Money in the Bank (2016)

Natalya & Becky Lynch look to put an end to Charlotte & Dana Brooke’s unruly power trip in a tag team showdown. United States Champion Rusev defends his title against Titus O’Neil.

## Becky Lynch & Natalya vs. Charlotte & Dana Brooke

If you can’t beat them, join them. After WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte & Dana Brooke defeated Natalya & Becky Lynch with Natural Selection at WWE Money in the Bank, The Queen of Harts viciously attacked her partner, changing the landscape of the Women’s division.

Becky and Natalya showed the teamwork of longtime friends. They started their attack with a Hart Attack — a tribute to Natalya’s father Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and uncle Bret Hart — then followed up with a double hiptoss and tandem baseball slide. The team nicknamed Hart & Fire was rolling.

But Charlotte turned the tide for her side with a big boot on Natalya, enabling her and Dana to overpower Natalya for several minutes. The Queen of Harts was reeling until she dodged a spear from the reigning champion and tagged in Becky, who bulldozed the opposition.

The frenzied attack culminated in a double missile dropkick, and when Natalya re-entered the battle and locked in the Sharpshooter, it seemed like she’d finally shake the monkey off her back and get the WWE Women’s Champion to submit.

Dana broke up the Sharpshooter and tossed Becky into Natalya, though, allowing Charlotte to connect with Natural Selection for the win.

With Charlotte celebrating another victory at Natalya’s expense, The Queen of Harts’ frustration boiled over after the match, as she pulled Becky down to the mat by her hair, then pummeled her with a series of fists.

Before their tag team matchup against Charlotte & Dana, Becky said Natalya was her “heart.” In betraying Becky at WWE Money in the Bank, Natalya broke it in half.

## US Championship: Rusev vs. Titus O'Neil

Happy Father’s Day? Not for Titus O’Neil. At the greatest WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view in history, United States Champion Rusev made O'Neil tap out to the Accolade before humiliating him in front of his sons.

For several weeks, the intensity had built toward an epic U.S. Title showdown between the two tough-as-nails Superstars, including a ruthless assault by The Bulgarian Brute on his No. 1 contender this past Monday on Raw, and a counter-assault by O’Neil on Thursday’s SmackDown.

Before their pay-per-view contest began, though, Rusev played some early mind games by walking over to O’Neil’s kids at ringside. This lit the fuse to the explosive match as the two Superstars started brawling outside the ring. Once things moved inside the squared circle, The Bulgarian Brute took control, wearing down his challenger. However, Titus battled back to gain the advantage, scoring several near-falls and even escaping the Accolade before it could be locked in. After another excruciating exchange outside the ropes, though, the United States Champion finally cinched in the Accolade and made Titus tap out.

Following his victory, Rusev delivered O’Neil the hardest blow of all after the bell. As the war-torn Rusev lay on the canvas, The Bulgarian Brute walked over to his fallen challenger’s children and shouted at them, declaring that their father was “a loser.” With that one absolutely deplorable comment, Rusev propelled an already personal showdown to a whole other level.

## Results

* Charlotte and Dana Brooke defeated Becky Lynch and Natalya (7:00)
* Rusev (c) (with Lana) defeated Titus O'Neil by submission to retain the WWE United States Championship (8:13)

## Critical reception

* **Bleacher Report** graded the women's contest a **C-**. "Given minimal time to work with, the women did their best to inject as much action and story as they could into it. Lynch was the most impressive of the bunch. But this was the same kind of compact, truncated contest that has plagued the women's division. The riff between Natalya and Lynch is far more interesting than the bout itself. Rather than extend their dragging rivalry with Charlotte, those two are set to collide in a feud with ample potential."
* **John Canton** of **TJRWrestling** gave the match \*¾. "It was a basic tag match that really didn’t get enough time to allow them to stand out. It’s pretty obvious that Brooke has a lot of work to do compared to the other three women. I don’t mind Brooke, though. She’s done pretty well and keeps improving. The outcome surprised me a bit…until what happened after the match.." Regarding Natalya's heel turn, "I enjoyed that a lot. It was a very believable attack with Natalya throwing some believable punches. The Natalya character had become a bit boring through no fault of her own. They just didn’t give her much to do or say. Turning heel after a loss is a good time for it. I think a heel turn is exactly what she needs at this point. Plus, the women’s division needed more heels, so this evens things out a bit. As for Lynch, she seems to be locked in as the girl that loses friends all the time because they turn on her."
* **Dave Meltzer** of **Wrestling Observer Newsletter** gave the match \*\*¼.

## Notes

* The end of the 2016 Natalya vs. Charlotte feud.
* Dana Brooke's first pay-per-view match.