SHOWN IN CLUB 69 FLIRTS
ON SATURDAY JULY 6TH
FROM MIDNIGHT
CONFIRMED MATCHES
World Heavyweight Championship -- Damian Priest (c) vs. Seth Rollins: Rollins made his return from injury on a recent Raw and immediately made clear his plans to win back the title he lost at WrestleMania. As Rollins seemed to suggest he would enter the Money in the Bank ladder match to reach his goal, Priest came to the ring to tell Rollins he intended to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on him rather than Drew McIntyre and laid out a challenge to Rollins, giving him a direct path to the title to try and establish who is truly Raw's top dog.
Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match -- Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. two TBD: Uso was the first man to qualify for the match, winning a triple threat against Rey Mysterio and Finn Balor on Raw. The qualifiers have continued rolling in since. Drew McIntyre attempted to declare himself for the match but was shot down by Adam Pearce.
Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match -- Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. three TBD: Like Uso, Sky was the first to punch her ticket on Raw, defeating Zelina Vega and Kiana James. Qualification matches have continued, with three spots still left to fill.
Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens & Randy Orton vs. The Bloodline: Solo Sikoa has taken over The Bloodline in Roman Reigns' absence, leaving Paul Heyman distraught. Heyman has gone so far as to beg CM Punk to come to his aid. The new version of The Bloodline is far less in control, with Sikoa having brought in the likes of Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu, a much more violent group. The group has had longstanding issues with Rhodes, Owens and Orton and the six-man tag is now set to possibly steal the show on a card full of potentially show-stealing matches.
Intercontinental Championship -- Sami Zayn (c) vs. Bron Breakker: This could easily have been Zayn vs. Breakker vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser after Breakker vs. Sheamus ended with Sheamus getting the disqualification win after being attacked by Kaiser, and then Sheamus attacking Kaiser for the DQ during Kaiser's match with Breakker. Instead, Zayn offered Breakker a chance to challenge him anytime, anywhere. Breakker decided on Money in the Bank and that's what will be going down unless things change in a week.
HIGHLIGHTS
RESULTS
Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match -- Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre: McIntyre had the first opening at the briefcase, smacking his opponents with a ladder before climbing up. Chad Gable interrupted him and locked in a grapevine armbar, but was helpless as Andrade hit him with a springboard legdrop to send all three men crashing to the mat.
The final sequence saw Gable get both hands on it, only for Uso to pull the ladder out from under him and cause him to hit the mat after swinging above the ring. Uso hit a Spear and climbed the ladder only to get whacked in the face as McIntyre threw a ladder at him. McIntyre then climbed up to unhook the briefcase.
As Money in the Bank matches go, this was a fun one. We had guys like Gable and Hayes get the chance to shine, while the right man still won. Now let's see if McIntyre lives up to his promise and cashes in tonight or if he gets thwarted by Punk once again. Drew McIntyre wins by retrieving the briefcase.
Intercontinental Championship -- Sami Zayn (c) def. Bron Breakker – Despite Breakker having the strength advantage from the word go, most of the match saw Zayn outsmart the upstart rookie. Breakker countered Zayn's first Helluva Kick attempt and hit a Gorilla Press Powerslam, but Zayn managed to block his Spear attempt and hit the Helluva Kick for the win.
Regardless of the winner, I was expecting this to look more like a one-sided squash match. But the decision to have it be a back-and-forth contest not only continued to highlight Zayn's run as a babyface champion but also showed just how much Breakker has developed. This was solid. Zayn wins via pinfall.
World Heavyweight Championship -- Damian Priest (c) def. Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre – McIntyre ran out late into the match and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, turning the match into a triple threat. However, McIntyre's attempt to capitalize was quickly thwarted by CM Punk, who pulled McIntyre out of the ring and started walloping him with a steel chair. Punk then smacked McIntyre in the face with the world title, and Priest hit a South of Heaven for the win.
Whether you love or hate the end result, this was yet another great chapter in the Punk/McIntyre program. It doesn't fix the problem surrounding Priest's title reign, but WWE now has a must-see match on their hands for SummerSlam. Priest wins via pinfall.
Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match -- Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark: Green was inches away from unhooking the briefcase while the rest of the ring was cleared out – only for Stratton to sprint her way up another ladder and send Green crashing through a pair of tables outside the ring. She then grabbed the briefcase for the victory.
People have been picking Stratton as the Money in the Bank winner for months and Toronto made it obvious from the start that she was the favorite to win. Her winning makes the most sense and it'll undoubtedly launch her to the top of SmackDown's women's division. The right call was made, and the match had some truly insane moments. Tiffany Stratton wins by retrieving the briefcase.
Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline – Jacob Fatu turned out to be the difference-maker for the Bloodline. Rhodes looked to have the match won by hitting back to back Cross Rhodes on Sikoa, only for Fatu to leap off the top rope and prevent a third. He then hit an Implant DDT and hoisted Rhodes up for Sikoa to hit a Samoan Spike and the win.
Placing this match at the end of the show made it seem like WWE was setting up either a Roman Reigns return or a surprise betrayal from Randy Orton. It turns out we got neither, and now Sikoa is at the front of the line for a title shot against Rhodes (presumably at SummerSlam). This was by no means the best match of the night, but it gradually built momentum into becoming a worthwhile pay-per-view main event. Solo Sikoa wins via pinfall.