[2023-07-01-WWE-Money in the Bank] The Usos vs Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa

[DMJ]

I was genuinely surprised that this match wasn't being hailed as an "instant classic" by everyone who saw it. I'm guessing around these parts, there are plenty of us who enjoyed the hell out of this match even if, in some other places, fans criticized it for starting too slow, relying too much on facial expressions, and emphasizing melodrama over action. 

To me, those elements were features, not flaws. I don't always love Roman's acting and, against certain opponents, it has looked particularly out-of-place, but here, he was able to share the stage with The Usos and, most impressively, Solo Sikoa (who might have actually stole the match). Yes, they worked the first half of this match at a speed in which nobody in the ring was really breaking a sweat, but the crowd didn't seem to mind (and either did I). Again, I don't always love how that has become part of Roman's act, but here, it worked perfectly because it wasn't just Roman taking walks between strikes - it was all done in service of a face-in-peril stretch and to contrast Roman's cockiness with Solo's intense focus. As soon as Jey got the hot tag, this match picked up and then never stopped. Brilliant false finishes. Really good exchanges.  

I would hate this style of match if it became something everybody in the WWE was trying to do. I mean, when has a match ever needed to pause so that someone can basically do a soliloquy or cut a promo (as we've seen Roman come close to doing in the past and that, in this match, we saw Paul Heyman basically do)? I hated it when Bray Wyatt did it. John Cena was never as good at delivering this sort of match, though there are examples where he attempted it. The cheesiness factor is inherent.

But goddamn, the Bloodline get it just right somehow. Instead of feeling hamfisted, I liked Paul Heyman audibly motivating Roman with lines about his sons having to sit at "his" table (referring to Jimmy) rather than just saying some sort of generic encouragement. I loved the amount of playing-to-the-audience Roman did, even if it meant that the match didn't "get going" until minute 12 or whatever. 

To me, this was the perfect blend of "old" and "new." Things started much slower than major matches tend to in 2023, but by the end, I don't think anyone can say there weren't a ton of great sequences and false finishes (one of the Usos kicked out of a should-be lethal Spear-and-Spike combo). Yes, there was some undeniable overacting/melodrama, but it didn't feel out of place in this match because they've spent years building the tension. Has all this become somewhat formulaic? Sure....except this match actually went against formula by delivering on a pay-off! 

This was a masterpiece to me, thoroughly entertaining and engaging from beginning to end with some genuinely shocking moments and a wonderful, crowd-pleasing finish. 5 Stars. A+. A clear WWE Match of the Year candidate and, seriously, in the conversation as the best WWE match of the 2020s.