FORT WORTH, Texas —Nikki A.S.H. can’t fly (yet), and she might not be faster than a speeding bullet, but after winning the first Money in the Bank Ladder Match of the night, the caped competitor possesses something even sweeter: a World Title Match contract that she can cash in anytime, anyplace, for up to a year.
Nikki’s path to the career-defining W was perilous to say the least. Standing in her way was a field of seven other fierce competitors, including past contract-holders Alexa Bliss and Asuka, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina, former SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi, plus the ever-plucky Liv Morgan and the cunning Zelina Vega.
Morgan was a persistent threat throughout the match, finding opportune moments to scale the ladder whenever she could. She jumped on Natalya’s back while The Queen of Harts was near the top of the ladder and applied a sleeper hold, nearly putting Natalya out and coming within inches of grabbing the briefcase. Tamina used her strength and mean streak to brutalize everyone in sight, while Naomi’s unparalleled speed and agility kept her a step ahead of the pack. A.S.H. wasn’t afraid to throw caution to the wind, flattening the entire field with a huge cross body block off a ladder.
Perhaps the most dangerous threat came in the form of Bliss’ supernatural powers; at one point, her icy glare put Vega into a trance, stopping Vega in her tracks just before she reached the briefcase. To neutralize Bliss’ otherworldly powers, the seven other Superstars teamed up to bury Bliss under a deluge of ladders.
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With Bliss ostensibly done, Asuka, Morgan, Naomi, Natalya, Zelina and Tamina focused on the prize and fought their way up three ladders in the middle of the ring. That’s when Nikki seized her moment, and with her opponents paired off and exchanging fisticuffs, she climbed on Natalya’s back and unclasped the briefcase for the win.
Believe in yourself and anything is possible. So goes the Nikki A.S.H. creed, and perhaps nobody epitomizes that more than Nikki herself. Sure, she is Almost a Superhero, but after tonight, there’s no denying that she is Ms. Money in the Bank.
