An Announced Retirement, a Failed Cash-in, and a Pinned World Champion Highlight an Incredible Money in the Bank Event
Outside of the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, Money in the Bank is the WWE event that I look forward to the most. It's billed as a night that will make careers, as men and women fight to earn a contract for a guaranteed title match anytime and anywhere they want. After an incredible event a year ago, there was a lot of anticipation for Saturday night's event.
The night started fast and furiously with the first of the two Money in the Bank ladder matches. The men's match opened the show, with four of the six men feeling like they had legitimate chances to win the briefcase. However, the two men who I felt didn't have much of a chance, Carmelo Hayes and Andrade, took it upon themselves to take some of the toughest bumps of the match. The best spot of the match was the second rope reverse Spanish Fly that Andrade hit on Hayes onto a ladder lying in the ring. Andrade also hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb on Hayes onto a ladder with the help of LA Knight.
Speaking of Knight, he felt like the certain winner last year at the event, only to be upstaged by Damian Priest. It would've been cool to see that be rectified a year later, but Knight doesn't have the same level of star power that he did last year. Chad Gable has been on a heater lately, but perhaps the most disappointing part of the match was that the Wyatt Sicks didn't get themselves involved by costing Gable as he ascended toward the briefcase. The two frontrunners were Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre. Uso looked like he was going to get the job done, but McIntyre javelin threw a ladder at him, allowing McIntyre to retrieve the briefcase. My biggest gripe with this result is how predictable it made the upcoming world title match. Otherwise, this match featured the type of spots you'd expect from a multi-man ladder match, giving this hot crowd a good start to the night.
Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker (Intercontinental Championship)
This match probably showcased the most division from fans. There is no denying that Sami Zayn embraces his role as the underdog, proving as much in his shocking victory over Gunther at WrestleMania 40 to win the Intercontinental Championship and end Gunther's record-breaking reign. There is also no denying that Bron Breakker is one of the many faces of the future of the company. His freakish combination of size and speed will make him an absolute force moving forward. Zayn retained his title by beating Breakker cleanly, which seemed to surprise some people. This is a perfect example of the loser of a match looking good in defeat. Most of the punishing offense came from the bigger man, but Zayn is no spring chicken. The story that was told will certainly allow Breakker another opportunity to face the champion, and while I'm not sure if the result will be different, there is no doubt in my mind that Breakker will be a future Intercontinental Champion, and a future World Champion.
This break is brought to you by the John Cena Retirement Tour
What started out as a seemingly random appearance from John Cena caused a lot of buzz by the end of the segment. The 16-time world champion announced that he plans to retire in 2025, calling next year's Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania the final of his career. He also declared that he'd be present for the first episode of Raw on Netflix. This felt like an announcement that has been a long time coming with Cena's successful Hollywood career. His appearances have been reserved for PLEs and special occasions, but it sounds like we'll be seeing him a little more at the beginning of 2025. Cena issued open challenges to anyone who wants a piece of him as he gets ready to hang them up. Cena clarified during his post-show press conference that he planned to wrestle through December, with a tentative 30 dates on the schedule. Still, it'll be cool to speculate who his matches will be against during his final tour of duty.
Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (World Heavyweight Championship)
While it should've felt like a big deal, the anticipated arrival of Drew McIntyre for his Money in the Bank cash-in made it hard to take anything that happened before it seriously. The action that preceded McIntyre's arrival was solid, including Seth Rollin's jump-over Curb Stomp to Damian Priest for a two-count. The big botch before McIntyre's music hit is going to taint it a little, too. Rollins hit a Falcon Arrow on Priest and he didn't kick out. Instead, the referee had to make it look like he had to allow the rest of the angle to transpire. On cue, McIntyre came out to make it a Triple Threat, CM Punk got involved, and Priest ended up retaining his title. This is the type of booking that I hate. I've never been a fan of same-night cash-ins. It has plagued the women's division for years. It almost feels like the creative team is incapable of booking two Money in the Bank winners simultaneously. Outside of Carmella holding it for over 280 days, Iyo Sky is the only woman to hold his briefcase for longer than two days, and hers was only 35 days.
Now, where I will concede to the decision is it intensifies the rivalries between Punk and McIntyre and Punk and Rollins. In his unsuccessful attempt to beat Priest, Rollins can no longer challenge Priest for the title thanks to Punk. It also creates an interesting situation between Priest and Punk because that's not how Priest wanted it to go either. He didn't want any interference from anyone. I would tentatively assume that Punk and McIntyre will fight at both Summerslam and Bash in Berlin, allowing Punk and Rollins to meet at Bad Blood in October. Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. In the end, I don't like the briefcase being wasted that quickly, but I understand it from a story standpoint.
Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Naomi vs. Stark vs. Valkyria vs. Stratton vs. Green vs. Sky)
This was my favorite match of the night simply because it was probably the most uncomfortable match to watch, as highlighted by the commentary team's repeated stating of such throughout the match. She might not be the biggest star on the roster, but Chelsea Green was the main character of the match. It makes sense since she was the hometown favorite for the match. Her fear of heights was well-established before the match and played into some of the action. I was really hoping she would win, even if it didn't make too much sense from a storyline perspective. The best part of the match was just how crazy the spots were. The men's match had plenty of impressive moments, but some of these bumps looked unsettlingly painful. Green hit Naomi with an Unprettier on a ladder. Zoey Stark planted Lyra Valkyria through a ladder. Iyo Sky slammed Stark through a ladder from the top of another ladder, folding Sky as she fell to the mat. Green did the outside table spot from the top of a ladder to kick off the conclusion of the match after being pushed by the new Ms. Money in the Bank, Tiffany Stratton.
Of the booking decisions made on the card, this was easily the best one. As great of a pop as Green would've received from the Canadian crowd as a Canadian, this has the potential to kickstart an incredible career on the main roster for Stratton. She has already proven that she can be the top star on a roster, doing so as the NXT Women's Champion. She's the type of arrogant heel that will be so much fun to root against while she holds the briefcase. I'm thinking something in the vein of Seth Rollins when he held the briefcase in 2014. Of course, WWE could also fumble this, too, so it's anyone's guess at this point.
Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, and Randy Orton vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, & Jacob Fatu)
When a show doesn't end with a title match, it's almost guaranteed that shenanigans are going to transpire to close the card. Just look at the end of 2023's show. This version of The Bloodline has been billed as an unstoppable force, and they played every bit of that in the main event. Solo Sikoa has gone from being a background member of the group to the leader, with a rogue's gallery of Samoan killers behind him. No one came out of this match looking better than Jacob Fatu did in his WWE debut. The first move he took was the draping second-rope DDT from Randy Orton, only for him to immediately get up as Orton went into his usual taunt. As someone who wasn't super familiar with Fatu's pre-WWE career, this was a perfect in-ring introduction to him. He's a freak of nature in the ring who isn't afraid to do a single thing.
No one was safe in this match. The referee took two bumps, including a particularly tough one from Fatu against the ring post and the stairs. The ringside doctor caught a stray boot from Fatu, too. The poor announcers' table was in pieces by the end of the match. As is customary in a Bloodline match with a referee bump, chaos reigned to end the show. All six men got their moment to shine, but Sikoa picked up the biggest victory of his career, pinning Cody Rhodes in the center of the ring, similar to how The Rock did so during Night One of WrestleMania 40. It also mirrors Roman Reigns eating a pin in last year's main event against The Usos. It was the right decision, albeit the obvious direction. I knew that the likelihood of Reigns returning tonight was slim to none, but I was kind of hoping to see Hikuleo debut to help his brothers win the match, adding another wrinkle to the story. Nevertheless, the show ended with the heels on top.
Final Thoughts and a Preview for Summerslam
I've seen a lot more division over the results of this show online than I expected. One thing that needs to be clarified is that "my favorites didn't win" shouldn't equate to "this show was bad." This show was good, with some booking decisions that might look strange short term but could be big in the long run. It sets the stage for Summerslam in August really well. The announcement of Cena's retirement is going to be the biggest talking point outside of the WWE, given how big of a name Cena is. It gives his fans another 17 months with their favorite wrestler.
As for the Summerslam card, there are only two matches right now that we know are happening, barring any title changes on Raw or Smackdown. First, Bayley will defend her title against Queen of the Ring winner Nia Jax. Second, Damian Priest will walk into Cleveland as the World Heavyweight Champion to defend against Gunther. After that, there are plenty of interesting possibilities.
Two matches that feel like near certainties after Saturday's card. With Solo Sikoa pinning Cody Rhodes, it's almost guaranteed that they'll fight in Cleveland. This is likely going to set up a Roman Reigns return to fight the new Bloodline, meaning Rhodes beats Sikoa and moves on to a new opponent. Also, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre are going to war. There has been too much build for it not to happen at Summerslam, assuming everyone involved is healthy enough to do so. For an added wrinkle, they could make it a triple threat by inserting Seth Rollins into the mix.
There are other matches that I feel could start being developed on Monday and Friday. I need to see Kevin Owens and Jacob Fatu go one-on-one. Make it a bloody and grizzly mess of a match. Just as long as they get the proper amount of time to create complete chaos. I'd also like to see the Guerillas of Destiny team together, possibly against the new Smackdown Tag Team Champions #DIY. Lastly, the Wyatt Sicks need to be involved somehow. Maybe we'll see Bo Dallas get back in the ring as Uncle Howdy to face Chad Gable. Who knows? We'll probably see some clear direction by the end of the upcoming week.
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