I’m Oli Davis, this is the WrestleTalk News.
And we start the week with some incredible, breaking wrestling news…
IYO Sky still has the Money in the Bank briefcase she won on Saturday - making her the second-longest
lady holder of the Money in Bank briefcase in pro wrestling history.
Every winner of the women’s ladder match has either cashed in their shot that night,
or the next day.
So purely by WWE now running Saturdays for Premium Live Events instead of Sundays, she’s
shot really high up the record books.
Carmella is currently at the top, with everyone else having between an hour and just over
a day, and her at 287 days.
Speaking of record books, Natalya, meanwhile, was presented with her own host of achievement
unlockings, where the Guinness Book of World Records awarded her:
Most WWE Matches (female) with 1,514.
Most WWE wins in a career (female) with 663.
She won that many?
Most Premium Live Event appearances (female) at 75.
Most WrestleMania appearances (female) with 8.
Most Raw matches with 174 and SmackDown with 200.
Congratulations, Natalya, for being somewhere for a long period of time.
Back to IYO, you’d think her handcuffing her Damage CTRL faction leader Bayley to Becky
Lynch, then literally climbing over her to win the ladder match, would split up the group.
Not so according to Bayley herself.
Luke already covered her comments in his News video yesterday, where she claimed “there’s
no tension right here” , and now Bayley has posted a congratulations message to them,
tweeting: “I’m so happy for both of my teammates”
- with a picture of her Damage CTRL buddies IYO Sky and Damien Priest.
This is a reference to ring announcer Samanta Irvin’s botch at the show, where she announced
Bayley hailing from Judgement Day, who’s tweeted:
“# of times I was meant to announce “representing The Judgement Day” this week: 19
# of times I announced it: 20 # of times I was meant to announce “representing
Damage CTRL” this week: 2 # of times I announced it: 1 😂”
Despite the ladder match tension, it seems the Bayley and IYO Sky storyline will bubble
away for a few more months - perhaps until IYO has actually cashed in her title shot,
with Bayley there to be her first opponent.
Because going by the leaked plans for the biggest party of the Summer, SummerFestSlam,
they’re not on booked for the show.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting six matches are currently being
discussed for WWE’s next Premium Live Event, SummerSlam, set to take place in Detroit on
the 5th August.
Cody Rhodes is reportedly set to have a rubber match against Brock Lesnar, with both men
one win apiece.
FINISH THE STORY, CODY!
Following Shayna Baszler’s shock turn on Ronda Rousey, costing them the women’s tag
team titles, a Ronda vs Shayna singles match is planned for the show.
Meltzer has clarified that he doesn’t know Ronda’s actual WWE contract situation, “but
she is leaving some time relatively soon and wanted to do a program with Baszler before
leaving.”
After returning at Money in the Bank, making his first WWE appearance since April’s WrestleMania,
Drew McIntyre will fight for Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship.
It’s arguably the most credible threat to Gunther’s lengthy title reign this year,
with the Austrian so close to breaking the Honky Tonk Man’s all-time record - which
as of today is 69 days away.
Nice.
Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch are set to have their blow off match, and following Adam Pearce
explicitly telling Bianca Belair not to get involved in the Charlotte Flair vs Asuka Women’s
Championship match on SmackDown, and she did, she’ll be rewarded with a triple threat
between them all for the belt.
The most exciting match, however, is possibly the culmination of one of the greatest stories
in pro wrestling history - the Bloodline saga.
But also maybe not.
Move aside, Baron Corbin, because Jey Uso became the first man in almost four years
to pin Roman Reigns during the tag team Civil War main event of Money in the Bank.
Unsurprisingly, WWE will use this to set up Roman vs Jey for SummerSlam’s main event.
But now the question becomes…
does Roman lose the belt?
There’s a lot of possibilities going in here.
Roman could put Jey over in an attempt to make a new top star in WWE.
Now the promotion has two titles, there’s more freedom to try newer guys in the championship
position.
Pro Wrestling business history would dictate, though, you turn this into a series of at
least two.
Roman cheats to win the first encounter - ref bump, visual pin, Solo interference, blah
blah blah - to build a rematch, and in theory more money, at the next WWE Premium Live Event,
the appropriately named Payback on the 2nd September - which just so happens to be the
very same event Reigns first won his championship at three years beforehand.
Or there’s the most likely option - Roman wins lol.
Because Dave Meltzer is also reporting that WWE’s long term plans have not changed,
even in the face of the Bloodline story working so well, and the main event of WrestleMania
40 in Philadelphia is still Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes, which Reigns will probably win
as well.
FINISH THE STORY!
Of course, Roman could drop the belt for a few months to Jey before winning it back to
face Cody, but given Triple H’s love of lengthy title reigns, and how that would undermine
the significance of Rhodes winning, it’s unlikely.
How do you want Roman to finally lose the belt?
Write irrationally angry posts about how it’s not LA Knight in the comments down below.
I tell you who’s got good ideas on how to book it: Vince McMahon.
Said no-one ever.
Apart from one person to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Apparently, according to the unnamed person, while some of Vince’s ideas are outdated
- presumably things like stereotype cliches, women wrestlers having to smile all the time,
and creepy 1950s mustaches - He does give a lot of good input into creative.
The main problem is: “It’s not the interference itself that is the problem.
It’s how and when he does it.”
Let me just check who the source is for that quote…
Mick VcVan.
One of the more surprising things to happen at Money in the Bank, was everyone suddenly
going crazy for Grayson Waller talking to an empty ring.
Seriously, why’s everyone so excited?
I’m doing an ‘I can’t see him’ bit.
Silly me.
HE’S RIGHT THERE.
Going by Triple H’s media scrum comments, in kayfabe, Cena just turned up and booked
WrestleMania for London with no clearance from WWE officials - which has put Hunter
in a very difficult position.
Naughty, irresponsible, totally planned Cena.
Wrestling Observer Radio had already reported that there was no deal in place to do a WrestleMania
in London, and WWE were actually hoping to strongarm London into paying them to bring
the show there - something London doesn’t really need because it’s already got loads
of tourist attractions like Buckingham Palace and that guy that sings Abba songs through
a traffic cone outside Victoria Station.
And according to Fightful Select, it might not happen anytime soon, if at all.
We already know that WrestleMania 40 is booked for Philadelphia.
The following year’s Mania 41 is also set to take place in the US, possibly in Minnesota.
That means a Mania can’t happen in London until 2026, but even then, Fightful writes
it’s much more likely to be a Royal Rumble or SummerSlam.
I actually would prefer a Rumble.
Fightful adds that Cena’s WWE future is just as up in the air.
There are no upcoming plans for him in the company, and he’s becoming increasingly
difficult to book with all his acting work.
But Money in the Bank wasn’t the only thing to happen on Saturday.
AEW did a Collision too - only their third ever episode!
And in case you missed it, here I am to recap it all in one minute, one take:
Saturday, Saturday saw MJF beat local enhancement talent Kip Morris in 30 seconds.
So much for the big advertised MJF match.
Psyche, that happened next, as a wild Ethan Page appeared - who was from the place Collision
was happening in - cut a great promo, for Max to beat him in a very good TV match.
Ethan’s a face now!
Powerhouse Hobbs beat Dustin Rhodes in the Owen Hart Quarter Final - thanks to QT Marshall
interference.
Dustin bled everywhere.
Miro beat Anthony Henry in 3minutes.
Bullet Club Gooooold officially welcomed the Gunn Club to their faction.
White called out CM Punk.
Ricky Starks beat Juice Robinson in the other Owen Hart Quarter Final.
The crowd was weirdly dead.
CMFTR chased off Bullet Club Gold after.
Shawn Spears wants a shot at Christian’s TNT title belt, which is actually Luchasaurus’.
Kris Statlander beat Lady Frost to retain the TBS title in a clunky match.
And the main event saw Samoa Joe beat Roderick Strong by choking him out in the final Owen
Hart Quarter Final - meaning he’ll face Punk in the next round.
Punk was on commentary and got both booed and cheered.
Punk has never beaten Joe in a singles match.
I can’t wait!
We’re starting the first episode of our Collision review podcast today, with Laurie
Blake and Dan Layton, so subscribe to our WrestleTalk Podcast channel for a full deep
dive review of the show there.
And finally, Jade Cargill is teasing not returning to AEW following Kris Statlander defeating
her for the TBS title after a 508 day, 60-0 streak reign back in May.
A fan asked her if she was coming back any time soon because they missed her, which Cargill
simply replied: “No.”
Fightful Select had previously reported Cargill was set for time off following her Double
or Nothing loss.
Now go watch my review of the excellent
Money in the Bank!
Here’s a clip.