WWE Money in the Bank 2024

      – The WWE production team did great work with the promotional videos for Money in the Bank. They are fun. They are slick. They are stylish. They are everything I would want out of a production video for a high-concept match.

Money in the Bank: – Jey Uso vs. Andrade vs. LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Chad Gable (0-1-0-0-0)

   As a useless aside, I have been revisiting every episode of WCW Nitro as a part of a passion project I am working on for Nickelbib, and, if you recall, early episodes were only an hour long apiece. As a result, I am so used to their approach of shoving as much as they possibly can in their runtime, it is a far cry from the current eras spectacle and more drawn out entrances and production. I’m not complaining about that.

   Early on, the ring is cleared and Jey Uso and LA Knight square off in the center of the ring. Michael Cole refers to them as the favorites to win the match. I feel like Drew McIntyre is the favorite to win the match, but they’d certainly be the ones I would prefer to see win the match (as they stand to gain the most from it). 

   In a cool spot, Chad Gable wraps his legs around Drew McIntyre’s arm while on top of the ladder and wrenches in a submission. As he is hanging, however, Andrade springboards from on the apron and hits him with a leg drop.

   Drew McIntyre and Jey Uso are alone in the ring for a stare down. The crowd chant “CM Punk!” in reaction. It really goes to show exactly how over the feud with CM Punk and Drew McIntyre, all without having a single match together. Speaking of chants, the crowd is lively and energetic, which is always a wonderful thing to have. 

   The match comes to an end when Jey Uso is at the top of the ladder and is reaching for the briefcase, but Drew McIntyre enters the ring and throws a ladder at him, sending him back to the canvas. Drew McIntyre ascends the ladder and grabs the briefcase, winning the match.

   This was a good Money  the Bank match. I eluded to believing that Drew McIntyre was the favorite for this match, and that fact might stifle ones’enjoyment in the match, but I feel there was a reasonable chance of Jey Uso or LA Knight winning the match as well. Those would have disrupted the waters more than Drew McIntyre winning, but I am not against Drew taking the briefcase. Now, the question is whether he will cash in tonight or if they will draw it out. Will this be their way of having Drew McIntyre hold the World Heavyweight Championship for his feud against CM Punk, or will CM Punk cost Drew McIntyre the briefcase and add one more layer of tension between them. 

Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship (0-2-0-0-0)

   I am looking forward to this match. I like Sami Zayn a lot and I believe Bron Breakker has a lot of untapped potential. Although it is a moot point for me to offer my prediction (especially because I am watching and reviewing the Money in the Bank premium event a day after it aired), but I am predicting Bron Breakker walks away with the Intercontinental Championship. Personally, I hope they strap the rocket to him.

   The match begins with back and forth competition, including one instance where Sami Zayn does the Arabian Press out of the ring onto Bron Breakker. By the five minute mark, however, Bron has largely assumed ownership of the match. Sami Zayn is Irish whipped into the barricade but manages to do a springboard moonsault of the guardrail onto Breakker. Breakker catches him and goes for a slam, but Sami falls through and ramps him head first into the ring post. 

   At round the ten minute mark, Bron Breakker hits a Frankensteiner for a near fall. At the thirteen minute mark, Sami Zayn creates an opening for himself, hitting the Helluva Kick and coming away with the pinfall victory. 

   This was a good match with an outcome that I wasn’t certain about. Like I said, I was feeling pretty confident that Bron would come away with the victory, but I wasn’t at all against the idea of Sami retaining. Bron has a lot of potential, but Sami is a lot of met potential. Thus, I have no problem with Sami having a good reign with the Intercontinental Championship. He has earned it after getting himself so over with the Bloodline story. 

Segment: “John Cena Announces His Retirement” (0-3-0-0-0)

   Trish Stratus introduces John Cena to an enormous reaction. Cena enters the ring and officially announces his retirement from the WWE. He goes on to say that there are still a lot of lasts to come for him. He says that the next Royal Rumble will be his last, that the next Elimination Chamber will be his last, and the Wrestlemania in Las Vegas will be his last. He plugs the press conference after Money in the Bank where he will answer any questions anyone has. He thanks the fans who, in turn, return the favor with “Thank You, Cena!” chants. He puts the locker room on notice by saying that “If you want some, hurry up and come get some because the last time is now.”

   The segment was well received and is an enormous hook for the upcoming 2025 Wrestlemania season. As a lifelong fan of professional wrestling, John Cena was always an important fixture in the company and his retirement will truly mark the end of an era. 

Damien Priest vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (0-4-0-0-0)

   I think the majority in this match up are expecting Damien Priest to come away with the victory over Seth Rollins. That said, by having Drew McIntyre win the Money in the Bank earlier in the night, it adds new variables to the equation. During the match, Damien Priest and Seth Rollins both repeatedly stare down the aisle, foreshadowing Drew McIntyre cashing in his briefcase. The commentary are also laying it on thick that Drew McIntyre will cash-in his briefcase. Wrestling 101 dictates a swerve will happen. Either Drew won’t have the chance to cash in or CM Punk will interfere before it can happen.

   The commentary is telling the story that Seth Rollins has lost a step or two since being away, a fact that Seth Rollins appears to have missed the memo on, because he isn’t selling it like he has lost a step – hitting all of his classic maneuvers, including the top-rope suplex where he rolls through and goes for a second suplex. At about 9 minutes in the match, Seth Rollins hits The Stomp for a good near fall. 

   At about 12 minutes, Drew McIntyre’s music plays and he walks to the ring and it is announced that he is cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, making it a Triple Threat match.

   Seth Rollins fights back against Drew McIntyre, but is overpowered by McIntyre. At about fourteen minutes, CM Punk’s music plays and he interferes in the match, walloping Drew McIntyre with a steel chair over and over again. He hits Drew McIntyre with the World Heavyweight Championship, then Damien Priest hits Drew with the South of Heaven to claim the victory over Drew McIntyre.

   It was a good match between Seth Rollins and Damien Priest before Drew McIntyre’s cash in. There were a couple of rough moments, like Damien Priest failing to kick out on time after a maneuver, but, overall, it was a good bout from two good performers. Meanwhile, the cash in was well handled, with it being used as a way to progress the story between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. It is the least exciting of outcomes, probably, but, at the same time, after Damien Priest’s never-ending run with the briefcase, I think it is good to have it done and over with for the year (and there is always the Women’s Briefcase). 

   Damien Priest’s story as a paper champion also progresses with Damien looking frustrated about having to take a fluky victory in the match. 

Zoey Stark vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria (0-5-0-0-0)

   In some ways, I enjoy the choice of competitors in this match more than I do the men’s match. My gut is telling me that Iyo Sky will win as it is the only one I can see happening for story purposes, but I am not necessarily confident in that pick. She is also the only wrestler this match wouldn’t be a massive push for. Personally, I am cheering for Tiffany Stratton, who seems to have the most forward momentum with the crowd at the moment.

   There was a rough moment in this match where Zoey Stark went for a springboard dive on Naomi and missed in rather dramatic fashion (you could really hear the smack of her hitting the canvas). There is a good spot where Lyra is hanging in the ladder and Iyo Sky stomps on her repeatedly before beginning to climb the ladder. Lyra ascends up and grabs her to slam her back to the canvas with a tarantula German suplex. 

   The end comes when it looks like Chelsea Green is going to win the match, taking advantage of an empty ring after Iyo Sky slammed Zoey Starks onto a ladder that was propped up like a table. Instead, Tiffany Stratton makes her presence known, tossing Chelsea off the ladder and through two tables that were set up outside of the ring. Tiffany unhooks the briefcase and wins the match.

   This was an enjoyable Money in the Bank match with a couple rough moments here and there. Ironically, the roughest moment was Zoey Starks missing a springboard, and yet the most distinctive moment was her being on the receiving end of a slam through a ladder by Iyo Sky. This was a solid contest with a satisfying finish of having crowd favorite Tiffany Stratton win the briefcase. Personally, I found this to be the better of the two Money in the Bank matches. 

Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, and Tama Tonga  vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Kevin Owens (0-6-0-0-0)

      Early on, this match is a real showcase for Jacob Fatu, whose mean streak is demonstrated in his offense and his no-selling offense throughout the match. Michael Cole mentions on commentary that it was almost impossible to convince them to let Fatu into Canada. 

   The New Bloodline is dominant, isolating Kevin Owens away from Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, feeding anticipation for a hot tag. Eventually, it does happen, with Kevin Owens making a tag to Cody Rhodes. Cody enters the ring and works over Solo Sikoa, playing to the crowd. He hits the Disaster Kick on Sikoa and the Cody Stunner on Tama Tonga, followed by a pair of suicide dives outside the ring. 

   The referee is inadvertently knocked down, leaving Cody’s team with the victory insight, but no official to make the pin. They direct their attention to the announcer’s desk, where they prep for a Shield style powerbomb through the table with Solo Sikoa being the victim. However, Jacob Fatu interferes, taking down all three men single-handedly. The New Bloodlines regaining of control is short term, however, as Kevin Owens soon places Tama Tonga on the commentator desk and frog splashes him through the table. 

   The match ends with chaos unfolding, Solo Sikoa hits Cody Rhodes with the Samoan Spike, allowing him to take a pinfall victory over Cody Rhodes.

   This was a good brawl that did a lot of heavy lifting in further establishing the new Bloodline. Solo Sikoa is further legitimized by picking up a pinfall victory over the WWE Champion, and Jacob Fatu looked like an absolute beast throughout the match. 

   Summary

   Overall, Money in the Bank was a very entertaining show from start to finish. It didn’t have any title changes and I think it can be argued that it was more than a little on the predictable side, but, that said, there wasn’t any head scratcher decisions, I enjoyed all the matches, and I enjoyed the story developments across the board. Very good stuff.