It’s WWE Money in the Bank with two huge ladder matches and a big six-man tag team match in the main event.
This is my review of WWE Money in the Bank from Saturday in Toronto. I would have gone to the show that was two hours from home, but I was at a family wedding in Cleveland. I got home on Sunday afternoon and finished writing this review on Monday morning. There were just five matches on the show, which has become the norm for most WWE PLE’s in this Triple H Era. Let’s get to it.
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WWE Money in the Bank
From Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Saturday, July 6, 2024
The show began with Michael Cole welcoming us to Money in the Bank. Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline were shown arriving earlier in the day. The WWE Champion Cody Rhodes was shown getting off his bus earlier in the day. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton were also shown in separate parts of the arena.
The incredible Trish Stratus was shown getting out of a car looking amazing as the host of Money in the Bank. They also showed arrivals of Seth Rollins and World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest, who was joined by The Judgment Day.
A video package aired about the Money in the Bank PLE using a classic video about a heist while featuring WWE stars.
It was Michael Cole and Corey Graves on commentary at ringside. The Men’s Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match.
Men’s Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight
The match started 18 minutes after the PLE began. It took a while. The winner of this match will be the first man to climb up a ladder and pull down the Money in the Bank briefcase, which has a contract inside of it. The contract allows the winner to cash in the contract for a championship match any time they want.
All six guys started brawling to start the mach. Drew headbutted Knight out of the ring. Knight and Jey clotheslined Drew out of the ring. Knight gave Melo a powerslam while Jey hit Gable with a neckbreaker. Knight and Jey did moves on the floor to take out two opponents. Drew slammed Andrade back first into the barricade. Back in the ring, Drew used a ladder to knock down four opponents in a row. Drew climbed the ladder, but Gable stopped him with punches. Gable applied an armbar on Drew’s left arm against he ladder while Andrade stopped that with a springboard leg drop on Gable. Andrade used the ladder as a weapon to knock two guys down. Andrade went up the ladder, Melo was back in and Melo hit a springboard clothesline on Andrade. Melo went for something off the ropes, but Andrade hit a springboard Spanish Fly slam that sent both guys onto the ladder. Jey nailed Drew with a Samoan Drop followed by a Spear. Jey hit Gable with an enziguri kick. Gable hit German Suplexes on Jey and McIntyre. Melo dove onto Gable, who caught him and Gable hit the Chaos Theory that is also a German Suplex. Gable suplexed a ladder that he sent onto Andrade’s back. The fans chanted “you still suck” for Gable after that stretch. Knight stomped on Gable with kicks against the turnbuckle. Knight charged, Gable avoided it and Gable did a dragon screw leg whip takedown on Knight. There was some payback for Knight as he sent Gable into the turnbuckle and Knight gave Gable a neckbreaker onto the edge of the ladder. Knight battled Melo on the floor where Knight slammed Melo’s head against the commentary table several times leading to “YEAH” chants. Knight set up a ladder bridge from the apron to the commentary table. Knight teased a Powerbomb onto the ladder, but Melo broke free and hit the First 48 knees to the face. Gable went after Melo on a ladder and a second ladder was set up. Gable applied an Ankle Lock on Melo while on a ladder. Andrade climbed up a ladder, Gable sent him down and Drew was back up to send Gable into a ladder. The fans chanted “CM Punk” at Drew, who gave Gable a Powerbomb onto a ladder that was against the turnbuckle. Drew hit Andrade with a Claymore Kick leading to Andrade doing a great bump over the top to the floor. Drew climbed the ladder, Jey stopped that and Knight hit Drew with a ladder. Jey with a superkick on Drew, Knight with BFT on Drew and Jey hit an Uso Splash off the top onto Drew in the ring.
Knight and Jey climbed a ladder on opposite sides. Jey and Knight punched eachother on the ladder while the fans chanted “YEET/YEAH” for that exchange. Knight punched Jey a few times and then Melo shoved the ladder down to take out Jey and Knight. Melo hit a somersault dive over the top onto Gable on the floor. Melo jumped off the top with the Nothing But Net leg drop on Jey’s back. Melo climbed up, so Andrade brought him down and Andrade hit Jey with a ladder. Andrade climbed the ladder, he reached up, but Melo and Knight were fighting Andrade up there. Andrade gave Melo a sunset flip Powerbomb off the ladder and onto the ladder bridge that was in the ring! That was insane. Great move execution and bump. Knight climbed the ladder, Gable stopped that and Gable sent Knight neck first into a ladder. Gable gave Knight a belly-to-belly over head suplex onto the ladder bridge on the floor! That was awesome. Gable reached up to the briefcase, he was holding onto the briefcase latch, but he couldn’t pull the briefcase down when Jey pulled the ladder away. Gable dropped so he landed face first in the ring in a drop that was about 15 feet. Ouch. Jey ran the ropes leading to a Spear on Gable. Jey climbed up the ladder, he reached up the swinging briefcase, he had his hands on the hook above the briefcase, but Drew was there to throw a ladder into Jey’s face. Drew nailed Jey with a Claymore Kick to knock Jey out of the ring. Drew climbed the ladder to unhook the MITB briefcase and Drew McIntyre wins! It went 16:30.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Analysis: **** It was an excellent ladder match with some big bumps, but nothing that looked too crazy. Jey Uso was my pick so I got the winner wrong, but I did mention in the preview that I thought McIntyre was the second best option as well. Some of the spots they did were outstanding like Andrade’s Sunset Flip Powerbomb on Melo onto a ladder and Gable giving Knight a suplex over the top onto another ladder. These are not easy moves to do, but they are so good and they can pull them off. It looked like Jey Uso had the match won at that point, but that’s when Drew McIntyre re-emerged to stop Jey and pick up the win. I really like how they emphasized the importance of the climb where everybody kept going for the win throughout the match because that’s obviously what they should be doing. I thought it was a very entertaining match that didn’t go too long. The length of the match felt right.
Drew McIntyre celebrated with the Money in the Bank briefcase while the announcers wondered if he would cash in later in the show.
There were some commercials for various things.
A video package aired for the Intercontinental Title match between Sami Zayn and Bron Breakker.
Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
The crowd was firmly behind Zayn, who is a babyface and also a fellow Canadian since he’s from Montreal.
Bron gave Zayn a back body drop to start the match. Bron got a waistlock takedown. Bron dared Zayn to hit him, so Zayn slapped Bron in the head. Zayn elbowed Bron to send him stumbling backward. Bron charged at Zayn, who avoided it and Zayn tossed Bron over the top to the floor. Zayn did a top rope moonsault onto Bron’s shoulders. Good job by Bron catching Zayn because he had to step up a bit. Bron ran the ropes quickly at 23 MPH like Cole says every time Bron wrestlers and Bron hit a clothesline, which Grave correctly called a Steiner Line. Bron gave Zayn an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Bron hit a running knee smash to Zayn’s face. Bron gave Zayn a belly-to-belly suplex again. Zayn grabbed Bron by the arm, then Zayn walked across the ropes and Zayn hit a jumping Tornado DDT for two. Zayn did an impressive leapfrog over Bron’s head followed by a clothesline over the top to the floor. They battled on the floor where Zayn went for a moonsault, Bron caught him and then Zayn countered that by sending Bron face first into the ring post. Zayn dumped Bron out of the ring. Zayn ran toward Bron, who bounced back with another Steiner Line while they were on the floor.
They were back in the ring where Bron charged, Zayn kicked him in the head and Zayn hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two, which is the usual for that move. Zayn went to the turnbuckle, Bron went after him there, Bron jumped up to the top rope and Bron hit a Frankensteiner for two. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for them. Zayn left the ring, so Bron ran around the ring and Zayn did a leapfrog, so Bron nearly hit the steel steps until Bron stopped himself. Bron stunned Zayn so that Zayn was against the commentary table and then Bron clotheslined Zayn over the commentary table. That’s such a cool spot. Back in the ring, Zayn slipped out of a move and Zayn gave Bron an Exploder Suplex into the turnbuckle. Zayn charged and Bron hit a jumping knee to the face. Bron did a Gorilla press powerslam with no pin attempt. Bron charged, Zayn kicked him in the head and Bron sold it like he was stunned. Zayn hit a Helluva Kick for the pinfall win at 13:17.
Winner by pinfall: Sami Zayn
Analysis: ***1/2 This was a very good match that had a result that surprised me a bit because I thought Bron would win his main roster PLE debut match. The story was simple to tell since Zayn is such a good babyface that is one of the best sellers in all of WWE while Bron is believable as a badass. I thought Bron would win here, so the result did surprise me a bit although that’s nothing against my fellow Canadian Sami Zayn, who is always going to have great matches like he did here. I think we might see the rivalry continue and then Bron gets the title at SummerSlam, but that could be a multi-man match.
Sami Zayn celebrated the victory with the IC Title while looking exhausted. Bron Breakker was shown at ringside looking angry as he stared at Zayn celebrating in the ring.
It was announced by Cody Rhodes and rapper Metro Boomin that the WWE Bad Blood PLE is coming to Atlanta on Saturday, October 5th.
Analysis: That October 5th date is the same date as the first Bad Blood PLE headlined by the Shawn Michaels-The Undertaker Hell in a Cell match. If they do a Hell in a Cell match this year then I think it could be Drew McIntyre-CM Punk in that match.
A video aired showed clips of the WWE WrestleMania XL Behind the Curtain documentary that is on YouTube.
John Cena Has An Announcement
Trish Stratus made her entrance as the host of WWE Money in the Bank looking amazing as usual. Trish asked the fans if they were having fun. Trish talked about big moments in Toronto where she became a two-time champion, had a retirement match, faced Charlotte Flair and one time she was a surprise tag team partner of this former WWE Champion. It’s John Cena. Cole: “What?”
Analysis: It was an unannounced appearance for Cena, which is pretty cool.
John Cena made his entrance with the fans giving him a huge ovation. Cena had a towel that said, “The Last Time Is Now.” The back of Cena’s new shirt said: “After this, you can’t see me.” It was a loud reaction for Cena as usual. Cena said it sounded like the crowd was there to sing because they were singing his song. Cena said that they were there to make some noise.
Cena said that tonight he officially announces his retirement from the WWE. The fans chanted “no” in response to that probably because they thought it was immediate, so John continued. Cena said he wanted to talk about Toronto and Canada as well as Canadians. Cena said he’s been part of WWE for over two decades including waves of popularity like they have right now. Cena said he’s seen tremendous hardships as well. Cena said that only the most dedicated, hardcore fans stand by your side. Cena spoke about the most impressive thing that he learned is that whether WWE is hot or cold, Canadians always show up.
Analysis: Damn right. I’ve been to dozens of WWE shows in my country of Canada and it’s so true.
Cena said that the fans built this into what it is today. Cena said that’s why this is the perfect place to say what he has to say. Cena said that Money in the Bank is the ultimate symbol of opportunity. Cena spoke about how Raw makes history next year when it moves to Netflix (in January) and Cena said he’ll be there. Cena said that they will build unforgettable lasts. Cena said that the 2025 Royal Rumble will be his last, 2025 Elimination Chamber will be his last, and WrestleMania 41 in 2025 in Las Vegas will be his last WrestleMania that he competes in. Cena said that he’s going to kick off the press conference after the show where he’ll field any questions about his retirement.
Cena: “I wanna say thank you.” That led to “Thank You Cena” chants. Cena said that was an incredible gesture of kindness while saying thank you to the fans again. Cena thanked the fans for letting him play in the house that WWE fans built. Cena thanked the fans for their voice. Cena went on to say thanks for allowing him to be with us tonight. Cena said that also means he’s going to return to Toronto kick some ass. Cena said if you want some, come get some because the last time is now. Cena kissed his wife at ringside and then he went to the back while greeting some fans.
Analysis: It was not a shocking announcement in terms of Cena announcing his WWE farewell is coming soon because he is 47 years old. That’s just life, my friends. Everybody has to retire at some point, so for Cena the time is now…sort of. At the post-MITB press conference, John Cena made it clear he was going to compete many times throughout 2025 and that means his retirement will actually be later in 2025. It’s like a retirement tour, which is a great idea because any time he’s announced for something, the fans are going to want to be a part of it. Cena being around WWE more often next year will be a great thing for the company for sure. Good for you, Cena. He truly is one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. The big question will be can he get the 17th WWE World Title reign to break the tie with Ric Flair? I think Cena should do it. Absolutely. He doesn’t have to hold the title for long, but I think that moment would be a special one.
BREAKING NEWS: John Cena announced at #MITB he will retire from in-ring competition in 2025.#ThankYouCenapic.twitter.com/6TPnYI5iU2
— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2024
Analysis: Get ready to hear those “Thank You Cena” chants during this retirement tour. He deserves it.
There were some commercials.
The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest, who is the World Heavyweight Champion, was hanging out with the group while Finn Balor told Priest that it was time to punish Seth Rollins. Priest said that’s right. Priest told The J-Day guys (Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh & Carlito (who is not really in the group) that everybody stays out of his way and nobody gets involved in his business. Priest stared at Balor, who assured him he understood. After Priest left, Balor said: “Whatever you want, boss.”
The video package aired for the Damian Priest-Seth “Freakin” Rollins match.
World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest vs. Seth “Freakin” Rollins
This is Seth’s first match since WrestleMania 40 three months ago.
Rollins and Priest teased big moves right away. Rollins hit an elbow smash. Priest hit a Broken Arrow slam. Priest worked over Rollins with punches followed by a lifting flatliner for just one. Priest hit a running elbow smash against the turnbuckle. Rollins clotheslined Priest out of the ring. Rollins hit two suicide dives on Priest in a row. Rollins hit a third suicide dive that sent Priest crashing over the commentary table at ringside. Back in the ring, Rollins superkicked Priest. Rollins went up top and hit a Swanton Bomb dive followed by a Lionsault off the middle ropes for two. Priest came back with a headlock driver. Rollins countered Priest with a hurricanrana for two. Priest was back up with a clothesline. Priest was looking at the aisle to see if Drew McIntyre would show up. Rollins caught a leaping Priest with a powerslam followed by a running boot. Rollins went up top and hit a Frog Splash for two. Rollins nailed Priest with a forearm to the face along with an elbow to the back. Rollins was sent to the apron and Priest hit him with an uppercut punch to the jaw. Rollins got a hold of Priest by the turnbuckle leading to Rollins giving Priest a Buckle Bomb. Rollins charged, Priest caught him and Priest hit a Last Ride Powerbomb for two. Priest was staring at the aisle again. Priest and Rollins exchanged strikes. Priest delivered kicks to the body, but Rollins hit a superkick. Priest hit two spinning kicks in a row. Priest gave Rollins a back body drop. Rollins jumped over Priest and hit The Stomp for just two because Priest got his left shoulder up. The fans chanted “this is awesome” and then they sang Seth’s theme song. Priest was back up with the Razor’s Edge for two. It was a finisher 30 years ago. Priest went to the turnbuckle for nothing so Rollins fought him there. Priest knocked Rollins down off the top, which led to Rollins jumping up top with a superplex. Rollins hit a Falcon Arrow slam for one two…three…but the referee stopped counting. The referee’s arm hit the mat twice and stopped on the third. Priest was talking to the referee about what happened.
Here comes Drew McIntyre with the Money in the Bank briefcase in hand. Drew handed the briefcase to the referee and the cash in was official to make it a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Title.
World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest vs. Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre
Drew charged at Rollins, who hit a superkick. Drew came back with a Future Shock DDT. Drew charged, but Priest was there with a clothesline. Drew came back with a Claymore Kick or something looking like that. It’s CM Punk! Punk attacked Drew with punches. No disqualifications and no countouts in a triple threat, so nothing can be done. Punk hit Drew with multiple chair shots along with some choking with a cord. Punk nailed Drew with a chair shot to the back to knock Drew over the barricade and he was down at ringside. Punk laid his eyes on the WWE World Title and Punk grabbed the title from ringside. Drew was back in the ring, so Punk ran at him with running title shot to Drew’s head. Cole: “What are you doing, Phil?” Drew was back up with a South of Heaven chokeslam on Drew for the pinfall win at 14:40.
Winner by pinfall: Damian Priest
Analysis: ***1/2 An entertaining singles match that turned into a brief triple threat match because CM Punk showed up from out of nowhere to cost McIntyre the match. It was the third time that Punk has screwed Drew out of the World Heavyweight Title. The match was also hurt by the spot where Rollins hit The Stomp on Priest, who didn’t kick out, but referee Rod Zapata stopped the count. I think it was a timing thing because Drew McIntyre’s interference took place moments later. That makes me think Priest probably expected to hear the familiar music of McIntyre, but it wasn’t there and that’s where the timing was likely off. I’m not excusing it because it’s a mistake that they should avoid, but human error happens sometimes. That’s life.
Damian Priest walked away as the World Heavyweight Champion looking frustrated since it was another cheap title defense.
Seth Rollins walked around the side of the ring to complain about what Punk did. Punk stood on the commentary table to stare at Rollins while Corey Graves tried to get Rollins to calm down, so Rollins left. McIntyre was shown in the ring selling the attack while looking frustrated about what happened. They showed Punk staring at a fallen Drew.
Analysis: Pencil in Drew vs. Punk for SummerSlam. It seems like a lock for the show.
There were some commercials including a video profiling GUNTHER.
They were showing the arena again while throwing to another video package – this time looking at the Money in the Bank numbers.
Women’s Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match: IYO SKY vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Green was wearing an attire showing off the Canadian red. That’s cool to see. Five women left the ring while Green as alone under the briefcase and Green reached up, but of course she needed a ladder. Green did get a ladder from Sky and was too scared to actually climb. Green knocked down Naomi and Stark with a ladder. Sky hit a springboard dropkick on Green to knock her out of the ring. Stratton got a “Tiffy Time” chant from the crowd. Sky dropkicked Sky into a ladder that was against the ropes. Sky hit Meteora double knees into the ladder. Lyra gave Sky a back body drop into the ladder that was against the turnbuckle. Sky and Lyra missed on a DDT attempt, but then they got through it. Lyra gave Sky a Fisherman’s Buster onto a ladder in the ring. The fans were chanting “Chelsea” for Green on the floor. Lyra dropkicked Green on the floor. Stark was back into it with a missile dropkick on Lyra. Stark nailed Lyra with a German Suplex and clothesline. Stark had one some warpaint to show she was ready for battle. Stark gave Lyra a Samoan Drop on a ladder but only the edge of Lyra’s back hit the ladder. Stark hit a twisting splash onto Lyra on a ladder and Stark’s head hit the ladder. Naomi tackled Stark onto a ladder. Naomi hit a split-legged leg drop on Stark, who was on a ladder. Naomi hit a moonsault onto Stark on a ladder. Stratton gave Naomi a spinebuster onto a ladder after countering a move. There were “Tiffy Time” chants again. Stratton used a ladder to ram Sky into the turnbuckle. Stratton walked across the a ladder that she used to trap Sky against the turnbuckle and then Stratton hit a Swanton dive onto three women on the floor. What a great sequence from Stratton.
Green was in the ring with a much bigger ladder compared to before. Green did a decent climb, but Sky sent a smaller ladder into Green’s back. Sky went to climb a ladder, Lyra pulled her leg and got her down. Sky trapped Lyra upside down followed by stomps to the jaw. Lyra gave Sky a German Suplex off the ladder! It was a safe landing at least. Stark nailed Lyra with a knee smash. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for the chaos. Stark pulled on Stratton’s arm while she was climbing a ladder and Naomi hit Stratton with a knee smash. Stark and Stratton pulled two ladders while Naomi was doing the splits on them and Naomi gave Stark a DDT. Statton sent Naomi out of the ring, so Naomi pulled Stratton out of the ring and threw Stratton into the barricade. Naomi pulled out two tables from under the ring and Green threw Naomi into the steel steps. Stratton and Green set up two ladders on the floor. Sky jumped from the top rope onto a ladder, but Green was there to fight with Sky. Green and Sky set up a ladder bridge leading to Sky sending Green into it. Stark did catapult to send Stratton into a ladder. Lyra reached up for the briefcase, but Stark was there to slam Lyra back-first onto a ladder bridge. Ouch. That was like taking a spinebuster onto the ladder. Naomi sent Stark into a ladder to send Stark out of the ring. Naomi did a ladder climb, Green went after, the fans were chanting “Chelsea” again and Green gave Naomi and Unpretti-her onto a ladder. Stark climbed the briefcase, she nearly had it unlocked and Sky was there to stop Stark. Sky gave Stark a powerslam from the top of the ladder onto the ladder bridge that was set up in the ring. That was an incredible move that looked painful for both women. Green climbed up the ladder quicky after being too scared to climb earlier and Green got her hand up so that she nearly unhooked the case. However, Stratton was back up to stop that. Stratton shoved the ladder over and Green took a bump through two tables on the floor! Stratton climbed the ladder and reached up to grab the Money in the Bank briefcase. It’s Tiffy Time! It went 16:50.
Winner: Tiffany Stratton
Analysis: ****1/4 These women are badasses and took some impressive bumps. Some of the moves they did on the ladders were very creative and also looked brutal for anybody to take on a ladder. The replays of the spots just emphasized how crazy some of the bumps were. It takes a lot of courage to take bumps like that, but also a lot of trust in your fellow wrestlers to be willing to put your body on the line to take bumps like that. I rated this match slightly higher than the men’s MITB match. I was so impressed by what these six women were willing to do to put their bodies on the line and entertain us. As for the result, Stratton was my pick and I think she was a popular pick because she’s clearly a star on the rise. All of the other women in the match did great while I thought that Green and Sky stood out with some of the actions in the match. I was really impressed by the match. Great job by the ladies involved here and everybody who helped put the match together behind the scenes.
There were replays shown of the big spots in the match. Stratton posed with the white Women’s Money in the Bank briefcase. The fans in the arena were giving them a standing ovation. Stratton was cheered as she held the briefcase over her head.
The announcers talked about SummerSlam on August 3rd. Two of the matches taking place are Damian Priest defending the World Heavyweight Title against King of the Ring winner and Bayley defending the WWE Title against Queen of the Ring winner Nia Jax.
The six-man tag team match main event was up next. A video package aired to set it up.
Trish Stratus was interviewed backstage by Jackie Redmond, who is also Canadian. Trish said that the fans are so passionate here while Tiffay Stratton walked in to interrupt. Tiffany said that we should be praising Tiffy in the Bank. Tiffany said she was going viral. Trish offered Stratton some advice about what happens when she tries to cash that briefcase. Trish said that can determine if you’re a future Hall of Famer like her or just a flash in the pan…toodles. Tiffany told Trish that Trishy time is no longer and Tiffy Time has just begun…toodles. Jackie said it was no way to treat a Hall of Famer.
Analysis: Some of the dialogue was a bit silly, but I like the tease of Tiffany Stratton possibly facing Trish Stratus in a match. Maybe it won’t lead to anything, but if it leads to Trish coming back for something then I certainly wouldn’t mind it. Trish was great against Becky Lynch last year and I wish she was around longer than she was. Anyway, it’s a nice tease between two talented women with Trish as a Hall of Famer and Stratton as a young star on the rise. I like it.
There was a Money in the Bank post-show after the event including a press conference.
The Bloodline made their entrance led by Solo Sikoa with Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu, along with Tonga Loa. Michael Cole said that WWE had to pull strings to get Jacob into Canada. Cole said that Triple H had to pull some strings to get Jacob into the country. I know Jacob didn’t wrestle in Canada before WWE, but here he is on this show so that’s great to see. It is Jacob’s first WWE match. Jacob is Solo’s first cousin since Jacob is the son of the Tonga Kid while Solo is Rikishi’s son.
The babyface trio were next with Kevin Owens up first. KO’s mom has been dealing with some health issues. I’m sure it’s not easy to compete knowing that, but Owens is a fighter. Randy Orton made his entrance while the Toronto crowd sang the “Voices” song loudly. Orton loved it. Cody Rhodes, the WWE Champion, got a massive ovation as usual. The fans were singing his “Kingdom” song loudly as well. Owens had a long staredown with Jacob Fatu at ringside.
The Bloodline – Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu (w/Tonga Loa) vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
There were “We Want Roman” chants to start the match. There were even “f**k you Solo” chants as well. Solo tagged out rather than face off against Cody. Tama tagged in leading to Cody delivering an uppercut punch. Cody hit a running bulldog on Tama. Owens tagged in to a huge ovation from his fellow Canadians after he kicked and punched Tama against the turnbuckle. Cody was back in leading to a front suplex. Orton tagged in leading to the ten corner punches while the fans chanted along with it. Tama gave Orton a thumb to the eye. Jacob tagged in with Cole saying he was 6’2” and 279 pounds. I think that is Jacob’s old weight because he looks a lot less than that. Jacob charged, Orton sidestepped him and Orton hit a vintage DDT off the ropes, but Jacob no sold it. Orton looked up at Jacob with a stunned look. Jacob caught Orton with a Samoan Drop. Jacob delivered a superkick. Solo tagged in leading to corner punches while the fans kept chanting “f**k you Solo” at Solo. There were more “We Want Roman” chants. Solo choked Orton against the ropes so that Jacob could kick Orton down while the referee was looking at Solo. Tama tagged in with a slingshot splash onto Orton. Orton came back with a belly-to-back splash on Tama, which led to Owens tagging in. Owens was on fire attacking Tama with punches and kicks. Owens nailed Tama with a clothesline. Owens punched Jacob off the apron followed by a cannonball splash on Tama against the ropes. Owens hit a Swanton Bomb off the top on Tama for two because Jacob broke up the pin. Jacob headbutted Owens. Jacob sent Owens hard into the turnbuckle. Solo tagged back in and kept Owens from tagging out of the match, so there were more cheap shots from the Bloodline guys. Solo worked over Owens with punches along with a running hip attack against the turnbuckle. Jacob tagged in with his own running hip attack and that looked more vicious than the one that Solo did. Owens tried to fight back, but Jacob nailed him with a running forearm. Tama was back in with punches. Jacob worked over Owens a bit, then Solo was back in and Owens sent Solo out of the ring briefly. Tonga Loan pulled Orton off the apron and threw Owens into the barricade while Jacob distracted the referee. Owens tried to fight back, but Solo put him down with headbutts. Solo went for a running hip attack, Owens moved and Solo hit the turnbuckle. Jacob tagged back in. Jacob took way too long going after Owens, who avoided a corner splash.
Cody got the hot tag against Solo leading to the two men exchanging punches and Cody hitting a punch. Cody nailed Solo with a powerslam. Cody connected with a Disaster Kick to Solo, then a Cody Cutter to Tama and Cody clotheslined Jacob out of the ring. Cody hit a suicide dive onto Solo on the floor. Cody was back in the ring with a suicide dive on Tonga, who went crashing with the back of his head/neck hitting the commentary table. Ouch. Jacob fought with Cody on the floor and Cody gave Jacob a back body drop over the barricade. Back in the ring, Solo nailed Cody with a Spear for two. Cody set up for a Pedigree, Jacob got out of it and Jacob “accidentally” hit referee Jason Ayers with a forearm, so Ayers was down on the floor. Cody hit Cross Rhodes on Solo. Owens went up top and hit a Frog Splash on Solo. Orton hit an RKO on Solo as well. There was still no referee to make the count. Cody cleared off the commentary table. Jacob got back into it with a forearm and a couple of superkicks. Jacob hit a running splash on referee Ayers because Owens moved out of the way. Owens nailed Tama with a Stunner. Owens threw a Prime bottle at Jacob. While Jacob’s back was against the table, Owens jumped off the barricade and splashed Jacob through the table. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for the match that was full of action. Owens went for a move on Tama in the ring, so Tonga went into the ring and gave Owens a low blow punch to the groin. Orton was back in the ring with an RKO on Tonga and Tama back to back. Solo was back in the ring with a Samoan Spike on Orton. Cody nailed Solo with the Cross Rhodes two times in a row, but Jacob Fatu was back with a twisting cross body block off the ropes. Jacob hit an Implant DDT on Cody. Jacob held up Cody, so Solo nailed Cody with a Samoan Spike. Jacob tossed referee Ayers back into the ring to count the one…two…and three. The Bloodline wins. It went 24:40.
Winners by pinfall: Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu
Analysis: ***3/4 A very good main event tag team match. It wasn’t next level or anything like that, but I still enjoyed it. I think that was the right result with The Bloodline getting the big win. I’m not shocked that Cody Rhodes took the fall because it will set up Solo facing Cody at SummerSlam. Solo can brag about pinning Cody in this tag team match, so that’s how Solo gets the match. It’s the same thing WWE did last year when Jey Uso beat Roman Reigns in a tag team match at MITB leading to a SummerSlam title match. Jacob Fatu was so impressive in the match. The announcers put him over a lot because it’s a way to make him a threat right away, but it’s easy to see why WWE is high on Jacob as a talent. Jacob was a difference maker in the match since he was the one who put down Cody before Solo got the win. Solo took a beating in the match since he took several finishing moves, yet he was able to come back thanks in part to Jacob taking care of business so well. I think there’s a bit of a logical flaw with the match since the referee was knocked down and no replacement was put in there. I get it because it led to the chaos after the ref bump, but then I ask logical questions like how come a referee bump leads to a replacement sometimes and at other times like this, there was no replacement. I liked the match while producing the result that I expected.
The Bloodline celebrated the win while replays were shown of what happened.
The trio of Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton were frustrated in the ring. Meanwhile, The Bloodline was standing in the aisle celebrating their win. That was the end of the show.
The runtime of Money in the Bank was 3:15:48 on WWE Network/Peacock.
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Five Stars of the Show
1. Tiffany Stratton
2. Drew McIntyre
3. Jacob Fatu
4. John Cena
5. Sami Zayn
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Final Thoughts
I’m going 8 out of 10 for this show.
I thought it was a great show from top to bottom just like Clash at the Castle last month and I gave it the same rating as the Clash show. There were a lot of big moments like Drew McIntyre winning MITB, cashing in and then losing in a World Title match due to CM Punk, which has happened a few times now. Tiffany Stratton’s win was huge. I thought the women’s MITB was a bit better than the guys. I rated both of them highly, but I have the women’s match rated slightly ahead of the men’s match.
This show represented the future of WWE since former NXT Champions like Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Lyra Valkyria and Tiffany Stratton among others were in big matches at this event. Jacob Fatu had his first WWE PLE match and was in the main event. His upside is huge. The future of WWE is so bright with those wrestlers, plus so many other current stars performing at a high level.
The main event was a big win for Solo Sikoa over Cody Rhodes in a tag team match to likely set up Cody vs. Solo at SummerSlam. As I noted in the review, it’s the same thing they did last year when Jey Uso beat Roman Reigns in a tag team match to set up SummerSlam. In this instance, Jacob Fatu was a huge difference-maker to help Solo get the win.
I enjoyed Money in the Bank a lot. Good stuff all around.
Here are my rankings of WWE PLE’s in 2024 so far:
WrestleMania 40 – 8.5 (out of 10)
Backlash France – 8
Clash at the Castle – 8
Money in the Bank – 8
Royal Rumble – 7.75
King And Queen Of The Ring – 7.75
Elimination Chamber – 7.5
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As a reminder, I have a listing of every WWE PPV that I reviewed in order by year. Thank you for supporting us at TJRWrestling. We appreciate you.
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James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.