Gunther and Dragunov just saved Money in the Bank 2026 from disaster

The Garbage and the Overbooked Feuds

We just wrapped up Money in the Bank in New Orleans, and my neck hurts just from watching the screen. The Smoothie King Center witnessed a night that oscillated between absolute wrestling greatness and agonizingly overbooked sports entertainment garbage. If you love physical, hard-hitting theater, this show gave you a classic, but if you hate endless referee distractions and run-ins, you probably threw your remote control through the television screen.

Let’s rank these matches from the absolute bottom of the barrel to the match that will live in highlight reels forever. It was a long night, but the cream definitely rose to the top.

5. Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa (Undisputed WWE Championship)

This was a disaster of pacing and booking. WWE is still trying to make Solo Sikoa happen as a main event threat, but he lacks the presence of Roman Reigns. The match dragged for over twenty minutes, relying on the same old Bloodline Rules interference that we have seen fifty times already.

Solo started with slow, grinding headlocks that sucked the energy out of the arena. Cody tried to inject pace with a disaster kick, but Sikoa caught him mid-air and slammed him onto the broadcast table. When the referee inevitably went down after an accidental shoulder block from Sikoa, the match devolved into pure chaos. Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa ran down, leading to Randy Orton and Kevin Owens rushing the ring to make the save.

Jacob Fatu ran down the ramp, executing a running handspring moonsault onto Cody before Kevin Owens intervened with a Stunner to Fatu. Randy Orton followed up by hitting an RKO on Tama Tonga. Cody eventually hit three consecutive Cross Rhodes to win at the 24-minute mark, but we need to move past this formula because it is actively hurting Cody's run. This match proved that Solo cannot carry a main-event singles match without heavy smoke and mirrors.

4. Damian Priest vs. Finn Bálor

This feud has been brewing for months, but the actual match was hijacked by soap opera drama. Damian Priest and Finn Bálor have incredible chemistry when they are allowed to just fight. Instead, we got Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio popping up every three minutes to distract the referee.

Priest dominated the early portion, using his size advantage to toss Bálor across the ring with a Falcon Arrow. Bálor targeted Priest's left knee, locking in a figure-four leglock that kept Priest grounded for three agonizing minutes. Priest escaped by crawling to the ropes, but the momentum shifted when Dominik hopped onto the apron wearing a smug grin that drew boos from the New Orleans crowd.

Priest hit a thunderous South of Heaven chokeslam, but Dominik draped Finn's foot over the bottom rope. The end came when Liv Morgan slid a steel chair into the ring while the referee was arguing with Dominik, allowing Finn to smash the metal across Priest's ribs and hit a Coup de Grâce for the win. He got the pin at the 16-minute mark, which protects Priest, but it makes the match feel like a TV segment rather than a premium live event showcase.

The Ladder Matches

3. Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

This was a wild, chaotic mess that succeeded despite some obvious coordination issues. Roxanne Perez took home the briefcase, which is the correct booking decision. The match featured some terrifying spots, most notably Tiffany Stratton executing a Swanton Bomb off a fifteen-foot ladder onto Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill on the outside.

However, the match suffered from the typical ladder match disease where wrestlers stood around waiting for spots to be set up. Chelsea Green was the comedic highlight of the night, slowly climbing the ladder while screaming, only for Jade Cargill to tip the ladder over, sending Chelsea crashing into a pile of tables. Iyo Sky hit a gorgeous Over the Moonsault off the top of a ladder onto Lyra Valkyria.

Roxanne Perez played the perfect opportunistic heel, hiding under the ring for a portion of the match and then running up the ladder to shove Tiffany Stratton off at the last second. It was messy, but it kept the crowd on their feet. Stratton's high-flying risk was the spot of the match, but the setup took nearly a minute of awkward positioning on the floor. The dead air was obvious on the broadcast, but Roxanne's win sets up an intriguing dynamic on Raw.

2. Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

This was an absolute car wreck in the best way possible. Bron Breakker winning the briefcase is a massive statement of intent from WWE creative. The lineup of Breakker, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, Chad Gable, Carmelo Hayes, and Andrade delivered a fast-paced thriller.

Sami Zayn and Chad Gable immediately went to war, exchanging German suplexes on the floor. Andrade showcased his ridiculous athleticism, hitting a sunset flip powerbomb off the top of a ladder onto Carmelo Hayes, who was draped across another ladder. Jey Uso looked poised to win, executing a Uso Splash off the top of a ladder onto Sami Zayn.

The opening minutes were pure speed, with Carmelo Hayes diving over the top rope onto Andrade and Sami Zayn. Breakker then entered the ring and dismantled everyone with overhead belly-to-belly suplexes. Jey Uso rallied the crowd with his signature chants, clearing the ring with superkicks before climbing the central ladder.

Chad Gable was at the very top of the ladder, fingers touching the briefcase, when Breakker sprinted up an adjacent ladder and hit a mid-air Spear that sent both men crashing through a propped-up ladder. Breakker got back up, climbed the ladder, and pulled down the briefcase at 21 minutes. His speed is unlike anything we have seen in WWE since his debut 18 months ago, proving he is ready for the main event.

The Masterclass in New Orleans

1. Gunther vs. Ilja Dragunov (World Heavyweight Championship)

Forget the ladders and the briefcases; this was the match of the year. Gunther and Ilja Dragunov went to war, and it was a masterpiece of storytelling and physical violence. The history between these two goes back to their NXT UK days, and they brought that same intensity to the main roster.

Gunther's chops left Dragunov's chest bleeding within the first five minutes. Dragunov wrestled like a man possessed, absorbing the punishment and firing back with stiff elbows and German suplexes. Dragunov hit a Torpedo Moscow at the 18-minute mark, and the crowd went wild when Gunther barely got his shoulder up for a kickout at 2.9 seconds.

Gunther countered a second Torpedo Moscow attempt with a brutal big boot mid-flight, then took Dragunov to the apron for a powerbomb onto the hardest part of the ring. Dragunov crawled back in at the count of nine, but Gunther immediately hit a diving splash and a folding powerbomb for a near-fall. Gunther quickly locked in the sleeper hold to pass out Dragunov, ending the match at 26 minutes.

The intensity rose with each passing minute as both men abandoned traditional holds for raw strikes. Dragunov's forehead was cut open after a header into the ring post, adding to the drama. Gunther's defensive wrestling in the final five minutes was a clinic in ring psychology, showing desperation we rarely see from the Ring General. This was a masterclass in how to present a championship match.

Money in the Bank 2026 will be remembered for the brilliance of Gunther and Dragunov, and the arrival of Bron Breakker. The rest of the card was dragged down by the worst habits of WWE booking. The overreliance on factions and run-ins is getting exhausting. But when WWE lets their athletes actually wrestle, there is nobody better in the world.

WWE cannot keep using the same overbooked tropes to cover up weak main eventers like Solo Sikoa. The fans want athletic competition, not soap opera drama that interrupts the actual wrestling. If New Orleans taught us anything, it is that raw talent beats overproduced interference every single day of the week.