Date: May 26, 2025
Location: Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL
The Big Takeaway —
Seth Rollins and Penta qualified for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
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Show Recap —
There was a recap of the Raw matches and angles from Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Jey Uso, Lyra Valkyria, Sami Zayn (signing autographs), and Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh were shown arriving.
They’ve killed the stage to allow for more fans, so there’s just a small entryway, a small video board, and a narrow aisle.
Opening segment
Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed entered to start the show. Breakker and Reed were dressed the same—in all-black suits with black shirts and shoes.
Heyman called Breakker an attack dog and the badass in a bloodline of badasses. If Skynet could predict who would main event WrestleMania 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, and 50, it would tell you Bron Breakker. He called that a spoiler, not a prediction.
The crowd chanted for CM Punk, so Heyman told them he wasn’t there tonight. The timing was perfect because it allowed Heyman to move on to Reed. He said it was because of Reed that Punk wasn’t there. He claimed WWE wouldn’t allow Reed around the top guys because they were too afraid. Reed was reckless and violent and would put everyone down.
Heyman noted that Reed went after Rollins months ago because he was the top guy. Reed gave Rollins a bigger beating than Roman Reigns or CM Punk ever did.
Heyman told the fans to acknowledge Rollins, so they chanted, “OTC” and “We want Roman” instead. Rollins said this was the way forward for the industry’s future—through total control, domination, and power.
There was a “You sold out” and light “F*ck you, Rollins” chant, and they had to censor it (and Pat McAfee tried talking over it). Rollins reminded them they had just sung his song a few minutes ago, but now they questioned his integrity and chanted profanities.
Rollins held the power and would be the champion right now if not for Zayn and Punk. However, even more powerful than being the champion was holding MITB and controlling the fate of the championships. He would win MITB and cash in whenever and wherever he wanted. Nobody could stop him, and that was true power.
(Rollins’ promo felt like retread, so his part wasn’t terribly exciting. I like Reed’s addition to this group, but I don’t like that he and Bron are dressed identically and generically like Rollins’ personal security. )
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El Hijo del Vikingo was shown ringside.
Money in the Bank triple threat qualifier: Chad Gable vs. Penta vs. Dragon Lee
There was an ugly and almost lethal spot early in the match. Penta tried some move that would simultaneously drop Dragon Lee backwards with a Gory Bomb, perhaps, and drop Gable forward with a facebuster, but Gable wound up landing right on his head. I mean, he really landed on his head. The referee immediately checked on Gable, who grabbed his face, but he seemed ok, and continued the match as if nothing happened.
After a break, Dragon Lee flew out of nowhere while going for a suicide dive on Gable, but Gable dodged it, and Lee knocked Penta over the announce table. As the ref checked on them, Gable gave Vikingo a cheap shot.
All three men traded moves, which included Dragon Lee hitting a poisonrana. Gable hit both men with a double German suplex and Penta with a moonsault for two. Gable gave Dragon Lee an overhead suplex into the turnbuckle and set up another moonsault, but Vikingo kicked him in the face.
Dragon Lee gave Gable a double foot stomp, and Penta gave Dragon Lee a Canadian Destroyer. Penta followed with a Penta Driver on Gable for the pinfall win. (Gable was busted open by the end, perhaps because of Vikingo’s kick to the face.)
This was a hell of a ten-minute TV match. The crowd loved it.
Match result: Penta defeated Chad Gable and Dragon Lee to qualify for Money in the Bank (10:03)
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Roxanne Perez joined Judgment Day backstage and handed Dom a big platter of chicken nuggets. Perez was about to massage Dom’s sore shoulder, but they were joined by the returning Liv Morgan, who got a huge pop.
Dom tried to explain why she hadn’t really heard from him, but she cut him off. She said Raquel Rodriguez has been keeping her updated, and she was off to talk to Adam Pearce about getting a MITB qualifier. Bálor was very amused by all of this.
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There was a Memorial Day video, narrated by Cody Rhodes.
Rusev vs. Akira Tozawa (w/Maxxine Dupri)
Rusev won in a minute via submission with the Accolade.
— He wouldn’t let go of the hold after the bell, so Sheamus ran out. Sheamus’ new music is a big downgrade, and you couldn’t tell who was coming out when his music hit until he was shown on screen. (Rusev’s music isn’t any better.)
Sheamus and Rusev faced off until Rusev left the ring. McAfee referenced Jim Ross by saying a potential match between these two would be a slobber knocker. McAfee shouted out JR without mentioning his name. (Michael Cole didn’t say anything.)
The crowd was quiet for Rusev.
Match result: Rusev defeated Akira Tozawa (0:55)
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Cathy Kelley interviewed comedians Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura about their Netflix special. Kelley referenced some negative comments Segura made about WWE in the past and admitted he was wrong. (Funny, they basically had him publicly apologize.) Kreischer got distracted because he was excited to see the War Raiders nearby. He removed his shirt and posed with them.
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Sami Zayn met with Jey Uso backstage. Zayn was tired of hearing all the talk from Rollins and co. Zayn regretted not going out to the ring to confront them. Jey told him that wouldn’t have been a good idea. Jey advised him to win the MITB briefcase, and if there was any trouble tonight, he had his back.
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Triple threat tag team match for the World Tag Team Championships: The New Day vs. The War Raiders vs. The Creed Brothers
If you aren’t already tired of multi-person matches, they gave you plenty of three-way spots. The New Day won, so the other two teams had a lot of high spots.
New Day formed an alliance with the Creeds, which led to the finish. Ivar squished Kofi Kingston into the video ring board. Ivar went to the top, but Julius Creed flew in and knocked him off with a leaping kick, and Xavier Woods suddenly rolled up the unsuspecting Julius for the pinfall win. (Julius kicked out at three.) Julius and Brutus were upset with themselves post-match.
Match result: The New Day defeated The Creed Brothers and The War Raiders to retain the World Tag Team Championships (9:13)
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Morgan and Rodriguez bumped into Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane backstage. Morgan was surprised to see them because she thought Damage CTRL was dead. Sky told them to keep walking. Morgan said she would win MITB and cash in on her. Sane cut a promo on her in Japanese and challenged her to a match tonight. Morgan accepted.
Jey Uso and Gunther segment
Jey entered, but his promo was quickly interrupted by Gunther. Gunther congratulated him on his 15-year anniversary in WWE and winning his first title defence over Logan Paul. Gunther said Jey has already held the belt longer than he expected.
Gunther could see that Jey wanted to be captain of the ship. There was a lot going on, and when Jey’s friends needed him, he was there, no questions asked. Those were great qualities for a human being, but terrible qualities for a champion. Gunther said he was the champion for almost a year because the only person he cared about was himself.
Gunther didn’t think Jey had the intellect to understand how to carry himself as a great champion. When they wrestled in two weeks, Gunther would make things right. He would relieve Jey of his position, choke him out, and put the title back around his waist where it belonged.
Jey said he was done with people saying his days as champion were numbered. Jey had friends and family. He fought for them, and they fought for him. Jey was fighting for more than what Gunther was fighting for. Jey fought for the fans’ support, and he would make Gunther tap out again in Phoenix.
(Jey seemed flustered, so this wasn’t a good promo, but he got the crowd behind him with the last line.)
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There was a video clip of Cody Rhodes’ podcast with guest Brandi Rhodes. There were (sponsored) vodka products all over Rhodes’ tour bus.
Patrick Maroon (hockey player), Waka Flocka Flame (rapper), and Titus O’Neil were shown in the crowd.
Women’s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan (w/Tag Champion Raquel Rodriguez) vs. Kairi Sane
A battle on the apron led to Morgan hitting a sunset flip powerbomb outside the ring. Sane fought back after a break and hit a spear. Sane continued on offence and hit a flying forearm off the top for two.
Morgan followed with a flying Codebreaker for a nearfall. This was one of those spots that looked like a three count, so the crowd told the referee that she sucked. They traded a few moves until they clumsily fell into a cradle for a two count.
As Rodriguez distracted the referee, Perez appeared and knocked Sane off the top. Rodriguez was upset even though Perez was just trying to help. (Also, it was impeccable timing by Perez to show up at the exact moment Raquel distracted the referee, even though it wasn’t their plan.) The referee looked around dumbly as Sane was suddenly down, and Perez was suddenly at ringside.
Morgan looked over as Rodriguez argued with Perez. Morgan went for Oblivion, but Sane countered into a schoolboy for the pinfall win.
This was not good, and the finish didn’t work, either.
Match result: Kairi Sane defeated Liv Morgan (10:51)
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There was a Rhea Ripley video promo about MITB.
During a break, Vic Joseph told us that Trick Williams was the new TNA Champion and he would be on tomorrow’s NXT.
During the break, an upset Gable told Ivy Nile to start training the Creeds again in case they get another title shot. Gable bumped into Vikingo and told him he would beat him at Worlds Collide. Vikingo was not worried. After Vikingo left, Gable turned around into a right hand by AJ Styles. Styles stood over Gable and told him that if he, or that “coffee bean,” interfered in his match again, he would put Gable through the ground.
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Judgment Day met backstage. Rodriguez said Morgan would have won if not for Perez. However, Morgan was actually upset with Rodriguez. Morgan said Rodriguez was the veteran and should have known better. Morgan stormed off. (Bálor was so happy.)
Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch segment
Valkyria entered. She said she looked forward to facing someone new, but Becky Lynch grovelled and begged until she convinced those in the back to get a title rematch at MITB. Valkyria wouldn’t say no, because she’s already beaten her twice. Valkyria has never cared in the past what her opponents said about her, because once she beat them in the ring, she was the ultimate winner.
However, she felt no satisfaction beating Lynch (at Backlash). Lynch’s ego was still through the roof, despite being outwrestled and beaten. Lynch talked like she had won the match. Now she was trying to steal an opportunity from the next person. Lynch made it personal by getting in her fiancé’s face and trying to break her arm. Valkyria would bash Lynch’s head in if she had to.
Lynch interrupted. She said Valkyria was the one who made this personal by costing her the opportunity to qualify for MITB. Valkyria might’ve won their match, but Lynch won the night. Lynch went home with her hot husband, while Valkyria went to the hospital with her weird fiancé. Valkyria said Lynch’s husband was the only talented thing about her. (This was meant to get a pop, but it didn’t. It’s a cheap line they could do without.)
Lynch said Valkyria was making it personal again. Lynch was the best thing to happen to Valkyria and the IC title. Valkyria said people were talking about her because she beat her.
Lynch had an offer: if Valkyria beat her at MITB, she would never challenge her for the title again. Valkyria was fine with that because she’s beaten her twice already—and did it with her eyes closed.
Lynch said she graciously raised Valkyria’s hand in NXT following their match after Valkyria won. Lynch wanted Valkyria to return the favour at MITB when Lynch beat her. Valkyria accepted because she had no trouble raising the hand of the winner—it’s just never been Lynch.
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Karrion Kross (and Scarlett) approached Sami Zayn. He didn’t like that Zayn was trying to earn a title match “the right way.” Zayn brushed him off. Before Zayn could leave, Kross bluntly told him, “You know you’re never going to win the title, right?” Zayn said he would deal with Kross later. Kross smirked.
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The announcers plugged two matches for Worlds Collide, and they included clips of the AAA wrestlers involved. They also ran down the MITB card.
Money in the Bank triple threat qualifier: Seth Rollins (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Finn Bálor
Bálor shined first ahead of a break, and it was Zayn’s turn after the break. Zayn wiped out both guys with a Sabu-inspired springboard moonsault. He pointed to the sky, and McAfee mentioned Sabu. Zayn hit Bálor with a superplex, and Rollins followed with a frog splash on Zayn. (This led to a break for the second time in 10 minutes.)
Rollins and Bálor formed an alliance, but Zayn fought them off. Zayn chucked Rollins out of the ring and went for an exploder on Bálor, but Bálor countered into a rollup for two. Rollins hit Bálor with a Pedigree, but Zayn caught Rollins in a crucifix cover for two. Rollins gave Zayn a Pedigree for two. Zayn and Rollins traded reversals until Zayn hit Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall.
Rollins was frustrated and began slapping Zayn in the corner. Zayn gave him an exploder in the corner, but Bálor cut off Zayn with a slingblade. Bálor dropkicked both men into the corner and went for the Coup de Grâce, but they both dodged it. Rollins stomped Bálor, and Zayn hit Rollins with a Helluva Kick.
It seemed like Zayn had it won, but Bron Breakker pulled him out of the ring to break up the cover. Bron and Reed attacked Zayn until Jey Uso wiped out Reed with a dive off the barricade. Jey handed out superkicks, but after Rollins grabbed Jey, Bron speared him. Reed also crushed Zayn into the ring post.
Dom ran in through the crowd and slid a chair into the ring. It was supposed to go to Bálor, but it just went into the middle of the ring. As Bálor reached for the chair, Rollins stomped Bálor’s head into it for the pinfall win. (Not sure why Dom was trying to be sneaky, given there are no DQs in a triple threat.)
— After the match, Rollins called for Reed and Bron to continue their attack. However, CM Punk’s music hit, so they went up the aisle instead. Punk slipped into the ring from behind and laid out Rollins with a GTS. Punk bailed and posed in the crowd as the show ended.
(Just like Dom could have just interfered in front of the referee, Punk didn’t have to wait until after the match to attack Rollins.)
Match result: Seth Rollins defeated Finn Bálor and Sami Zayn to qualify for Money in the Bank (19:37)
