Money In The Bank is typically a reliable show for the WWE in terms of both stakes and chaos, and this year’s installment was no exception. The second to be staged outside of the United States, this year’s MITB was broadcast from Toronto, Canada and nominally hosted by WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus.
Drew McIntyre def. Andrade, Carmelo Hayes, Chad Gable, Jey Uso, and LA Knight: This men’s Money In The Bank ladder match was a great way to open the show, particularly with two “sentimental favorites” squaring off in Jey Uso and LA Knight – as well as the intrigue of McIntyre calling his cash-in shot ahead of time. A few major, if at times illogical, spots gave everyone their moment. And McIntyre collecting the briefcase established a real air of uncertainty for the World Heavyweight championship match later in the show.
Sami Zayn def. Bron Breakker: This was a solid match, but unusually for a Sami Zayn match, I felt the in-ring storytelling could’ve been stronger. Given Breakker’s presentation so far on the main roster, I thought we might see him make an overzealous mistake that the savvy Zayn (sorry) would capitalize on. That said, this was still Breaker’s finest match to-date, and Zayn as the scrappy underdog who’s maybe just starting to tire of being underestimated is a great direction going forwards.
Segment – John Cena announces his upcoming retirement: In conjunction with his appearance at the post-show press conference, this segment with John Cena was utterly fascinating. Without getting into too much speculation, the timing of this announcement and Cena’s plans to work a full or full-ish wrestling schedule in 2025 both seem to set the stage for the WWE’s Netflix debut.
As Cena alluded to in the press conference, we’re so used to seeing wrestlers forced into retirement by injury or in-ring careers gradually fizzling out as a result of opportunities in other fields. His decision to undertake an intentional retirement program, and to signpost it so clearly, is honestly quite refreshing. There’s no doubt that Cena and WWE’s approach here must have been inspired at least in some degree by Sting’s excellently executed final run over in AEW.
Asked about the possibility of a heel turn for this last run, Cena responded with an answer that emphasized his retirement run was going to be about bringing his authentic self to the product. In an era of storytelling substantially marked by metatextual storytelling, he’s spot on here. A heel Cena would be a tough sell, particularly when he’s clearly at a very zen place and so comfortable in his role as a kind of ambassador for the WWE.
Damian Priest def. Seth “Freakin’” Rollins and Drew McIntyre: Firstly, Seth Rollins. Returning from injury and finding this kind of unbelievable form in his first match back is a reminder of why Rollins has been the WWE men’s roster MVP for almost a decade now. In the white gear that he tends to wear for important occasions, Rollins showed up looking fantastic. He also moved with both ease and power, all while freshening things up with a speight of new moves and sequences. It was something of a shock to see him back so soon, but it’s wonderful to have this generational talent back in the squared circle.
Like his match last month with McInytre at Clash At The Castle, this was another good outing for Priest. It took him and Rollins a few minutes to find their rhythm, but once they did, their dynamic was lively and full of potential. Trading respective Broken and Falcon Arrows was a brilliant spot for a PLE.
An aside on health and safety: after Priest’s tangle in the ropes at Clash At The Castle and his weird tumbleturn / Whisper In The Wind spot here against Rollins, I really don’t want to see Priest trying to fly for the time being. If he is totally set on leaving his feet in his big matches, something like The Undertaker’s somersault clothesline might be a safer bet (the in-ring one, not the dive!). Better still, what Priest could do is really dial up the “educated feet” angle with his karate background. His kicks work safely and look really, really good.
The production botch before Drew McIntyre’s cash-in visibly shook both Priest and Rollins, but they recovered well and the botch did somehow work to heighten the sense of chaos – chaos that would then completely erupt with the arrival of a particularly aggro CM Punk. Rollins eventually turning his attention to Punk picks up on threads from earlier in the year and neatly adds another dimension to the world heavyweight title picture. Excellent all round.
And on Punk, it’s hard to overstate how much value he’s brought to the product without being an active competitor. His character work has always been his strongest suit, but the creativity he and McIntrye are inspiring in one another, and the ways they both continue to up the intensity of their performances, is such a treat. When they do finally lock up, I’m hoping for dog-collar match vibes.
Tiffany Stratton def. Chelsea Green, Iyo Sky, Lyra Valkyria, Naomi, and Zoey Stark: Speaking of chaos, this ladder match was utterly wild. Some brilliantly inventive spots, a true sense of drama and scramble, and some great character moments all round. Like Andrade and Carmelo Hayes in the men’s ladder match, it felt like Iyo Sky and Naomi were probably only here to do cool stuff and definitely not win. Their spots were well worth it for the viewer though.
It might’ve been nice to see Chelsea Green pick up the briefcase here as she’s recently begun to pick up some real momentum. The pop she got when she won her qualifying match felt like a real marker of change. Here’s hoping she gets the opportunity to build on it. Ultimately though, putting the briefcase on Stratton was the obvious and most sensible call – the briefcase is a great device to prepare a performer for a championship and to signal to the audience to keep investing in the journey.
Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga def. Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton: A big positive of the PLEs since WrestleMania XL has been the squad rotation that means not every star has to be on every big show. There’s an argument that this might be a slightly different conversation with Cody Rhodes being the so-called “face of WWE”, but this might have been a show to give him a rest. This is no shade on his MITB performance, but running Cody vs. Bloodline 2.0 just feels like it’s too soon.
And although Owens really brought the intensity the match definitely needed, this six-man tag did have house show vibes for most of its duration. It picked up in its last ten or so minutes as the chaos escalated and admittedly had a really strong finish to close the show and elevate Sikoa as a contender, but running this match on this show was a slightly strange choice.
Curtain Call: Three months on from WrestleMania XL, the WWE’s big shows have been well booked and wonderfully performed overall. My biggest complaint at this stage is the airtime split between the men’s and women’s rosters. Liv Morgan’s defence against Zelina Vega could have been on this show, for example. With the SummerSlam up next, we should at least be expecting matches for both Morgan and Bayley, as well as tag champs Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre
All in all, despite a questionable choice of topliner, this year’s Money In The Bank was an exciting show with clear stakes, tangible outcomes, and a hefty dose of chaos – both planned and incidental.
