SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath-the-surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.
The men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will take place Saturday at the eponymous pay-per-view in London, which will offer a clear indication of the direction WWE is headed in for its next six months of storytelling.
The women’s Money in the Bank ladder match has a history of the winner cashing in that very same night. Liv Morgan (2022), Bayley (’19) and Alexa Bliss (’18) all cashed in on the night of the victory, while Nikki A.S.H. (’21) and Asuka (’20) did so on the following night’s Raw. The only Money in the Bank reign with any length took place in ’17, when Carmella won and finally cashed in the following spring.
But it has been different for the men. The winner of the match most often engages in a chase for the title, which becomes a focal point of weekly storytelling. While hopefully the winner of this year’s women’s field—Becky Lynch, Iyo Sky, Bayley, Trish Stratus, Zelina Vega or Zoey Stark—is afforded that same opportunity, it certainly appears that will once again be the direction for the winner of the men’s match.
The men’s field consists of LA Knight, Damian Priest, Shinsuke Nakamura, Butch, Santos Escobar, Ricochet and Logan Paul. It is effectively a three-man race between Knight, Priest and Paul.
Priest is just shy of two months removed from his breathtaking performance against Bad Bunny at Backlash in Puerto Rico. Relatively unknown before he was signed by WWE, unusual given the duration of his career (Priest had wrestled for 11 years before signing with WWE), it was Paul “Triple H” Levesque who wanted him signed and had dreams of grandeur for Priest. At 40, he is coming into his own, with a presence and delivery that makes him immediately stand out. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Finn Bálor defeats Seth Rollins for the world heavyweight championship Saturday, and a victorious Priest could shake the foundation of The Judgment Day by cashing in against Bálor. This match is a chance for Priest—who is admittedly cautious around heights—to again prove why he is a future world champ.
Knight, also 40, is the clear-cut choice to win. The 20-year pro has wrestled with a fury lately, the type that reflects his genuine frustration over being left off WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles. It may not be now or never for Knight, but this is his first legitimate chance to reach new heights in WWE. He has the look, the ability to cut promos and the crowd behind him. Knight would be the obvious choice, except there is one supersized celebrity influencer standing in his way.
“Logan is the best choice to win,” says Jake Paul. “He’s larger than life. He has the bravado. He’s the heel. He’s perfect for this.”
It is nearly impossible to argue with Jake in this setting. Sitting poolside while training for his upcoming boxing bout against the great Nate Diaz, sporting a black eye while championing his Celsius energy drink, Paul expounded on the virtues that will make his brother the prime candidate to win at Money in the Bank.
“There’s no doubt in my mind he will win,” says Paul. “At the end of the day, he’s an entertainer and a super athlete. He can do backflips, the splits, kip-ups, and he’s been creating his own moves out here training in Puerto Rico. He’s creative. That’s what the sport is built around: creativity. We’re hated in these worlds, and we fit perfectly into those characters.”
Logan Paul renewed his contract with WWE this spring. Beginning this Saturday, we will learn if there were any assurances made that he would win a world title.
Despite it finally feeling like this is a moment that belongs to Knight—not entirely dissimilar from Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania against Roman Reigns—reading between the lines tells a different story. Paul lost at the opening night of WrestleMania to Seth Rollins, and perhaps his revenge is coming … starting with a victory this Saturday.
The (online) week in wrestling
- Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay delivered a tremendous, cutting-edge display of pro wrestling Sunday at Forbidden Door. But due to the inherent danger of the move, does the use of the Tiger Driver ’91—where Omega landed on his head—detract from the beauty of the match?
1994 Misawa/Kawada - Tiger Driver 91
— Dark Puroresu Flowsion (@PuroresuFlow) June 26, 2023
2023 Will Ospreay/Kenny Omega - Storm Breaker 93 https://t.co/PEgYzhGgWA
- My one issue with the Omega-Ospreay match was that Don Callis was ejected from ringside, only to return later in the match and proceed to play a critical role. If Jim Ross were on the call, he would have certainly highlighted that gap in logic.
@KennyOmegamanX vs @WillOspreay was an ever lasting pro wrestling memory. 🤠
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) June 26, 2023
- The decision to remove Bayley from last week’s SmackDown—after promoting her in a match against Shotzi Blackheart—was a mistake. It simply should not happen with a star of Bayley’s caliber, yet there are times when it feels as though her contributions are overlooked.
Card subject to change..
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) June 24, 2023
Sorry.
Sorry you couldn’t watch me beat dat ass https://t.co/WGo5icxQo1
- Carmelo Hayes lost clean to Finn Bálor on Raw. As the reigning NXT champion, I’d normally say this was a mistake … but since Bálor was back in NXT last week, hopefully this program continues, and Hayes gets a shocking, astonishing type of win against Bálor.
- The split of The Bloodline tag match at Money in the Bank should be dripping with intensity, but my pick for match of the night—and possibly match of the year—is the upcoming Gunther–Matt Riddle IC title bout.
"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED."@Gunther_AUT awaits @SuperKingofBros this Saturday at #MITB! pic.twitter.com/zdCxdeRblU
— WWE (@WWE) June 27, 2023
CM Punk was brilliant at Forbidden Door
Satoshi Kojima is no longer in his prime.
But you never would have known that on Sunday at Forbidden Door.
CM Punk brought the superstar out of the 52-year-old Kojima. That was not the case when Kojima lost to Jon Moxley at All Out in 2021. The two never found the right chemistry, and that showed in the match. But the bout against Punk was different.
Embracing the chance to play a villain, Punk appeared to relish the way the crowd rallied around Kojima. Their mutual respect led to a genuinely captivating scuffle, evoking a passion rarely on display any longer in Kojima’s matches.
In his first singles match in nine months, Punk was brilliant. From watching this match, you never would have known that, despite all his greatness, Kojima is one of the more underrated legends in Japan. But Punk going deep into his playbook as a heel—even employing a Hulk Hogan–inspired leg drop—generated even more crowd response for Kojima, who was clearly soaking up the praise.
For the second week in a row, this wasn’t Punk’s most pristine GTS (likely not the easiest move with a bulky Kojima). But ring rust is real, and Punk has, surprisingly, shown very little of it. The smart call would have been to have Punk team with FTR in a six-man tag match at Forbidden Door (how was Los Ingobernables de Japon left off the main card?), but Punk is extremely confident in his ability inside the ring. If Punk is going to be Punk, then that level of confidence is a prerequisite.
Punk exceeded all expectations at Forbidden Door. He entertained the crowd, ensured Kojima came off looking like the legend he is and reminded the wrestling world why he is so valuable for AEW.
Tweet of the Week
If ya told me years ago, I’d have an arena chanting HE’S GAY at me in the most POSITIVE of ways, I’d say you’re crazy.
— Anthony Bowens (@Bowens_Official) June 24, 2023
It’s pretty cool to see how far we’ve come. Still more work to do. Happy Pride #AEWRampage pic.twitter.com/CgBM8QJWWn
The Acclaimed is a great team, but Anthony Bowens and Max Caster have yet to even scratch the surface of their success.
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
