Money in the Bank 2024 kicked off with a look at various superstars arriving in Toronto, then a video package, and then six full introductions for the competitors in the Men's Money In The Bank match: Jey Uso, Chad Gable, Andrade, Carmelo Hayes, Drew McIntyre, and LA Knight (totaling over 20 minutes). Another good-not-great ladder match spotfest, not dissimilar to what AEW offered at Forbidden Door last week. This was fun, but the field wasn't exactly filled with guys that could realistically win. Gable is involved in the Wyatt Sicks angle (they did not appear), Carmelo Hayes has only recently been called up onto SmackDown, Andrade is the Speed Champion (which I don't even think was mentioned on commentary and I don't remember Andrade coming in with the belt), and LA Knight seems like he's been put in the "Zack Ryder Spot" of being someone the live crowds love to cheer for but that the company has no intention of really getting behind as a main event player. That left Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre and those were the two men left standing by the end. But before we got there, we got a bunch of really cool spots and brutal crashes, with Hayes and Andrade delivering maybe the best one when Andrade hit a sunset flip powerbomb off a ladder that sent Hayes (and himself) through another one that was laid out Erector Set-style. Gable was also really good in this, delivering a number of awesome suplexes. The missing ingredient for me, though, was the connections this match should've had to on-going storylines. The aforementioned Wyatt Sicks made no appearance, but neither did Otis or Maxxine, and while I know Alpha Academy is no longer on the same page, it would've been interesting to see that storyline progressed here. Knight, Andrade, and Hayes did nothing to make me interested about what their next step is. On the plus side, McIntyre's win added some suspense to the rest of the show as Drew had promised to cash-in later in the evening. All in all, a great effort by everyone involved but not "must see." (3/5)
Next up - Sami Zayn defending the Intercontinental Championship against Bron Breakker. I predicted this match going one of two ways: Bron would get the clean victory to continue his push or Bron would lose by DQ after taking out a half dozen referees and going on a total rampage. Neither happened. Instead, we got a solid back-and-forth match that showcased Breakker's power and Zayn's resiliency. This felt like a loooong 13 minutes, not because it was bad, but because it was somewhat uninteresting. When Breakker burst on the scene in NXT, there was lots of talk about him being a "can't miss" prospect, but this match didn't really showcase him as anything special. Sure, his powerhouse moveset is impressive and his amateur wrestling background is plain to see in his footwork and maneuvering, but in an effort to not make him "The Next Goldberg" or "The Next Lesnar" by giving him a bunch of squash victories and dominant performances, they may have gone too far the other way and made him "just another guy" right from the start. (2.5/5)
In a shocking moment, the host of tonight's show, Trish Stratus, welcomed John Cena to the ring. Cena's rally towel had the words "Last Time Is Now" on it and he, with a noticeable lump in his throat, announced that he intended to retire at WrestleMania XXXXI (which he referred to as WrestleMania 2025). This was a cool promo but also seems like something that we've seen and heard Cena dance around a couple times over the previous few years. I believe that Cena will keep to his word; While plenty of wrestlers have competed long past the age of 47, few have found themselves reach the level of success that Cena has as a mainstream film actor (he most recently appeared in the critically-acclaimed series The Bear in a delightful guest role). Simply put, Cena, looking noticeably slimmer these days, has nothing left to prove in the ring. Then again, in pro-wrestling, all it takes is a juicy angle and a big payday for every wrestler to do one more "last match" (just ask Shawn Michaels).
Next up - Damien Priest vs. Seth Rollins for Priest's WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins came out wearing a top that looked like something Gloria Estefan would've worn in 1991 and Priest was sporting a cape that reminded me of Mortis' old ring gear. The Toronto crowd was very much behind Rollins despite Priest definitely being in the midst of a slow-burning face turn. Some good action to start with Priest hitting a Broken Arrow and then a Flatliner for 2. Wasn't that Mortis move? Rollins came back with a Sling Blade and then clotheslined Priest to the floor. Rollins stopped to call out Drew before hitting three suicide dives, the third one sending Priest over the announce table. Rollins hit a Swanton and then a Lionsault, bringing the high-flying offense. I'm not much of a Rollins guy, but he was delivering here. Priest went for a chokeslam but Rollins reversed it into a hurricanrana only to get clotheslined soon after. They went for something in the corner that didn't look too good but found their footing soon after as Rollins hit a knee and then a frog splash for 2. Rollins' use of elbows and kicks to the back of knee were really effective at getting over Priest's size advantage and, to his credit, Priest sold everything very well. They went back up top and Rollins somehow managed to hit a Buckle Bomb, but Priest came back with a nasty powerbomb of his own, shifting the momentum considerably. Between every big move, Priest and Rollins looked towards the ramp to check if Drew would be running down, but there was no sign of him. A strike exchange led to some brutal kicks, at least one of which looking like Rollins wasn't expecting it. Priest hit a back body drop, but Rollins sprung up and hit a not-so-great Curb Stomp for 2. A "This Is Awesome" chant started up and, up till this point, you could really overlook a couple of miscommunications as most of the match was hard-hitting and felt like a real fight. Priest continued to sell the damage of the Curb Stomp as Rollins shoved him into the corner. Priest hit a Razor's Edge but only got 2 from it. Again, the two men took their time to move onto the next sequence, really letting things breathe (which isn't a bad thing). Priest went to the top rope for some reason and Rollins followed him up to attempt a superplex. Rollins hit it and then rolled through to try a Falcon Arrow, but Priest countered only for Rollins to counter and then cover for a 1...2...that was 3, but the referee didn't count it! The lights went on and then Drew's music hit. What the fuck was that? Yikes. Drew cashed in his briefcase and the match became a Triple Threat. All sorts of hell broke loose at this point with CM Punk eventually running in and ttacking McIntyre, including bashing him with a chair and choking him out with a cable. Punk's appearance really salvaged a clusterfuck ending here. Punk grabbed the championship belt and slammed it into Drew's head. Punk took a seat on the announce table and Michael Cole called him "Phil" for some reason. Priest hit Drew with the South of Heaven and that was it. They made lemons out of lemonade after an awful false finish. This wasn't as bad as some on the internet made it out to be, though I do hope someone in the back learned that planning these ultra-convoluted finishes with the briefcase can bite you when things go awry. This felt like more of a goof-up on the part of the production team, especially the producer, than anyone (though I do think that Priest should've gone into business for himself at the 2.5 count and kicked out of the Falcon Arrow as it was very clear that Rollins had pinned him for a full 3 seconds). (2.5/5)
The Women's Money In The Bank was next featuring Naomi, Lyra Valkyrie, Tiffany Stratton, IYO SKY, Chelsea Green, and Zoey Stark. This was the easy Match of the Night and one of the best Money in the Bank Ladder matches in WWE history. Chelsea Green was terrific in this, as was IYO, but the story of the match was just how many crazy bumps and spots these performers delivered. Not everything they executed went perfectly, but that element of true danger only made the match more suspenseful and entertaining as the violence escalated. Highlights included Naomi doing the splits across two ladders and somehow hitting a DDT off of them, Chelsea Green going through two tables, Stratton delivering a swanton to the floor, Zoey Stark taking a ridiculous piledriver/powerslam into a ladder towards the end, and at least a half dozen other moments where it seemed like someone was going to be maimed. A phenomenal match. (4/5)
Main event time - Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens vs. The New Bloodline of Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga. Owens was over huge in his home country, but so were Orton and Cody. Lots of "We Want Roman" and "Fuck You Solo" chants throughout the contest. I'm not sure this was the right choice as a main event as this felt a bit like a big house show or TV match as there were no real stakes. If the previous match delivered the spills and thrills, this one was carried by star power and simple storytelling. Out went the ref at one point, nullifying Cody's Cross Rhodes, KO's frog splash, and Randy's RKO. The babyfaces looked to put Solo through the announce table, but Fatu cut them off and the war raged on. The ref took another nasty hit and Owens hit a splash from the barricade onto Fatu that sent him through the table. Back in the ring, KO went for a package piledriver on Tonga but Tonga Loa ran in to prevent. Orton made the save, delivering a series of RKOs before eating a Samoan Spike from Solo. Cody hit Solo with two Cross Rhodes but Jacob Fatu prevented him from hitting a third with a Whisper in the Wind and then a big DDT before holding Rhodes up for Solo to hit him with a final spike for 3. A good if unspectacular match. (3/5)
Earning a very respectable Kwang Score of 3-out-of-5, this year's Money in the Bank spectacular was helped considerably by an all-time great multi-man (or woman, in this case) ladder match that helped the entire show course-correct after an imperfect World Heavyweight Championship match. I wasn't a huge fan of the Breakker/Zayn match either and while the main event was heated and did its job, I didn't find myself particularly invested in its outcome. A serviceable show that probably would've felt tedious if it wasn't for how good the Women's Ladder Match was.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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