Breaking Down the Odds for Money in the Bank

Money in the Bank 2018, which will be held on 17th June at the Allstate Arena, Rosemount, Illinois, looks set to continue WWE’s streak of PPVs that are thrilling and disappointing in equal measure. On one hand, we can look forward to the probable conclusion of AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura feud and both the men’s and women’s MITB Ladder Matches. On the other hand, badly-booked feuds between Roman Reigns and Jinder Mahal, and Daniel Bryan and Big Cass could blight the packed card.

Sky Bet have released a series of betting markets in advance of the PPV, which should give us a little indication of how WWE looks to shape the road to SummerSlam. Other bookies will certainly follow suit in releasing odds and betting offers as Money in the Bank draws closer. For the moment, some of the highlights are analysed below:

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
A couple of weeks ago, most thought this was going to the hottest wrestler in the company, Braun Strowman. The big man is still given odds of 2/1, but the clear favourite is The Miz at 5/4. There is a ready-made storyline with Daniel Bryan somewhere down the line if they do pull the trigger on The Miz. If you want some value, Big E (7/2) or Rusev (12/1) could be the way to go.

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
WWE does strange things at times, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Natalya grab the Women’s MITB contract. She is 6/5 favourite, followed by Alexa Bliss (3/1). Charlotte Flair is 7/2 and Becky Lynch is 7/1. The latter beat the former clean recently, which could suggest a push. This one is hard to call. Natalya, while a great worker, would be an underwhelming winner.

WWE Championship Last Man Standing: AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura
The bookies have no clue who is going to win this, putting Styles at 10/11 and Nakamura at 4/5. It feels like this needs to be concluded here, with Nakamura going over. Both men could do with fresh feuds over the summer.

Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins vs Elias
Seth Rollins, arguably 2018’s standout performer, should keep the title he has helped elevate of late. The bookies agree, putting him in at 1/4 to hold on to the belt with a victory. 11/4 for Elias to get the upset win.

Raw Women’s Championship: Nia Jax vs Ronda Rousey
Rousey is a big favourite to win this at 2/7, with Jax given odds of 5/2. From a betting perspective, you might want to stay away from this – it might have a screwy finish to protect both wrestlers.
Smackdown Women’s Championship: Asuka vs Carmella

Another candidate for a screwy finish, bookmakers are a little more hesitant on Asuka than they are with Rousey. It’s 1/2 for the Japanese phenomenon to beat the Princess of Staten Island (6/4).

Roman Reigns vs Jinder Mahal
Chapter 55 in project ‘get the fans to cheer Reigns’. Will it really happen at the same venue where seven years previously CM Punk ‘left’ with the WWE title in front of a raucous Chicago crowd? No. However, Reigns winning here at 1/5 is the closest thing to a sure bet.

Big Cass vs Daniel Bryan
Another match where the bookies are unsure. Daniel Bryan is slight favourite at 4/6, with Big Cass at 11/10. Most fans will be just hoping that the feud ends one way or another so Bryan can move on to bigger and better things.