By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Money in the Bank Hits
Tiffany Stratton vs. Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match: The women stole the show with some wild spots, including the perfect landing that Green took when she was launched off a ladder in the middle of the ring through two tables that were set up on the floor. There were some awkward moments, but they all came through by nailing most of the high risk spots. Stratton winning the MITB contract was predictable because it was the right move. Will we get a Stratton vs. Trish Stratus match before the Stratton cashes in?
“The Bloodline” Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens: The show closing brawl was well worked. There were two things that really needed to happen. First, Solo Sikoa needed to shine and he did so by pinning the WWE Champion. Second, Jacob Fatu needed to be spotlighted as a monster, which they pulled off extremely well by having him pop up from the Draping DDT.
John Cena retirement announcement: Sure, it was a little strange that Cena announced his retirement, then made it seem like it would occur after WrestleMania 41, and finally let everyone know in the post show press conference that he would be around through 2025. Obviously, Cena deserves a big sendoff. All these years later, WWE’s failure to give Ric Flair a real retirement tour stands out as a missed opportunity. Cena’s farewell run should be great for business as well as fans who will have a full year to say their goodbyes to one of the biggest names in the history of the company.
Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match: A quality ladder match. Gable truly shined in his first ladder match and everyone involved worked hard without going too overboard with over the top big ladder match bumps.
Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Championship: A surprising clean win for Zayn. It didn’t seem like a slam dunk that Breakker would win the championship, as my guard was up for a cheap finish designed to extend the feud. But I did not expect Breakker to be pinned clean. Ultimately, this loss isn’t going to make or break the challenger. Breakker will surely bounce back and it feels like it’s even possible that he wins the title in a television match. The future is still bright for Breakker, and I have no complaints about Zayn continuing his title reign, which started with a major win over Gunther and now includes quality wins over Breakker and Chad Gable.
WWE Money in the Bank Misses
Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship: A clunky match and not just because of the spot where Priest failed to kick out and the referee had to stop his count. There were a few awkward moments, which is extremely rare for a Rollins match. Priest should be thankful that he’s working under the current regime. There’s no telling whether he would have had a world championship run under Vince McMahon’s direction, but I can’t imagine Vince would have reacted well to Priest’s leg getting caught in the ropes in his previous title defense and then having an off night in this match.
Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk preventing McIntyre from successfully cashing in was highly predictable. And while I don’t mind predictability when it’s the right move for a long term story, it is disappointing that they burned through the Money in the Bank contract so quickly when it could have given another MITB entrant a boost even if they ultimately failed to cash in.
Shouldn’t there be a hit for Bron Breakker’s new music?