WWE presented its 14th “Money in the Bank” event, live from London’s iconic o2 arena on Saturday evening, and to say that the show over-delivered would be an understatement. Records were broken and dreams were shattered as the “world wide leader in sports entertainment” produced its biggest MITB event of all time.
M&F was in London all weekend to bring you the action, and here we hand pick five of the most exciting moments from a crazy night in England’s capital city. One thing is for sure, neither myself or top sports commentator Ariel Helwani, who was also covering the event, could be sure of what would go down.
Jimmy Uso Pins Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is the current and longest reigning WWE Undisputed Champion, but his empire began to crumble as his family feud finally dealt him a pinfall loss during the “Civil War” tag-team confrontation with The Uso’s. Twins, Jimmy and Jay Uso challenged Reigns and Solo Sikoa, in a match that was an emotional as it was chaotic.
In the end, Jey Uso pinned his former Tribal Chief, dealing Reigns his first pinfall loss since December of 2019 following a splash from the top rope. While the end of the match was enthralling enough, what comes next will be even more exciting, as the fallen “Head of the Table” must regain his authority if he stands a chance of holding on to his gold.
We Saw Cena!
These days, the wrestler-turned-movie-star, John Cena makes rare appearances on WWE screens, and when he does appear, those moments are usually hyped-up weeks in advance for shows such as WrestleMania. So, when big John’s familiar music hit without any pre-warning, the roof almost blew off the o2 arena.
Cena, looking leaner, and seriously ripped, told the London masses that he respected them and wanted to bring WrestleMania to London. And, while that historic feat remains to be seen, the “You Can’t See Me” star did entertain the fans by whooping Australia’s Grayson Waller in an impromptu scrap. You are welcome back anytime, John!
Damian Priest Wins the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Fans across the world were split fairly evenly in their predictions in terms of who would win the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, with an almost 50/50 split choosing either Logan Paul or LA Knight as the likely victor. So, when Damian Priest was able to scale the steps and grab the heralded briefcase, our collective jaws dropped.
“As far as the men’s Money in the Bank, I think Logan Paul’s gonna win,” said Ariel Helwani in a conversation with me before the show. I had made the same prediction. Helwani is famed for his insightful sports reporting, including in the fields of MMA and boxing, and is a huge pro wrestling fan to boot, presenting his “Run In” show on BT Sport — the same channel that airs RAW and SmackDown live in the U.K.. The fact that neither of us could predict the correct winner here shows just how gripping WWE is right now.
Priest owning the WWE Money in the Bank contract is no bad thing, however, and the “Judgement Day” member had a stellar match with music sensation; Bad Bunny at BackLash just a few months ago. He is becoming a worthy main event star. Plus, Logan Paul didn’t win, so the fans went home happy!
I like this sport @WWE pic.twitter.com/iq6pNbuiqO
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) July 1, 2023
Iyo Sky Wins the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder Match
Speaking of unpredictable winners, Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus were the hot favorites for many WWE fans when trying to determine who would win the women’s briefcase, and although most of us were wrong once again, nobody was disappointed to see Iyo Sky climb the ladder of success. While I had predicted Becky Lynch to lift the case, my buddy Helwani was on point. “As far as the women are concerned, I think it’s going to be either Iyo Sky or Becky Lynch,” he said. “Becky versus Rhea (Ripley) would be a lot of fun. If I had to pick a winner, I’m gonna go with Iyo Sky.”
There’s no question that Sky is one of the most exciting females on the roster, and her match with Bianca Belair at BackLash is undoubtedly one of WWE’s greatest matches of all time. The finish in London came when Sky was able to handcuff her “Damage CTRL” partner; Bayley to “The Man” Becky Lynch, allowing Sky to climb the mountain and earn a future shot at a championship.
Shayna Baszler Turns on Ronda Rousey
Longtime friends Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler walked into the o2 arena on Saturday night as the Undisputed WWE tag-team champions ahead of their title defense against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, but good friends turned into bitter enemies when Baszler appeared to snap and attack the former UFC champ, before leaving her to fend for herself. Losing the numbers game, Morgan and Rodriquez pummeled Rousey and won the match when Morgan was able to pin her shoulders to the mat for the three-count.
Speculation is now running rife as to Baszler’s motivations for exploding the famous friendship. Perhaps a clue to their widening distance was there all along when, in a conversation with me hours before the match, Baszler revealed that they both live at opposite ends of the country and rarely find time to workout together. Now we wait with bated breath to see how Rousey will respond to losing her tag-team title and best friend. While the action was unpredictable, one this is for sure: WWE is white hot right now! As confirmed by Triple H in the post show press conference, the 2023 Money in the Bank was the highest-grossing WWE arena event in its storied history.
BT Sport is the home of WWE in the UK. Starting July 19, TNT Sports will be the new name for BT Sport. To find out more visit https://www.bt.com/sport/monthly-pass