The WWE Universe is still reeling from the excitement and controversy surrounding WWE Money in the Bank 2024. MITB has become a top 5 Premium Live Event in WWE’s calendar year, as it usually comprises noteworthy matches with significant implications for the rest of the year. This is especially true for the event’s namesake matches.
The sold-out crowd in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena witnessed moments that will go down in history. While the show was mostly enjoyable for fans, this year’s event may have raised more questions than answers. With this in mind, let’s dive into this author’s 5 Takeaways from Money In The Bank 2024.
5) Making Tiffany Stratton Mrs. Money In The Bank Was An Excellent Decision
Tiffany Stratton has been a standout in the women’s division since she was called up this past February, with the WWE Universe having high expectations for the 25-year-old following a strong 3-year stint in NXT.
The former NXT Women’s Champion has shown strong in-ring skills and is a compelling presence on the microphone. Now, Stratton is poised to take the next big step in her WWE career, especially now that she’s armed with a MITB briefcase. One that she’s promised to make pink!
Despite a slow and clunky start, the Women’s Money In The Bank match proved, by many accounts, to be the match of the evening. Each of the six women involved had moments to shine and put on potentially the best Women’s MITB match to date. One of the match’s biggest stars was its eventual winner, Tiffany Stratton, who showcased her athleticism, craftiness, and opportunistic flair during the bout.
Stratton is undoubtedly the best choice to win the briefcase. Both in terms of character and ability, Stratton is an ideal Money In The Bank holder.
WWE ultimately decided against going with the safest pick, such as former 2x women’s champion Naomi, or going to an unsuspecting dark horse in Chelsea Green. Instead, the brass used the women’s briefcase to elevate a young and rising star, who truly hasn’t even reached their peak yet.
4) Bron Breakker Lost Clean To Sami Zayn
Bron Breakker could not ask any more of WWE when it comes to their presentation of the recent NXT call up over the last month. Fans have witnessed Breakker become WWE’s modern-day Goldberg, decimating his opposition with a mixture of raw power and inhuman speed inside and outside the ring.
On the June 17th edition of Monday Night RAW, Breakker made his presence known to Sami Zayn, making it clear that Zayn’s Intercontinental Championship was in his crosshairs and he wasn’t planning on missing his mark. While Zayn proved he could outsmart Breaker on the final RAW before the PLE, much of the WWE Universe was convinced that the second-generation star would brutalize The Liberator and walk out of Money In The Bank with his first taste of main roster gold.
Instead, fans were surprised that WWE opted to have Zayn come out as the victor in a fairly standard title defense for the seasoned veteran. Zayn’s strongest character attribute is being “the underdog” in nearly every match he’s in, yet somehow finding a way to “survive”. However, this time, the bout would end after Zayn hit one Halueva Kick and without Zayn being forced to kick out of one of Bron Breakker’s infamously ferocious spears.
This decision leaves some fans scratching their heads, shocked that WWE would have Breakker lose so decisively. Especially as he’s being painted as a completely unstoppable monster, one that even RAW General Manager Adam Pearce has trouble controlling. On the other hand, having an up-and-coming star lose to the reigning Intercontinental Champion, especially one that defeated the likes of Gunther at WrestleMania, isn’t so outrageous.
However, WWE could have had Sami Zayn win in another fashion, which would have ensured he walked out as champion and protected Breakker a bit more. For example, Zayn could successfully execute a quick roll-up to win; the story would be that Zayn used both Breakker’s momentum and impatience against him.
The question now becomes where does Breakker go from here. Successfully “tamed ” by Zaym, Breakker’s aura has taken a bit of a hit. WWE should be very careful about their next moves with Bron Breakker, as the company cannot afford for the former NXT Champion to be nothing more than a flash in the pan.
3) Fans Not Happy WWE Burned the Men’s MITB Contract Within Hours
Drew McIntyre walked into Money In the Bank with two goals: win Money In The Bank and walk out as World Heavyweight Champion. Welp, in the words of Bon Jovi, he was “halfway there”.
The Scottish Psychopath made his intentions clear in the weeks leading up to Money In The Bank on WWE TV, and he did all he could to put his arch-rival CM Punk out of commission and out of sight so he could focus solely on winning his first ever Money In The Bank contract. However, McIntyre’s efforts would ultimately be in vain.
McIntyre’s MITB’s eventual cash-in two matches later would be thwarted by The Second City Saint, with the Archer of Infamy retaining his championship and leadership status with The Judgement Day. Punk’s action not only cost McIntyre dearly but also his old rival Seth Rollins, as The Visionary can now no longer fight for the World Championship until Priest loses it.
McIntyre’s desire for quick results by cashing in MITB the same night he won it was not unprecedented. His decision to do this marked the sixth time in WWE history that a same-night cash-in occurred, following in the footsteps of names such as Kane, Dean Ambrose, and Alexa Bliss. Ironically, it was also the sixth time in WWE history that the briefcase holder could not secure a win.
However, McIntyre now holds his unique statistic in WWE history: the only superstar to win the MITB and lose their cash-in on the same night. A factoid that The Scottish Psychopath would most likely prefer not to be mentioned at his future WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
McIntyre’s decision to win and lose MITB was undoubtedly the most controversial and universally panned decision by WWE at Money In The Bank. While most within the WWE Universe were happy to see McIntyre get a meaningful win, everyone could see the writing on the wall and knew that McIntyre’s time as Mr. Money In The Bank was going to be short-lived. While it’s understandable why WWE Creative went in that direction of Punk costing McIntyre yet again, did McIntyre need to win the case for that to happen? This author would argue no.
At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, WWE’s use of the MITB briefcase as a plot device for McIntyre and Punk’s ongoing feud cheapened the entire match. WWE could have had Punk cost McIntyre during the Men’s MITB match and would have had the same effect, while also giving the briefcase to someone else who could eventually benefit from winning it.
The WWE Universe seemed to echo these sentiments throughout the rest of the Money In the Bank PLE, with fans on social media noting that the clunky failed cash-in felt rushed, predictable, and a waste of time.
Effectively, WWE has made Drew McIntyre the most reasonable heel in the company. While McIntyre injured CM Punk, and trolling him about it for months on end was just pure villainy, Punk has now cost McIntyre the World Championship in various ways on countless occasions. One could argue that Punk’s gone well beyond the scope of vengeance and is now becoming more of the heel than McIntyre. When two men finally meet inside the squared circle, some predicting as soon as SummerSlam, it may be hard for WWE to justify having Punk win.
2) WWE Firmly Establishes Solo Sikoa as the Tribal Chief and Jacob Fatu as a dangerous force
One of WWE’s biggest objectives at Money In The Bank 2024 was to establish Solo Sikoa as the biggest threat to Cody Rhodes’ championship reign, and they accomplished that in spades.
In the last few weeks, Sikoa’s tenure as self-proclaimed Tribal Chief in the absence of Roman Reigns has taken a distinct turn. The young star was adamant about asserting his claim to the Bloodline throne, making it clear that he wasn’t just a temporary placeholder but the rightful heir. Things escalated even further in the past two weeks, as Solo both excommunicated The Wise Man Paul Heyman and directly called out his cousin Reigns.
This new and potentially more ruthless version of The Bloodline would face its biggest test at Money In The Bank, as it took on Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and his allies Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.
The bout went just about exactly the way one would expect, with Rhodes’ crew constantly having to account for The Bloodline’s number advantage and propensity to take out WWE officials. In the end, the intense bout would come to a shocking end, with Solo Sikoa taking out and pinning The American Nightmare to secure his team’s win. This marks Rhodes’ first pinfall loss since winning the championship at WrestleMania 40.
The image of Sikoa standing tall above a battered Rhodes will certainly etched into the minds of the WWE Universe leading into SummerSlam, with many asking if Cody Rhodes has once again found himself in front of a Samoan brick wall.
Some viewers, including this author, noticed the resemblance of WWE’s booking of MITB 2024 to the previous year. At last year’s event in London, England, the WWE Universe saw its first glimpse of a Bloodline implosion as Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and The Usos competed in a Bloodline Civil War tag team match. When the final bell rang, Jey Uso was pinning Roman Reigns (Regins’ first pinfall loss since 2019), setting up the two for Tribal Combat at SummerSlam that year.
WWE has taken a similar approach with Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa, employing a tag team match at Money In The Bank to solidify Sikoa as a legitimate challenger to the champion. While some may perceive this as an unoriginal booking, it could be argued that utilizing a proven formula isn’t necessarily a negative strategy.
Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline is strong and has tangible success to point to, as it’s certainly shaken the snide comments of “Bloodline Light.”
1) John Cena’s (Last) Time is Now
If you missed Money In The Bank and this is the first time you’re learning that the 16-time World Champion is set to retire from WWE from article, we apologize, but it’s sadly true. One of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time is finally ready to call it a career, as Cena detailed to the WWE Universe how and when his final run will take place.
When news of John Cena’s presence in Toronto ahead of Money In The Bank spread online, many assumed that the Leader of the CeNation would find himself in the main event of the show, teaming with Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens to help try and even the odds against The Bloodline—a group led by the man who sent Cena packing Crown Jewel last November.
However, WWE fans were shocked to see Cena randomly introduced by the event’s host, Trish Stratus, wearing new ring gear and a new version of his iconic “Never Give Up” towel. Only this time, the phrasing was just a bit different, and by a bit, we mean a LOT different. The revamped towel read “The Last Time Is Now,” and his shirt included the phrases “farewell tour” and “after this, you can’t see me.”
To call the moment shocking would be not just the understatement of the year, but of the century. While Cena has been hinting that his time as an active competitor inside the ring was coming close to an end, no one predicted that his retirement announcement would come in this fashion.
Possibly the most unsurprising element of John Cena’s announcement is how meticulously and methodically planned out his final run seems to be. Short of listing out dates, events, and planned opponents, Cena gave fans a clear road map for what he plans to do for the final stint of his WWE in-ring career.
Cena revealed that he plans to work 30 to 40 dates in 2025 from January through December, starting with the first edition of Monday Night RAW on Netflix. Furthermore, he announced that WrestleMania 41 would be his final WrestleMania appearance as an active competitor. However, it clearly distinguished between his final WrestleMania match and his final match. Making a point to firmly state that these two moments are mutually exclusive.
He would detail even more of his plans for his farewell tour in a lengthy post-event Press Conference, fielding an endless wave of questions regarding dream opponents, aspirations, and specific goals for 2025.
While he hasn’t been a main stay in WWE for sometime, the wrestling world will certainly feel like a different place after John Cena calls it a career for good. Cena has already stated that once he retires he would never be physical inside a WWE ring again, noting that the only time fans will see him is when he’s wearing a suit.
Simply put, there are no words to accurately describe John Cena’s impact on the professional wrestling industry over the past two decades. From cutting down his enemies with nothing more than clever rhymes to being one of the top Make-A-Wish granters in history, John Cena’s name will be carved in stone as one of the greatest to ever step between the ropes. While the WWE Universe’s feelings toward Cena were tumultuous at times, fans always respected the Massachusetts native’s work ethic and love of the game. John Cena’s remarkable journey from rookie to role model has left an unforgettable mark on wrestling history, one that will never be duplicated and one that solidifies him at the top of the list of all-time greats.
Only time will tell what comes next for John Cena. However, as the 47-year-old said during the Money In The Bank Press Conference, “the roster is loaded,” and there is a never-ending list of people Cena would like to face off before he rides out into the sunset.
