Powell's Blog: The final hype for the WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Matt Hardy saying he'll cash in the same night if he wins, Jack Swagger and his daddy, and Alberto Del Rio

By Jason Powell

Saturday, July 17 – 12:10 P.M. (CT)

-Friday's WWE Smackdown television show was a solid, yet unspectacular go-home edition for Sunday's Money in the Bank pay-per-view. They did a nice job of showcasing the MITB wrestlers and establishing the success that the winners of past MITB matches have had over the years, but they failed to make me care about Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger in the World Hvt. Championship match.

There was a little too much clowning around for my taste. The skit with Jack Swagger should have aired during a filler week rather than on the night WWE was trying to offer a final pitch for MITB. Bunkhouse Buck (a/k/a Jimmy Golden) as Daddy Swagger? I laughed at the hilarious photos, but I'm not sure how Swagger's dad being roughed up by Kane is supposed to make me want to see Mysterio vs. Swagger on Sunday.

They did establish that Mysterio is gimpy heading into the match. I'm not sure whether that's a setup for Mysterio losing the match or if they are going to make it look like he defied the odds by winning in spite of the injury. I'm also not sure where Kane fits into this. Perhaps Swagger wins his match, Kane wins MITB, and they meet at SummerSlam? If so, it's logical storytelling even if that match doesn't do anything for me, but it didn't really sell me on MITB.

-Matt Hardy's pre-match promo jumped out at me because he vowed to win the MITB match and cash in that night. I have no idea whether WWE intends to have Hardy actually win the match, but the placement of this line establishes that the winners of the MITB matches can indeed cash in during the show. I wonder if this was foreshadowing that someone will indeed take that approach on Sunday night. I suppose it could be Kane, which would better explain the final segment.

-Speaking of Hardy, I was impressed with his brief promo. He seems more comfortable with the mic in hand than usual. I've always felt that this was the big roadblock in Hardy's career. His brother Jeff Hardy isn't a great talker, but he has that special "it" factor that few in the business possess. Matt has a lot going for him, but he doesn't have that main event level "it" factor, so he has to work harder and be better in all areas of his game to make up for it. He's in better shape these days and if his mic work improves he could get the main event singles push that he covets.

-I dig the Alberto Del Rio vignettes. It shocks me that he's grumbled to some of his co-workers about WWE officials removing the mask he wore in Mexico. He has a better look without the mask. He looks and sounds a lot like the Esteban Reyes character from the hilarious "Weeds" television show, which works for me. Here's hoping he doesn't blow the push they appear to have planned for him by complaining about something so petty.

-I'm drifting off topic to wrap this up. If you go to see "Inception" today like I will be and you encounter a "sold out" sign, take a chance on "Cyrus" starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, and Johah Hill. it's not your typical over the top style comedy, but I saw it last weekend and thought it was very well done. It's behind only "Toy Story 3" on my list of big screen favorites for 2010.

Join Jason Powell and Rich Twilling on Sunday night for WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view live coverage reviews beginning at 7:00 p.m. CT.