Nearly 20,000 fans packed the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday for the WWE Money in the Bank event, marking the highest attendance for a WWE arena show in Canada to date.
The WWE is on fire. Starting in January 2025, Monday Night Raw, the flagship show, will be broadcast on Netflix as part of a $5 billion agreement. They also recently signed a deal to bring three premier events, Wrestlemania, The Royal Rumble, and Summer Slam, to Indianapolis.
The Indiana dates will be the first premium live event that WWE has hosted in North America since Wrestlemania 40 in Philadelphia in April 2024. Since then, WWE has held events in France, Saudi Arabia, and Scotland.
The Money in the Bank event showcased some of the best WWE superstars. Tonight on Monday Night Raw, we will deal with some of the aftermath of that event. Before we get to tonight’s show, let’s discuss Money in the Bank.
The event kicked off with the men’s Money in the Bank match. With a briefcase suspended over the ring, six competitors battle to climb a ladder and be the first person to snatch it, earning the chance for a title match against any champion anytime they want it. In the squared circle were Carmelo Hayes, Andrade, Chad Gable, Jey Uso, LA Knight and Drew McIntyre. It was an extremely physical competition and a great match to kick off the event. In the end, Drew McIntyre captured the briefcase.
Next up, the Intercontinental Championship was on the line as Sami Zayn defended his title against Bron Breaker. Breaker has been a dominating force in the WWE over the last few months, but Montreal owns Zayn was able to successfully defend his title and keep his reign going.
ABOVE: CM Punk attacks McIntyre during the Money in the Bank event at Toronto’s Scotia Bank Arena.
World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest was up next, defending his title against former champion Seth Rollins. Rollins was returning from a knee injury, and there were stipulations for this match. If Priest lost, he would not only lose his title but also must leave his faction, The Judgement Day. If Rollins lost, he would be unable to challenge for the title again as long as Priest was the champion.
This was an intense match, and both superstars brought out their best. They traded blows and got to the point where they were both exhausted. Then, Drew McIntyre’s music hit, and he came out to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Many superstars wait months before they cash in, not Drew. He saw an opportunity and wanted to capitalize. He didn’t count on his nemesis, CM Punk, also being there, who came out to interrupt his moment of opportunism.
CM Punk viciously beat McIntyre with a chair, leaving him vulnerable to be finished off by Priest, who successfully defended his title.
ABOVE: Tiffany Stratton emerged victorious in the women’s Money in the Bank event, securing a guaranteed title match.
Next up was the Women’s Money in the Bank match. Canada’s own Chelsea Green was the sentimental favourite. She was joined by Tiffany Stratton, Iyo Sky, Lyra Valkyria, Naomi and Zoey Stark. The women’s match was equally if not more physical than the men’s. Just as she was about to secure the briefcase, Chelsea Green was pushed off the ladder and crashed through a table on her way down. In the end, Tiffany Stratton got the briefcase and won the guarantee of an upcoming title match.
The main event saw WWE Champion Cody Rhodes team up with Randy Orton and Kevin Owens against ‘The Bloodline’. Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga.
The arena was overcome with ‘We want Roman’ chants as the anticipation for former champion Roman Reigns’ return continues to grow.
In the end, Solo Sikoa won over Cody Rhodes, albeit with some outside help. Will this set up a match between Rhodes and Sikoa at Summerslam? Time will tell.
ABOVE: John Cena, pictured with host Trish Stratus, has announced his upcoming retirement.
At the event, 16-time World Champion John Cena announced that 2025 would be his last year competing in-ring and that he would be retiring. Toronto’s own WWE Hall of Fame inductee, Trish Stratus, hosted the event.
Tonight’s Monday Night Raw, from Canadian Tire Centre, will be very exciting. Already announced is Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan will face Rey Mysterio and Zelina Vega in a mixed tag team match. Carlito, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh vs. R-Truth, The Miz and Braun Strowman.
Tickets for tonight’s event can be purchased using this Ticketmaster link: https://www.ticketmaster.ca/wwe-monday-night-raw-ottawa
