Summer has officially kicked off, which means the world of pro wrestling is heating up. For WWE, WrestleMania season has ended and now begins the build to SummerSlam. Before that, the company will look to find a future champion, starting with a tradition in one of its hottest markets.
WWE hosts a PPV in London for the first time since 2002 when it airs its latest Money in the Bank event on July 1 at O2 Arena.
While there will be a “Bloodline Civil War” with Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and The Usos, the main bouts to watch out for will be the Money in the Bank ladder matches.
Two ladder matches will take place, with the winners of each taking home a briefcase. That briefcase allows the user about one year to cash it in and challenge for a title of their choosing.
Who will climb the ladder and secure their spot as future main eventers?
Sporting News writers Andreas Hale, Liam O’Loughlin, Albert Perez, and Dan Yanofsky joined forces to chat storylines and offer their predictions.
Money in the Bank predictions: Men's ladder match winner
Andreas: LA Knight. Going any other direction with the briefcase should be considered a crime, as Knight's gotten himself over organically despite an ill-advised rebrand when he got called up to the main roster from NXT.
Since then, the man of “YEAH” has been absolutely stellar in the ring and on the microphone. The crowd loves him, and the rest of the field looks like cannon fodder for Knight to get over as he continues his rapid ascent in popularity.
Liam: LA Knight. It feels like a two-horse race on paper — and depending on which way WWE decides to go, it could garner an insane reaction from the London crowd, whether negative or positive. Logan Paul was a late inclusion and is the likely front-runner given his star power and crossover appeal.
But the man who should be coming away with the coveted briefcase is LA Knight (YEAH), who has been receiving a groundswell of support from the WWE fanbase and is hitting his stride both on the mic and in the ring.
Pete Dunne (Butch) will also get a big reaction in his hometown and could be an underdog, but it would be a major upset to see anybody other than Knight or Paul climb the ladder and pick up the victory.
Albert: Damian Priest. This year’s men’s MITB match has an interesting mix of talent. You have guys that could fly like Ricochet and Santos Escobar and bruisers like Shinsuke Nakamura and Butch. There is also Logan Paul, good for a jaw-dropping high spot.
Then there are the two guys who are the favorites to climb the ladder and grab the briefcase: LA Knight and Damian Priest. After appearing dead in the water following the bizarre feud with Bray Wyatt earlier this year, Knight recalibrated his persona and is giving serious Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson vibes, as he has become pretty electrifying in the last weeks. It feels like 1998 all over again.
He appears to be the most over WWE superstar at this moment. So, naturally, one would think he'll win the MITB briefcase to boost his ascension as a top player. However, this is WWE we are talking about, and as we all know, the company does not always side with what seems logical.
So, while Knight is the overwhelming favorite to come out victorious, Priest is the guy who will claim the title shot. The Latino wrestler is enjoying the best moment of his career, and WWE seems extremely high on him. The Judgement Day has gotten great traction as a stable, and Priest showed out at Backlash by carrying Bad Bunny to one of the most entertaining matches in recent history. The briefcase would do more for Priest than Knight, who got himself over organically.
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Dan: LA Knight. The men’s ladder match features stars who have never been world champions before, which feels odd to say when the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura are in it. That fact has helped make this feel somewhat unpredictable. The three top choices are Damian Priest, LA Knight, and Logan Paul.
A win by Paul, the social media superstar, would bring plenty of attention to WWE. However, given Paul's not a full-time competitor, is the juice worth the squeeze? The Judgement Day has been on fire, but Priest winning isn't the right call for now. If WWE listens to its fans, then LA Knight should be the one to hold the briefcase.
Not since (former MITB winner) Mr. Kennedy in 2007 has someone had the mic skills and charisma as Knight does. He even has the in-ring skills to back it up. It’s Knight’s time to shine.
Money in the Bank predictions: Women’s ladder match winner
Andreas: Iyo Sky. The field here is more difficult to determine a winner. Nobody has a clear-cut upper hand to win, and a case can be made for just about everyone here. However, Iyo Sky’s performance against Bianca Belair in Puerto Rico should have gone a long way in showcasing just how special of a talent the former NXT Women’s Champion is.
And with clear dissension between her and Bayley bubbling to the surface, a babyface turn is on the horizon. Furthermore, should Asuka hang on to the WWE Women’s Championship, a match between Sky and Asuka at SummerSlam would be massive.
Liam: Iyo Sky. This match is more open than the men’s, with plenty of genuine options to win the briefcase. Zelina Vega has been growing in popularity and presence on-screen, garnering huge reactions alongside her LWO stablemates. Bayley, Trish Stratus, and Becky Lynch are the veterans in the match, with the latter the likely favourite heading in, while Zoey Stark is a real dark horse option.
But the quality of work Iyo Sky has been putting in, the responses she's getting, and the potential showdown with WWE Women’s Champion Asuka, make her the logical choice to come out on top.
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Albert: Iyo Sky. This women’s MITB match will have a kinetic dynamic because it will feature two of the top storylines in the division. The brooding riff between stablemates Bayley and Iyo Sky is one of them, and the feud between Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch is the other. The latter is heading to a blow-off match at Summerslam, so the MITB match will further the beef between Stratus and Lynch. Zoey Stark is still developing, and Zelina Vega is just a participant in this match.
So that leaves Bayley and Sky as the two favorites to come out victorious. And of the two, it will be Sky who will be grabbing the briefcase. WWE has shown a lot of faith in her lately, and she has delivered. Winning the title shot seems like a natural progression in Sky’s rise to the top of the women's division.
Dan: Iyo Sky. The women’s match features various storylines that will come into play, from the rivalry between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus to Damage CTRL’s Bayley and Sky fighting against one another for a common goal. Lynch and Stratus’ feud should result in a SummerSlam match, so one of them winning is out of the equation. However, it would be great if Stratus won to enhance her legacy.
Then you have Zelina Vega, who, like the LWO's Santos Escobar in the men's match, sadly doesn't have a fair shot at winning. A dark horse pick is Zoey Stark, who just came up from NXT. However, after her match against Bianca Belair at Backlash, Iyo Sky’s stock has risen exponentially. The ”Genius of the Sky” should wow fans and win the bout, resulting in further tension between her and partner Bayley.
Overall thoughts on WWE’s first PPV in London since 2002
Andreas: It’s a solid card that will heavily focus on the men's and women’s briefcases and the Bloodline. Everything else should be perfectly fine, with Seth Rollins sure to turn in a great match against Finn Balor and Gunther continuing to be the most destructive force on the roster when he faces Matt Riddle.
But this is all about the brilliant “Bloodline Civil War” tag match between The Usos and Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa. There are so many ways the bout can go, and the story continues to be the best in pro wrestling. With SummerSlam around the corner, all eyes will be on who Roman Reigns will end up defending his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against.
Liam: This card is terrific from top to bottom, with plenty of reasons to be excited. Both MITB matches have massive potential, while the singles match between second-generation stars Cody Rhodes and Dominik Mysterio will bring the crowd alive. Matt Riddle against Gunther is a sleeper choice for the match of the night, while the WWE World Heavyweight Title match between Seth Rollins and Finn Balor also has potential to tear the house down.
But the ongoing Bloodline saga will likely close the show, and rightly so. The Usos have finally split from their cousin Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa, and the tag team legends have all the momentum on their side.
With many fans clamouring for a potential singles match for the title between Jey Uso and "The Tribal Chief" at SummerSlam, seeing them pick up the victory in a tag match will only bring that rivalry to a head, three years after Reigns returned and went from a fledgling performer to a genuine megastar. The crowd in London will add to the atmosphere, and this promises to be one of the best WWE shows in years.
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Albert: MITB looks like an exceptionally good card on paper. I’ll give the card an 8 out of 10. You have the two ladder matches, which can always be entertaining spectacles.
Then you have two bouts that will also have everyone buzzing: Seth "Freakin'" Rollins vs. Finn Balor for the World Heavyweight Championship has all the makings of at least a four-star match, while the "Bloodline Civil War" featuring Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos promises to deliver a hard-hitting, high dosage of drama.
Dan: The last WWE PPV in London featured the likes of Eddie Guerrero, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Triple H, and The Undertaker. Triple H and Kevin Nash main evented the last England PPV in 2003. All these years later, this MITB card looks solid on paper and should blow those two events out of the water.
You have two generational talents in Seth Rollins and Finn Blair facing off, the best story in WWE today in The Bloodline facing off in a “Civil War,” and two major ladder matches. Not to mention talents like Gunther, Cody Rhodes, and Ronda Rousey will be there.
Over the past few months, WWE events outside the U.S. have become classics. The crowds in Wales, Montreal, and Puerto Rico have made them feel special. Given how passionate U.K. fans are, it should be no different at this event.