Three Stars Of The Night: WWE Money In The Bank (6/17/18)

A look at the Three Stars Of The Night for the 2018 edition of WWE Money In The Bank!

WWE presented Money In The Bank on Sunday night, in front of a packed and raucous Chicago crowd with whom the WWE always has a love/hate relationship. The crowd really only impacted one match (you can guess which one), and the event was quite well done from start to finish.

But now–the Three Stars Of The Night!

The Third Star:
Alexa Bliss

I actually commented that Alexa Bliss seemed disinterested during her entrance, but she delivered in the end. Really in the end, as in near the end of the night!

Bliss won the Women’s Money In The Bank briefcase, later interfering in the Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax match (which likely could have closed the show). Her interference gave Ronda the disqualification victory, but Alexa continued the attack on both women.

The eventual result saw Alexa cashing in her briefcase, winning the Raw Women’s Championship and becoming a five time champion in WWE.

The Second Star:
AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura (tie)

Personally, I was worried that the stipulation would hurt the match, but these two world class performers proved me wrong. They maximized the stipulation, and while I picked Nakamura to walk out as WWE Champion, I can’t help but think the right guy won.

I’m not alone in my assessment of the match/performers, as Andrew Balaz gave it 4.5 snowflakes in his MITB ratings.

Others given consideration:
Seth Rollins, Elias, Jinder Mahal, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, and Finn Balor

And now…a distinction usually reserved for the top performer of the night…the first star!

The First Star:
Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax (tie)

It wasn’t a traditional match at all, but with each match–admittedly only two so far–Ronda Rousey is proving her worth to WWE. We knew she’d bring mainstream media attention, but damn she’s bringing it in the ring as well.

I also have to give Nia JAx a ton of credit here. When it comes to Nia, I am not a fan. WWE backed themselves into a corner at WrestleMania, and after Nia’s win her story was done. Now it really is done, with Alexa Bliss as champion.

But that does not negate what happened tonight, where Nia Jax proved that she can hang when she wants to. Maybe she’s lazy? I am not 100% sure, but this is called “Three Stars Of The Night,” not the career. Nia deserves equal praise on this night.

Who are your three stars of the Network? Comment on social media @ChairshotGreg, @theCHAIRSHOTcom, and use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

In hockey, a game’s “three stars” represent the top three performers of the night. For more clarification, I defer to this Pittsburgh Gazette explanation:

“The tradition dates to the 1936-37 season, when Imperial Oil became the principal sponsor of Hockey Night in Canada radio broadcasts and was seeking a way to promote one of its products, Three Star gasoline. The idea of doing so by selecting the top three performers in a particular game purportedly came from a Canadian advertising agency.

Many clubs do recognize the player with the most three-star selections with an award or trophy, usually in conjunction with a corporate sponsorship, at the end of the season (or sometimes, each month). All six Canadian franchises, for example, have an affiliation with a well-known brewery.

The NHL keeps track of its own three-stars-of-the-night selections, but that is done on a league-wide basis. The league employs a system that awards 30 points to a first star, 20 to a second star and 10 to a third – a running total can be found on the league’s website – but it does not present an award based on them.”

In hockey tradition, the first star represents the best of the three, but all three are considered to be receiving a high honor.