A lot of fans walked away from Money in the Bank wondering why Tiffany Stratton won the briefcase instead of Roxanne Perez. As it turns out, that may have been exactly the reaction WWE was hoping for.
During a recent Q&A, TC of WrestleVotes said Roxanne had become such a popular pick heading into the show that WWE decided to go the other way. According to him, the company has been putting a bigger emphasis on staying ahead of fan predictions, and once it became obvious so many people expected Roxanne to win, Tiffany suddenly became the surprise option.
“The zigzags come in. A lot of people started to get on the Roxanne Perez train, and now, more so than ever, WWE wants to stay one step ahead of everyone’s predictions and thought process. It goes even so far as WWE Radio on SiriusXM — a lot of the contributors on that program had those people picked as most likely to win.”
He added that Tiffany winning wasn’t the outcome most people saw coming, which made her the perfect choice if the goal was to catch everyone off guard. He also noted that WWE already has a story waiting for her and Chelsea Green, so the briefcase win wasn’t just done for the sake of a shock finish.
“Not a lot of people had Tiffany to come in and win that briefcase again. It was a ‘doing different to be different.’ Yes, there is a story there with her and Chelsea Green, and I’m sure we’ll see that play out.”
That lines up with the reaction after the show. Fans were expecting Roxanne Perez to have her breakout moment, but WWE went in a completely different direction, and the backlash was immediate across social media and even on WWE’s YouTube channel.
Whether the gamble pays off is a different story. If Tiffany’s second Money in the Bank run ends up delivering, fans may eventually come around—but right now, it’s pretty clear WWE got the surprise reaction it was looking for.
Do you think WWE made the right call by swerving everyone with Tiffany Stratton, or should they have pulled the trigger on Roxanne Perez? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
