Who captured the championship opportunity of a lifetime?
WWE Money in the Bank, one of the biggest premium live events on the wrestling company’s calendar, took place Saturday in Toronto, and it was a chaotic, thrilling night. The event was headlined by the men's and women's Money in the Bank matches, where the winner of each match would earn a contract for a championship opportunity at any point in the next year. One winner tried to cash their briefcase in and it ended in wild fashion.
Three other matches also took place Saturday night. The World Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships were on the line, and there was a shocking ending in the next chapter of the rivalry between Cody Rhodes and The Bloodline in a six-man tag-team match.
Here's a recap of all the action from Toronto:
Losing the World Heavyweight Championship because of CM Punk again is not sitting well with the 2024 Men's Money in the Bank winner.
After the conclusion of Money in the Bank, McIntyre took over the post show and assaulted the referees and Raw general manager Adam Pierce as they tried to stop him. It took Wade Barrett to get McIntyre out of the way.
Kevin Owens has dealt with every iteration of The Bloodline, and he let his frustrations out with a frenzy attack on Tama Tonga before allowing Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton to do the same thing. WWE got its first taste of Jacob Fatu in competition, and he showed why he is regarded as one of the most intense wrestlers in the world, recovering from vintage Orton quickly and taking apart "The Viper" and setting his family up to launch an offensive attack.
Orton was able to get Owens in so he could continue his frenzy, but The Bloodline was able to neutralize him this time around. Owens got the majority of the beating and there were several times he tried to get a tag before The Bloodline would get in the way and punish him more. Owens eventually got Rhodes in and that's when he teed off on Solo Sikoa. The champion took his eyes off Sikoa by targeting the rest of the faction, which gave Sikoa enough time to land a spear on Rhodes. He went for the pin and Rhodes kicked out.
Sikoa inadvertently took the referee out and Rhodes, Owens and Orton all hit signature moves on Sikoa. The match erupted in chaos, including Owens sending Fatu through the announcer's table. The action got brought into the ring, and when Rhodes went for three CrossRhodes on Sikoa, Fatu got up and took the champion out. He set up the new "Tribal Chief" with a Samoan spike. The referee was dragged into the ring for the count and Sikoa got the pin on the champion for the win for The Bloodline in its first major victory in its new era.
Analysis: The Bloodline is asserting itself back on top of WWE, and it has made a statement. The Bloodline needed to win on Saturday more than its opponents if it wanted to be seen as a legitimate new version of this dominant faction. Jacob Fatu's debut was incredible and showed why there is so much hype surrounding him. For Sikoa to get the pin on Rhodes, he absolutely earned a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship. Roman Reigns isn't back and who knows if or when he'll be back, but The Bloodline is doing just fine with its new "Tribal Chief."
It was clear Chelsea Green was the crowd favorite after the pop on her entrance and Samantha Irvin’s signature announcement. Green also got the match started with a laugh by trying to jump to get the briefcase once the match started.
Each star got their own chance to shine, like when Zoey Stark utilized the ladder in several ways to punish Lyra Valkyria and Tiffany Stratton launched herself off the top turnbuckle and took out other stars. It took time for someone to climb up and make an attempt to grab the briefcase, and once Valkyria was the first to do so, all stars then duked to get on the ladder. After back-and-forth blows using the ladder, Naomi was standing alone ready to grab the briefcase, only for Green to emerge to stop the threat and hit her opponent's face off the ladder. Last year's winner Iyo Sky and Stark met at the top of the ladder and Sky delivered a wicked piledriver onto the perpendicular ladder.
Green was open and just when she grabbed the briefcase, Stratton came out and not only shook the ladder, knocked Green off and into the tables out of the ring in a hard-hitting spot. Stratton was left alone, and she grabbed the briefcase to become Ms. Money in the Bank.
Analysis: What a spectacular match. The women laid it all on the line and deserve major props for the wild bumps they had. The creativity was among the best in recent Money in the Bank match memory and raised the bar for how good it can be.
Stratton had a quick rise on the main roster, but it looked like it wasn't going to amount to much and she would be a flash in the pan. Instead, Money in the Bank is on "Tiffy Time," and it's a great move for WWE to put another woman's star in the conversation as one of the faces of the brand. There is a reason she's already won over the crowd; she can talk and she backs it up in the ring. The Women's Money in the Bank winner has always ended up as a champion, and it looked like Stratton is not far from having gold around her waist.
Drew McIntyre's threat of cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Saturday loomed large in the championship match. Both stars had a sense of urgency to get the match over and get out of the arena as quickly as possible.
With Damian Priest and Seth Rollins on high alert, they each tried to land big strike after big strike in a match that was never slow. Rollins and Priest traded powerbombs, then had a sequence of kicks to each other. Rollins landed his patented curb-stomp and went for the pin but Priest kicked out. The champion went for his own knockout move with his razor-edge, ending in the same result: Rollins getting out of the pin. There was a confusing moment when Rollins hit the falcon's arrow and went for the pin on Priest, and even though it didn't look like Priest kicked out, the referee didn't count to three.
McIntyre then came out and cashed his Money in the Bank contract, making it a triple-threat match. McIntyre went for the claymore kick on Rollins to take the title, but Priest came out to clothesline him.
Then just like at Clash at the Castle, CM Punk emerged and unleashed a relentless assault on McIntyre, hitting him with a chair and choking him out with a cable. Punk took the championship title and knocked McIntyre out with it. Priest delivered a choke-slam to McIntyre to retain his title.
Punk has cost McIntyre again by wasting his contract, and he also cost Rollins from chasing the title as long as Priest is champion.
Analysis: The CM Punk-Drew McIntyre rivalry continues to deliver. Fans knew neither Priest nor Rollins was going to win this match without the 2024 Men's Money in the Bank winner getting in the fold. Punk's interference was his most ruthless assault on McIntyre yet, surely sending a message he is close to officially competing in the ring. The match didn't really set the next steps for Priest and his championship, and the botched pin spoiled it, but Punk and McIntyre are one step closer to finally getting a match and putting on a banger in the ring.
There is something about Money in the Bank and John Cena.
Trish Stratus announced a surprise guest on Saturday: 16-time WWE Champion Cena. His music hit and the crowd erupted, making another entrance like he did at Money in the Bank 2021.
Cena then revealed he will retire from WWE in 2025, and it appears WrestleMania 41 will be his last match.
Sami Zayn had the home-country advantage, but Bron Breakker wasn't fazed, going quickly after the champion. However, Zayn isn't just some squash opponent; he has finesse and is one of the smartest wrestlers in the company, and he showed he wouldn't go down easy, taking some shots that seemed to surprise the challenger.
There were spots where Breakker would deliver one of his signature hard-hitting counters to get on offense, including a Franken-steiner to Zayn off the top rope. Breakker had words for Zayn after he kicked out and they went outside of the ring. Breakker tried to do his top-speed spear around the ring, only for Zayn to jump over. Breakker didn't run into the steel steps, so he had time to recover, get onto the mat and deliver a flying clothesline to Zayn off the announcer's table.
Breakker had the opening and went for the final blow. Zayn got out of the way and clipped him. With the challenger hanging off the turnbuckle, Zayn delivered a massive kick, knocking Breakker out and getting the pin to retain the title.
Analysis: Anyone could have made the case for either star to win, but it made sense for Breakker to get his first big push now. He has unlimited potential and a win would have launched his career to new heights. Zayn is the ideal champion who can compete with anybody on the roster and won't go down easily.
While Breakker was able to showcase his power and speed, he learned his opponents aren't just going to be out in seconds. It takes skill to win, and it'll be something for him to work on as he works his way up to the top. Don't be surprised if this isn't the only meeting between the two.
The chaos started as soon as the bell rang, and Drew McIntyre emerged as the first person to attempt to grab the briefcase, only for the quick ending to be spoiled by Chad Gable and Andrade. "El Idolo" then did an impressive Spanish fly to Hayes and onto the ladder. The crowd was clearly loving the energy.
LA Knight and Jey Uso were the fan favorites and traded barbs at the top of the ladder, with the crowd chanting "yeet" and "yeah" with every blow. Hayes disrupted the moment and had a chance to grab the ladder, only to again be taken out by Andrade. Andrade then delivered an insane sunset flip power bomb to Hayes onto the ladder. Moments later, Gable launched LA Knight out of the ring and to a ladder out of the ring.
Gable went to get the briefcase, but Uso moved the ladder, leaving Gable hanging off the briefcase. He couldn't grab it and fell face-first onto the mat. Uso had a prime chance to win, only for McIntyre to hit Uso with a ladder. It knocked him off, and McIntyre was all by himself. He climbed the ladder and grabbed the briefcase to secure his championship opportunity.
Analysis: There were plenty of spots to create some stunning moves that a Money in the Bank match is expected to have. It was easy to tell there were only three contenders who really had a chance to win, and while it was expected, McIntyre's victory makes sense given he has the best story going right now since WrestleMania.
WWE Hall of Famer and Toronto native Trish Stratus is the host of Money in the Bank, and she got the night started by welcoming the crowd to Scotiabank Arena. Ring announcer Samantha Irvin then sang the U.S. national anthem and artist Rylan James sang the Canada national anthem.
Money in the Bank 2024 will be July 6 at 7 p.m. ET.
Money in the Bank will take place in Toronto, Canada. It will be held in Scotiabank Arena.
The event can be streamed on Peacock, but you must have their premium or premium-plus subscription to watch. Internationally, it will be available on WWE Network.
Matches not in order
Winning the Money in the Bank match means a title bout against any champion anywhere, at any time, and it is often a success.
On the men's side, 19 of 24 (79%) briefcase holders went on to claim the title they cash in on. The women's side has seen perfection with all seven holders becoming champions.
The Money in the Bank match was introduced at WrestleMania 21 in 2005 and it was annually held at WWE’s premier event until it became its own premium live event in 2010. For a few years, there were two men’s Money in the Bank matches until there became a sole men’s match.
Here is the history of winners:
The Women’s Money in the Bank match was added in 2017 and has been held every year since then. Here is the history of the match:
Will there be a shocking ending or dramatic return on Saturday night?
Ahead of Money in the Bank, WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque dropped a hint that fans may get something extra during the premium live event.
“Got a few surprises in the tank. So, it’s going to be a fun night,” Levesque said on social media.
There will be some high stakes in the World Heavyweight Championship match between Damian Priest and Seth Rollins. If Rollins wins, then Priest must leave The Judgment Day, but if Priest wins, then Rollins cannot challenge for the title as long as Priest remains champion.
Cody Rhodes says prior to his entrance music “Wrestling has more than one royal family,” and while it’s true, there’s another WWE star making a solid case for his family to be in the picture.
Son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner – both WWE Hall of Famers – Bron Breakker has exploded onto the scene ever since he arrived at the company in 2021. He won the NXT Championship twice and the NXT Tag Team Championship, and since his callup to the main roster, he’s become someone with unlimited potential. He’s been nothing but dominant since his arrival, and he’ll have the biggest match of his young career Saturday when he challenges Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship during WWE's 2024 Money in The Bank event.
So even though he isn’t exactly a “genetic freak” like his uncle, Breakker has proven there is no star like him.
“With what I'm doing, I'm not so sure anyone's ever done it before,” Breakker told USA TODAY Sports.
Read more about Bron Breakkerhere.
This isn’t the same version of The Bloodline WWE fans got used to seeing just a few months ago.
Roman Reigns hasn’t been seen since he lost the Undisputed Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40, and taking his place is Solo Sikoa, who was previously appointed the Tribal Chief in-waiting. He’s brought on some more family too, first bringing in Tama Tonga in April. At Backlash France, Tonga’s brother Tanga Loa debuted. Lastly, Jacob Fatu joined the faction in June.
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