10 WWE Money In The Bank 2021 Impulse Reactions

8. AJ Styles & Omos (c) Vs. The Viking Raiders

Big E
WWE

Ahead of this match, WWE replayed footage of Erik and Ivar f*cking around bowling during last year's programme with The Street Profits.

Not only was this a chilling reminder of the worst excesses of pandemic era Sports Entertainment, but it also highlighted just how long ago it was since The Viking Raiders weren't token players in the tag division.

They'd won a battle royal and claimed a singles victory over AJ Styles on the go-home edition of Monday Night Raw to try and build some drama, but Omos was always the protected and deadly threat on the side of the Champions and 'The Phenomenal One' was always the biggest star. Fans, subsequently, were never invested in a title change.

The contest required some deviation from WWE's formula, and neither the wrestlers nor the company were prepared to make that so. Several spots were fun - an Omos/AJ combo Hurricanrana and a press slam on Ivar by Omos were big highlights - and the pops from the live crowd were a reminder that this wasn't a ThunderDome anymore. But it was still WWE.

The company that fancies itself great at telling stories limped over the line with one of Vince McMahon's favourites. Might be time to turn the Champions face to resolve what's likely to be a persistent issue.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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