Logan Paul talked about the botched spot between him and Ricochet from this past weekend’s Money in the Bank.
On his Impaulsive podcast, Paul talked about the move in detail, saying he ended up “relatively unscathed” in the spot where Paul and Ricochet were supposed to do a spanish fly off the ladder through a table on the outside, using the ropes for leverage. However, Paul said that he ended up being mispositioned on the rope prior to the execution of the move.
“So one of our legs is on the rope, one of our legs is on the ladder, and we are supposed to hit it at the same time,” he said. “And when he hit that rope, it was before me. So he moved it, so I slipped down all the way to the bottom. Keep in mind, I’m a newb, I don’t really know what I’m doing out there. So when stuff goes wrong, I don’t really know how to improv. So in my head, I’m like, this is f*****. We f***** this up.”
“I’m looking at him, I’m like, oh, this m********** is still trying to send this s***,” he added. “I’m not even ready, his feet aren’t even planted off the second rope, just hucks a backflip…went crashing through the tables, scraped my shoulder, I hit my head on the thing. I’m fine, no concussions or anything, it’s just a wild sport.”
Paul claimed that he and Ricochet ‘got into it backstage’ following the match because Paul felt he was “a little unprofessional”. A confrontation between the two was shown on Monday’s Raw. Ricochet and Paul are set for a face-to-face on next week’s show.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including fallout from Money in the Bank Sunday, the line-up for SummerSlam, the Owen Hart Cup and Bryan’s booking of CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Thoughts on the Omega-Ospreay and Okada-Danielson matches, as well as the difference in match of the years today with in the past that is concerning. We look at the Omega-Ospreay storyline, the business record that was set in Toronto as well as PPV numbers, theater numbers, what we learned, the Okada-Danielson finish and the situation with C.M. Punk.
We have the biggest money live events in AEW history, match-by-match coverage, Danielson, Sting, Tony Khan and others talk after the show and more
A look at Money in the Bank and its unique record that was quietly set
Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show
Business notes on the show
What’s next for the top people on the show
The most detailed look at the ratings of all the wrestling shows this past week, talking competition, ranking, segment-by-segment, the unique change in the Raw audience this week as well as the low rating for AEW and notes on that
Early Fantastica Mania notes
64th anniversary of pro wrestling in one of its legendary arenas that likely has had more shows than all but a few in history
Notes on AAA’s next major show after TripleMania in Tijuana
Stardom PPV notes
Next Stardom PPV card
Stardom Five-Star Grand Prix tournament
Battle of two people who trained together as youths sells out standing room tickets at Korakuen Hall weeks ahead of time
The new three Musketeers in New Japan and thoughts
Update on this week’s New Japan major shows
A look in detail about the movie “Iron Claw” about the heyday of the Von Erichs and the collapse of their empire along with thoughts on it
One of the best wrestlers of the 90s and 00s goes into a sports Hall of Fame
Outsports talks about the most powerful LGBTQ+ people in the sports world including many from both pro wrestling and MMA
Notes on Ross Forman, who works backstage at Impact, making the list and his background and thoughts
WWC 50th anniversary show draws huge crowd in Puerto Rico and rundown of the show
Impact notes from the next few weeks of TV
AEW video game notes
Jim Ross update
Danielson talks Okada
Variety says AEW TV show deserves an Emmy nomination
Upcoming ticket sales for all WWE & AEW shows
Anthony Bowens felt crowd reaction was a real breakthrough, as does a reader who grew up in Chicago
Ariel Helwani responds to Tony Khan
What percentage of revenue did UFC fighters make last year
Lots of new UFC fights
Fighter rebounding from nearly fatal heart attack
Lots of notes on Vince McMahon and WWE
Notes on what happens with the new company, how much money Vince made WWE by staying and what percentage of the new company he will own
Notes on ideas for changes in NXT and main roster shows
We are currently looking for two people to moderate our message board. Those interested please contact [email protected].
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Sunday Update
Bryan and I did our weekend WOR last night covering Money in the Bank and all the television shows and other news. We also did a show Friday with John Pollock, Paul Fontaine, Garrett Gonzales and myself on modern candidates for the Hall of Fame. We also talked about a lot of other news such as the addition of Collision, keeping up with so much wrestling and so many more things.
We’re looking for your thoughts on WWE Money in the Bank yesterday. You can leave a thumbs up, down or middle plus a best and worst match to [email protected].
We’re also looking for reports on the final night of the WWE UK tour today in Cardiff, Wales, which was an instant sellout (4800) months ago at the International Arena.
Just to clarify on the Shayna Baszler vs. Ronda Rousey finish from Saturday, I don’t know Rousey’s actual contract situation but she is leaving some time relatively soon and wanted to do a program with Baszler before leaving. The idea was to do the tag team thing longer and establish them as a team and not have the turn be so sudden but basically time ran out on them.
John Cena and Drew McIntyre were kept hidden last night at Money in the Bank. Cena was working there. While Cena has in the past talked about WrestleMania in London, there is more to that now than in the past. We discussed it on last night’s WOR, but it is definitely something they would like to see done. Obviously with AEW drawing the largest pro wrestling crowd in years at Wembley, WWE would like to top that and two nights of Mania would do so automatically.
Natalya and the Guinness Book of World Records people have added to her stuff in their annual book. They presented her with awards that will be in the next book for these world records: Most WWE women’s matches (1,514); Most WWE women’s wins (663); Most WWE women’s PLE appearances (75); Most WWE women’s WrestleMania appearances (8); Most women’s matches on Raw (174); and Most women’s’ matches on SmackDown (200)
Every winner of the women’s MITB match in history but one (Carmella) either cashed it in that night or the next day. So, IYO SKY already has the second-longest tenure as a MITB winner in history unless she cashes it in in Cardiff today which is very doubtful to happen. Every female winner in history has gone on to win the title. (Thanks to Arya Witner)
AEW Dynamite in Boston on 7/19 sold about 1000 tickets after the announcement of the Blood & Guts match. It was at about 5300 at the start of the weekend.
In an interview with Boxing Social, promoter Eddie Hearn said he believes Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury could be happening soon. He said he believes it’s happening but also said it would be an exhibition fight but who knows. Hearn was trying to put together Oleksandr Usyk vs. Fury which is why he made those comments.
Money in the Bank did 200,000 Google searches which, with the new standards after the change, is a great number. It used to be a normal number. Nothing else related to boxing, wrestling or MMA made the list including yesterday’s UFC show. It was up with Damian Lillard, the NASCAR race in Chicago, the changes in Twitter and the Los Angeles Lakers for the top spots over the weekend behind the death of actor Alan Arkin.
A&E tonight at 9 PM has WWE Most Wanted Treasures focusing on Trish Stratus and Alundra Blayze, plus Stone Cold Takes on America at 10 PM.
We’ve heard a lot of stuff about different matches this weekend to watch. Mirai won the Wonder of Stardom title from double champion Tam Nakano on today’s Stardom PPV show from Yokohama which is getting a lot of praise and called a classic. Also heavily praised are Rocky Romero vs Volador Jr. and Desperado vs. Mascara Dorada 2.0 matches from Arena Mexico where they had their biggest crowd in a long time. Several people also brought up Yuma Aoyagi’s Triple Crown title win today over Yuji Nagata which took place today at Korakuen Hall. On the GLEAT show, which is free on YouTube, I was told there was a great match if you like UWFi style with Hayato Fujita winning their UWF world title from Takanori Ito. Another match was the Kobe World Memorial Festival show today by Dragon Gate where Diamante lost his mask, as expected, in a five-way loser loses his mask cage match with Dragon Kid, Ultimo Dragon, Strong Machine J and Shun Skywalker. That show drew Dragon Gate’s biggest crowd in years, with both Hiromu Takahashi (over Yamato) and Shingo Takagi (destroying Konomama Ichikawa twice) as outside attractions.
AEW Dynamite in the UK, which airs on Friday nights, is off ITV 4 due to darts coverage. It will air on the main ITV 1 station at 11:40 p.m. Friday night. So, it will be on a much more viewed channel but in a worse time slot. (thanks to Stephen Lyon)
Bret Hart turns 66 today.
On last night’s WOR when talking about Kurt Angle and winning match of the year, he did win it once: in 2002 with the Angle & Chris Benoit vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio match at the No Mercy PPV. People forget about it but it was one of the best matches of that era. (thanks to Arya Witner)
American Pro Wrestling will hold a memorial show for Dan Parris on 7/8 in Bollins Spring, SC, at 4 p.m. The show is at 120 Builders Court. Parris, who passed away last week, was a great proponent for Carolinas independent wrestling for decades and a really nice guy.
Other Stuff
ICW No Holds Barred from last night in Red Bank, TN: Malcolm Monroe III b Sean Campbell, John Wayne Murdoch b Hardway Heeter, Tank b Mickie Knuckles, Jaden Newman b Danny Demanto, Bobby Beverly b Dr. Redacted, Brandon & Kasey Kirk b Krule & Max the Impaler, Hoodfoot b Tommy Vendetta. Vendetta was managed by Darren McCarty, a former Detroit Red Wings star who does a indie wrestling shows and Impact these days (Thanks to Leonard Brand)
Warrior Wrestling on Friday night in Chicago Heights, IL: Sabin Gauge b Cole Radrick, Skye Blue b Heather Reckless, Bang Brothers b Koda Hernandes & Sorta Incredible Iverson, Jordan Kross b Storm Grayson, Konosuke Takeshita b Warhorse, Gringo Loco won three-way over El Hijo del Vikingo & Gabriel Fuerza to keep the Lucha title, KC Navarro b Matt Cardona to keep the Warrior title. The clip going around saw the event, held outside on the Marian High School football field, saw Takeshita run the hurdles and then take out Warhorse. (Thanks to Leonard Brand)
Boom Wrestling from last night in Vancouver, BC before a sellout 250 fans: Evan Rivers won their Money in the Bank over Jacky Lee, Shareef Morrow, Big Cat, Casey Ferreira and Maxwell Benson, Shaolin Funk b Kyle Fines, Amira over Kikyo, Izzy McQueen and Liiza Hall, Brady Malibu b President Abraham Lincoln in a loser leaves town match, Travis Williams b Judas Icarus, Randy Myers b Tony Baroni.
WWE Money in the Bank took place in London on Saturday so we break down the show, including John Cena teasing a London WrestleMania, Drew McIntyre’s return, the men’s and women’s briefcase winners, and the latest chapter in the Bloodline story.
We also discuss AEW Collision, which we think was the weakest episode thus far. It heavily focused on the men’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament and did set up next week’s anticipated Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk semifinal.
With WWE in London for Money in the Bank, one of the company’s biggest legends stopped by for a surprise appearance.
John Cena showed up at Saturday’s pay-per-view and gave a speech praising the United Kingdom crowd. The speech led to Cena campaigning for WWE to hold WrestleMania in London. Cena said the decision isn’t up to him, but he told the crowd to cheer as loud as possible so that the decision-makers could hear what WrestleMania in London would sound like.
“In my mind, there is not a more exciting audience than the audience in the United Kingdom. So I’m here to try to bring WrestleMania to London,” Cena told the crowd. “I’m here right now not for one more match — I’m here because I know when they play those trumpets, people watch and people listen. And right now I want to give something to an audience I love. I want to give them a chance to tell the world, to tell the people who make decisions, what we already know. Take a moment right now. Let them see. Let them feel. Let them hear what WrestleMania is going to sound like in London.”
Cena was then interrupted by Grayson Waller, who wanted WrestleMania to come to Australia instead. Waller said he could get Cena a spot on the show by having him on The Grayson Waller Effect.
Waller brought up Cena’s losses to Austin Theory, Roman Reigns, and The Fiend over the last few years. Waller said he could help Cena save his career by having him on The Grayson Waller Effect in Australia.
When Cena declined, Waller ambushed him. Waller had the advantage until Cena laid him out with an Attitude Adjustment.
This was Cena’s first appearance for WWE since losing to Theory at WrestleMania 39 this April.
WrestleMania 40 is taking place in Philadelphia in 2024. Locations for other future WrestleManias haven’t been confirmed, but it’s expected that Nashville will host WrestleMania 43 in 2027.
McIntyre appeared after Gunther defeated Matt Riddle to retain the Intercontinental title at Saturday’s Money in the Bank. McIntyre and Gunther had a staredown, which eventually ended with McIntyre headbutting Gunther. This was McIntyre’s first appearance since WrestleMania 39, where he lost a three-way match for the Intercontinental title that included himself, Gunther, and Sheamus.
Originally scheduled for the SmackDown following WrestleMania, McIntyre was pulled from the show due to a health issue that started prior to WrestleMania 39. Last month, it was reported that McIntyre’s situation had become a creative one. As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, McIntyre was moved to Raw from SmackDown.
It was reported earlier this year that McIntyre and WWE were “not close on money” regarding a new contract, which is reportedly set to expire sometime in the next year. However, McIntyre’s contract expiration date is a long ways away, and his absence was not related to ongoing contract negotiations.
Damian Priest is the latest to win the Money in the Bank briefcase.
The men’s Money in the Bank match opened the pay-per-view on Saturday afternoon. The finish had Logan Paul and Ricochet being shoved to the floor by LA Knight, with both eventually springboarding themselves onto a table on the floor. Knight then proceeded to climb up the ladder, but Damian Priest stopped him, laying out Knight with a broken arrow off the ladder. Priest then climbed back up and grabbed the briefcase for the win.
With the briefcase win, Priest is now eligible to cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase for any championship during the course of the next year. Another member of the Judgment Day, Finn Balor, meets Seth Rollins later in the pay-per-view in a match that will be for the World Heavyweight Championship.
After Priest qualified for Money in the Bank last month, Priest and Balor had a confrontation after Balor asked Priest if he would cash in on him. Priest said he wouldn’t, but told Balor to defeat Rollins and win the championship at Money in the Bank.
WWE has some added motivation to make this year’s Money in the Bank a memorable show.
The company is in the midst of negotiating for its next U.S. TV rights agreement, making the coming months more important than any WrestleMania season ever could be.
This is like when a top athlete is in the final year of their deal and has a little extra incentive to have a good season. Nick Khan surely wants to pad WWE’s stats as he sits at the negotiating table, so if there was ever a time to hotshot a few angles or something else enticing, it’s now.
The exclusive WWE TV rights negotiating windows for both Fox and NBCUniversal have expired, meaning we are already deep into free agency season. WWE is now free to negotiate with other interested parties including Disney, Amazon or even the New York Yankees. (Maybe one of those isn’t legit).
Another reason WWE is motivated to put on a good show in London this weekend is that they have been trying for years to turn Money in the Bank into an annual event on the level of Royal Rumble or SummerSlam.
Having to move last year’s edition out of Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium and into the MGM Grand certainly didn’t help matters in that regard. A fun and newsworthy 2023 show in London could be exactly what the 13-year-old event needs.
Another potential factor for Saturday’s show is that AEW will run nearby Wembley Stadium 57 days later for All In. The big stadium event will make AEW look like a major league promotion in a way it never has before and that could motivate WWE to make sure theirs is the more fondly remembered of the two shows. Maybe we see a surprise return or debut, a big angle, or something else meant to create a historical moment as a result.
Below are previews and predictions for Saturday’s event (2 PM Eastern on Peacock and/or WWE Network):
Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa vs. Jimmy & Jey Uso
Reigns and Sikoa are -140 favorites to defeat The Usos in what will be the first civil war to take place in England since the 17th century.
In terms of betting odds, this is the closest match on the show. Ultimately, the Usos will win the blowoff to this feud but that could be several months away. I just don’t think they are going to beat the WWE Universal Champion and Sikoa so soon in the story.
You can also make the argument that Sikoa and Reigns need to get a win after losing to Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn at Night of Champions. Of course, it won’t be a clean win. Something underhanded will be done to both give the heels an advantage and also move WWE’s top storyline into its next chapter.
One thought is that a new member of The Bloodline could possibly debut on Saturday.
With only Sikoa and Paul Heyman by his side now, it seems like Reigns needs more people to acknowledge him as their Tribal Chief. The problem is that I’m not certain who is available to be slotted into that role. Jacob Fatu is believed to be under contract with MLW until 2025, Lance Anoa’i was just announced for NOAH’s N1 tournament this summer, and others in the family are still too early in their training.
When it looked as though Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Hikuleo could be WWE bound, I thought they could be added to the mix. While not members of the Anoa’i dynasty, Haku’s kids are close enough to the family that they could choose to acknowledge Reigns as their Tribal Chief. But then Vince McMahon returned to WWE and rumors of the Guerrillas of Destiny coming in became less and less.
If it’s not a new member of The Bloodline, there will have to be some other storyline development leading to the finish of this match.
Prediction: Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Finn Balor
Rollins is a -2000 favorite to retain his title.
He’s tied for being the biggest favorite on the card as very few fans are giving Balor much of a chance. He and Rollins will have a great match but ultimately, we are still at the beginning of Rollins’ story as the fighting World champion.
As much as I know some wrestling fans don’t want to admit it, this version of Seth Rollins is incredibly popular. Fans love him, they love singing his song, and they love that he’s World champion. His weird laughing and sing-songy entrance have made him more of a larger-than-life character than he ever has been before.
Whether you find fans singing his song annoying or even his over-the-top Joaquin Phoenix Joker impression gets on your nerves, he’s still Seth Rollins once the bell rings. He will win what is expected to be a great match in London.
Prediction: Rollins retains
Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match
IYO Sky is a -500 favorite to win the briefcase.
Most people are banking on Sky winning and it setting up a showdown with Asuka at a later date. You just have to wonder how that plays into the tension they are building between Bayley (+500) and Sky. Something will happen during this match that furthers their story like Bayley preventing Sky from climbing the ladder or vice versa. Maybe Bayley acts happy for Sky winning at first, but then costs her a match against Asuka, etc.
Trish Stratus (+2000), Becky Lynch (+350), and Zoey Stark (+900) all have their own storyline going on that will eventually lead to Lynch vs. Stratus at SummerSlam, I’m assuming. They will tell their own story as this match goes on, but it won’t have anything to do with the finish.
Then, there is Zelina Vega (+2000). While I don’t think she’ll win, the +2000 odds are a little off. I don’t recommend actually betting on wrestling but if I was going to, I might put a little money on Vega with those numbers. Perhaps the reason few are giving her much of a chance is because she just had her big match for the title at the Puerto Rican WrestleMania that was Backlash. Still, Vega will probably wear something cool to the ring and everyone likes it when she does that.
Prediction: IYO Sky
Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match
LA Knight is a -250 favorite to win the briefcase.
It feels as though both WWE fans and Triple H want the company to go all the way with Knight. However, the real question is how far is Vince McMahon willing to go with him?
McMahon was reportedly not high on the guy after he was cast in the role of Max Dupri last year. Knight is also over the age that McMahon generally likes to push new stars. Will the fan response to Knight be enough for McMahon to admit he was wrong about the guy? Maybe, maybe not.
If this was Triple H booking the show, the Money in the Bank match is the perfect opportunity to strap the rocket pack onto Knight. It’s possible that is what happens, but I feel Logan Paul (+150) is actually more likely to win.
Paul carrying around the Money in the Bank briefcase while he’s doing his other non-WWE stuff is perfect crossover promotion. The briefcase sitting in the background during Impaulsive and the potential of him being asked about it during media appearances are all things Nick Khan seems to enjoy very much.
The other contenders to win the briefcase are Damian Priest (+170), Shinsuke Nakamura (+2000), Santos Escobar (+2000), Butch (+2500), and Ricochet (+3000).
Prediction: Logan Paul
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler defend against Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Rousey & Baszler are -1000 favorites to retain over Morgan and Rodriguez.
I’m a little surprised that Morgan and Rodriguez aren’t bigger underdogs. It seems as though the plan is for Rousey and Baszler to defend the WWE tag titles on all three brands moving forward. That’s an excuse to bring Rousey’s star power to any of WWE’s weekly shows while in the middle of TV rights negotiations.
WWE has had success getting the ratings up for NXT by bringing on main roster stars recently. Rousey and Baszler showing up on Tuesday nights from time to time is a good way to keep that trend going.
Prediction: Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler retain
Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against Matt Riddle
Gunther is a -2000 favorite to retain over Riddle.
This is the match that will steal the show. These two have a long history together dating back to a 2017 WXW tour in Germany. In fact, Saturday won’t even be the first title match they have had against each other in London.
Riddle successfully defended the Progress Atlas title against then-WALTER at Progress 46 from the Electric Ballroom in London on March 26, 2017. The match followed WALTER eliminating Riddle in the semifinals of the 16 Carat Gold tournament two weeks prior. In total, they have wrestled each other 11 times across promotions such as EVOLVE, Progress, WXW, Ambition, and PWG before either signed with WWE. Their styles align nicely.
Imperium injured Riddle’s ankle recently on Raw, so I’m expecting that to factor into the finish of what should be an excellent match.
Prediction: Gunther retains
Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio
Rhodes is a -700 favorite to defeat Mysterio.
An interesting note about the odds is that Rhodes was actually a bigger favorite to defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania than he is to beat Dominik here.
In storyline, this is a significant drop in competition for Rhodes. He’s spent the last two pay-per-views facing Brock Lesnar and went up against Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania before that. No offense to Dominik, but he doesn’t quite have the pedigree of Rhodes’ other recent opponents.
This will be a good match. Rhodes is going to go out of his way to make Dominik look good, perhaps doing so in a way that hasn’t been done for Dom Dom since he started getting hot alongside Judgment Day.
WWE has given Dominik wins over Xavier Woods, Apollo Crews, and Akira Tozawa since WrestleMania. If they want to take full advantage of the massive heat the guy is generating at the moment, it makes sense to give him some wins over bigger names. I just don’t see them doing that against Rhodes, however.
John LaRocca and I are back with a brand new Fight Game Podcast.
We got right into our Top Five of the week where we discussed the following:
The best pro wrestling show of 2023 including feedback from listeners
A short review of last weekend’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry’s first heel promo and the problem with the actual heel turn
The angle leading to Blood & Guts in Boston
The contrast of Jon Moxley’s story with Eddie Kingston and the one with The Elite and the Dark Order
The silliness of the Blind Elimination tag team tournament teams so far
WWE Money in the Bank preview
We then kicked off our new segment called Wrestling Prospectus where John gave us a name to look out for soon who has the qualities of being a star down the road. We also let listeners know which match we’re breaking down next week in our second Break It Down segment.
It’s a brand new We’re Live, Pal! with myself and Andrew Zarian.
We opened up the show talking about a recent bet made between the two of us and how I will pay it off. We then talked about the new AEW Fight Forever video game that is set to come out later this week. Will it be a literal game-changer for the company and what will fans think?
We transitioned into discussion about last Sunday’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door and how perfect the show was for the AEW fanbase.
We discussed which Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay match was better between last Sunday and last Saturday’s Tokyo Dome match at Wrestle Kingdom.
Lastly, we dug into a preview of this weekend’s WWE Money in the Bank show from London.
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez are getting a chance to reclaim the titles that they never lost.
During this week’s episode of The SmackDown LowDown, it was confirmed that Morgan & Rodriguez will challenge for Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler’s Women’s Tag Team titles at Money in the Bank. The pay-per-view is taking place in London on Saturday, July 1.
Rousey & Baszler defeated Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn on SmackDown last night to unify the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles with the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles. Following the match, Morgan made her return from injury as she and Rodriguez confronted Rousey and Baszler.
Morgan & Rodriguez had to vacate the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles last month due to Morgan suffering a shoulder injury. Rousey & Baszler then won the vacant titles in a four-way match against Rodriguez & Shotzi, Bayley & IYO SKY, and Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville.
This is the sixth match that’s been announced for Money in the Bank. The updated card for the event is listed below:
Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Damian Priest vs. Logan Paul
Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Zelina Vega vs. Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark vs. Bayley vs. IYO SKY vs. Trish Stratus
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Finn Balor
Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos
Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio
Women’s Tag Team Champions Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler defend against Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Logan Paul is back in WWE, and he’s going for the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed that segment and more on Tuesday’s Wrestling Observer Radio. Alvarez was confused by Logan Paul’s promo, where he was trying to be both a face and a heel while announcing he was part of the Money in the Bank ladder match. This brought out the participants from both brands, the latest example of the brand split not meaning anything.
“So the brand thing is over,” Meltzer said. “Not even an explanation.”
With Paul’s entry into the match, he becomes the immediate favorite.
“I think Logan Paul should win the match. I don’t know that he’ll win, but I think he should,” Meltzer said. “He’ll get a lot of publicity if he won and the other thing about that is I think the briefcase is so annoying when it’s there week after week, but if it’s there every now and then, I think that’s pretty cool.”
Meltzer even suggested that Paul could win the title, saying he’s no David Arquette, who won the WCW Championship back in 2000 while looking completely incompetent in the ring.
“This guy’s great. He can talk, he looks good, he can work, he’s great. He’s a bigger celebrity than anyone they got in the entire company, so why not?” he said.
Trish Stratus defeated Raquel Rodriguez on Monday’s Raw to earn the final spot in the July 1 women’s WWE Money in the Bank match.
Stratus won the last qualifying match via disqualification after Becky Lynch interfered, attacking Stratus outside the ring and throwing her into the barricade.
The field for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match is now set, with Stratus joining Lynch, Bayley, IYO SKY, Zelina Vega, and Zoey Stark in the bout.
The updated Money in the Bank lineup:
WWE Money in the Bank, Saturday, July 1, 3 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins defends against Finn Balor
Bloodline Civil War: Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos
Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Logan Paul vs. LA Knight vs. Damian Priest vs. Butch vs. Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Santos Escobar
Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch vs. Bayley vs. IYO SKY vs. Zoey Stark vs. Zelina Vega
Logan Paul is back, and wants in on Money in the Bank.
Paul appeared in Cleveland, Ohio for Monday’s Raw on top of a ladder near both Money in the Bank briefcases and started his promo by ripping on his hometown. He said that he managed to talk to WWE executives and was invited to participate in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, which takes place on July 1 in London.
After the rest of the participants in the men’s Money in the Bank match came out, the segment soon devolved into a brawl, with Paul hitting a tope con hilo to the floor, wiping out most of the participants. The segment ended with Paul climbing back to the top of the ladder and posing with the briefcases.
The Social Media Megastar has officially been added to the Men's #MITB Ladder Match and we just witnessed an insane preview on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/YhjiTPcwiz
Paul last appeared in WWE back at WrestleMania 39, where he lost to Seth Rollins despite interference from KSI, who had dressed up as a bottle of Prime energy drink.
Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, LA Knight, Santos Escobar, Butch, and Damien Priest have all qualified for the ladder match.
In what’s being billed as the “Bloodline Civil War,” Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa are set to face off with The Usos.
It was confirmed on this week’s episode of The SmackDown LowDown that Reigns & Sikoa vs. Jimmy & Jey Uso will take place at Money in the Bank. The pay-per-view is being held at The O2 Arena in London on Saturday, July 1.
The announcement of the match comes after Jey chose to side with Jimmy instead of Reigns & Sikoa. On last night’s SmackDown, Jey shocked Reigns by dropping him with a superkick. The Usos then worked together to lay out both Sikoa and Reigns.
Jey was forced to choose sides after the breakup of The Bloodline was kickstarted at Night of Champions. Jimmy gave Reigns a superkick that night, which cost Reigns & Sikoa a chance to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles from Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.
The tag match means Reigns doesn’t have an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship defense scheduled for Money in the Bank.
The updated card for the PPV is listed below:
Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Damian Priest
Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Zelina Vega vs. Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark vs. Bayley vs. IYO SKY vs. either Trish Stratus or Raquel Rodriguez
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Finn Balor
