wins and losses matter, The Usos would have earned this tag team title shot by virtue of their pinfall victory over the Champions on the go-home edition of SmackDown.

In WWE, this contest was already announced before the titleholders fell to the challengers in WWE's first full crowd match in 17 months in order to cast doubt for another match just days later. And on a Kickoff show, no less. Has 'The Tribal Chief' failed to elevate his cousins after all?

In kayfabe, perhaps. But reality was as kind to the quartet as the audience were.

The four had one of the evening's more enviable spots, and made the most of it with a micro-banger that tore at the emotions of a rapt live crowd all the way through to a final third with some gripping near falls.

Dominik took a brutal beating until his Dad saved the day. Jimmy took a bullet for his brother, but Jey couldn't get finish Rey until his sibling was back in with the assist. Nothing over-complicated, and all the better for it, even if that cheap roll-up on Friday seems even more senseless now.

But this bordered on elegant, bless them, and it was a good match to boot! As sure as the sun rises and sets, The Usos never miss on the show before the show.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett