Unusual circumstances brought about an extremely unusual Money in the Bank event. What better way to further your career than brawling through the company headquarters to retrieve a contract on the roof? Otis and Asuka were the benefactors - and now a title shot of their choice, time and location awaits them.
The champions made solid showings themselves, as Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman respectively defended their championships, while in the women's division, Bayley once again needed the help of friend Sasha Banks to see off a contender in Tamina.
Big E and Kofi become the Lucha House Party-poopers
New Day (c) def. Lucha House Party, Miz & Morrison, Forgotten Sons - WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships
The New Day overcame the odds to keep their eighth tag-team championship reign intact, ultimately seeing off Lucha House Party in a frantic card opener. The athlieticism of those two tag-teams were juxtaposed by the sheer brutality of The Forgotten Sons who approached the match with intent, continuing to make a splash on the blue brand. The Miz and John Morrison were willing to risk it all to claim the championships they squandered last month, with Morrison suplexing an unfortunate opponent into the sea of bodies outside the ring. Moments later they would come close to recapturing those championships when chaos unfolded - Gran Metallik threw caution to the wind, Forgotten Sons would have a lesson to remember when they the referee stood firm, and then it was down to New Day to finish off Lucha House Party with their patented finishers.
Lashley had no time for the truth
R-Truth def. Bobby Lashley
Initially scheduled as a match between himself and R-Truth, MVP recruited the increasingly terrifying Bobby Lashley to dish out some home truths of his own. Lashley had bad intentions and set out wasting no time, hitting a spear a couple of minutes in to get his hand raised. The beatdown clearly thrust R-Truth into an even more confused state than usual, calling out Tom Brady (not Rob Gronkowski) for the 24/7 Championship. Both men will be very occupied in Tampa so he will be lucky to get a reply.
Bayley "Banks" in on a helping hand
Bayley (c) def. Tamina - WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
Bayley saw off another challenger to continue her historic SmackDown Women's Championship run - but she couldn't take all the credit. Once again her friend Sasha Banks proved the difference in seeing off Tamina. The daughter of the legendary Jimmy Snuka came within close reach of capturing gold, rag-dolling Bayley around the arena after she was subjected to an assault on her leg during the opening stages of the match. When Tamina was beginning to really take control, Sasha Banks got on the apron to distract her and Snuka would make chase in an attempt to well and truly get her out of the equation. That would ultimately be her downfall, as when she chased Sasha back into the ring, Bayley crept up behind for the roll-up pin. With a pay-per-view named Money in the Bank, there was no surprise Sasha Banks played a big role.
Strowman leaves Bray sheepish in first title defence
Braun Strowman (c) def. Bray Wyatt - WWE Championship
Braun Strowman put his demons to rest in his first title defence as WWE Champion. A Fiend-less Bray Wyatt and his Firefly Fun House friends fell to the former "black sheep" who put any affiliations with the man who brought him into WWE well and truly in the rear-view mirror.
The Monster Among Men was focused from the outset anticipating some of the signature mind games of his former cult leader. A brutal beat down quickly turned Wyatt's laughs to screams of pain - but he would turn the match into a methodical beatdown when he had a chance to turn things around, including a DDT on the outside. One moment of Bray's complacency before hitting the Sister Abigal would cost him though - Braun rallied off a chokeslam and then put on his black sheep mask - to Wyatt's demise though as he cut the mercy and hit a running powerslam for the finish. Strowman isn't part of the family, he's made that clear.
No mon(knee) in the bank as Seth's assault on Universal Champion falls short
Drew McIntyre (c) def. Seth Rollins - WWE Universal Championship
Drew McIntyre defied a brutal onslaught from Seth Rollins to continue his reign - or burden of being Universal Champion. Seth was stifled early on with the intensity brought to the table from the Scot, still riding high on his WrestleMania main event victory over Brock Lesnar.
The left knee soon became the target of the Monday Night Messiah as Rollins poured on the offence, buckling McIntyre every time he tried to mount a comeback, including an impressive belly-to-belly suplex to counter a suicide dive that sent Rollins crashing and burning over the commentary desk. Seth was on a mission to fulfil his "destiny", but it turns out that wouldn't be enough. McIntyre was kicking out at one to the dismay of Rollins, and that eventually broke him. After kicking out of a super kick and curb stomp, Drew countered for a Glasgow Kiss, followed by the lethal Claymore Kick, and that was all she wrote. The Universal Champion remained appreciative after what was a hellacious beatdown, offering a handshake to the challenger following the match.
Otis and Asuka climb the corporate ladder
Otis wins Money in the Bank 2020 (Men's)
Asuka wins Money in the Bank 2020 (Women's)
Otis and Asuka cashed in on the most unique Money in the Bank match in WWE history to secure a title shot of the preference at any place and location. For the women it began on the ground floor, but Asuka was already one step ahead, leaping from the floor above to take out her competition and make for the lift. Meanwhile, the male competitors waged war in the gym - bad luck for Corbin who smashed the mirrors with a weight, while AJ was left stranded under a loaded barbell at the hands of Otis - who later was found receiving the same kicks to the chest that he was cheering Bryan to perform on Corbin.
The action was thick and fast, but for Dana that was a wake-up call, after retrieving the wrong briefcase in a conference room. Stephanie McMahon delivered that news to her, sending her on her way towards the roof. There were some PTSD flashbacks for AJ Styles who stumbled across an Undertaker-themed room in the HQ, having just recently returned to action after losing in a Boneyard Match at WrestleMania.
A couple floors up and Paul Heyman was preparing to devour a banquet of food, until the men and women crossed paths and a food fight ensued. Shayna Baszler randomly choked out Rey Mysterio during the chaos, who was then squashed between Otis and Jax as tensions heightened. Nia Jax appeared to take the food fight too far and powerbombed Dana Brooke through the table to exact revenge on their clash in the conference room earlier.
The champions made solid showings themselves, as Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman respectively defended their championships, while in the women's division, Bayley once again needed the help of friend Sasha Banks to see off a contender in Tamina.
Big E and Kofi become the Lucha House Party-poopers
New Day (c) def. Lucha House Party, Miz & Morrison, Forgotten Sons - WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships
The New Day overcame the odds to keep their eighth tag-team championship reign intact, ultimately seeing off Lucha House Party in a frantic card opener. The athlieticism of those two tag-teams were juxtaposed by the sheer brutality of The Forgotten Sons who approached the match with intent, continuing to make a splash on the blue brand. The Miz and John Morrison were willing to risk it all to claim the championships they squandered last month, with Morrison suplexing an unfortunate opponent into the sea of bodies outside the ring. Moments later they would come close to recapturing those championships when chaos unfolded - Gran Metallik threw caution to the wind, Forgotten Sons would have a lesson to remember when they the referee stood firm, and then it was down to New Day to finish off Lucha House Party with their patented finishers.
Image: WWE |
Lashley had no time for the truth
R-Truth def. Bobby Lashley
Initially scheduled as a match between himself and R-Truth, MVP recruited the increasingly terrifying Bobby Lashley to dish out some home truths of his own. Lashley had bad intentions and set out wasting no time, hitting a spear a couple of minutes in to get his hand raised. The beatdown clearly thrust R-Truth into an even more confused state than usual, calling out Tom Brady (not Rob Gronkowski) for the 24/7 Championship. Both men will be very occupied in Tampa so he will be lucky to get a reply.
Image; WWE |
Bayley "Banks" in on a helping hand
Bayley (c) def. Tamina - WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
Bayley saw off another challenger to continue her historic SmackDown Women's Championship run - but she couldn't take all the credit. Once again her friend Sasha Banks proved the difference in seeing off Tamina. The daughter of the legendary Jimmy Snuka came within close reach of capturing gold, rag-dolling Bayley around the arena after she was subjected to an assault on her leg during the opening stages of the match. When Tamina was beginning to really take control, Sasha Banks got on the apron to distract her and Snuka would make chase in an attempt to well and truly get her out of the equation. That would ultimately be her downfall, as when she chased Sasha back into the ring, Bayley crept up behind for the roll-up pin. With a pay-per-view named Money in the Bank, there was no surprise Sasha Banks played a big role.
Image: WWE |
Strowman leaves Bray sheepish in first title defence
Braun Strowman (c) def. Bray Wyatt - WWE Championship
Braun Strowman put his demons to rest in his first title defence as WWE Champion. A Fiend-less Bray Wyatt and his Firefly Fun House friends fell to the former "black sheep" who put any affiliations with the man who brought him into WWE well and truly in the rear-view mirror.
The Monster Among Men was focused from the outset anticipating some of the signature mind games of his former cult leader. A brutal beat down quickly turned Wyatt's laughs to screams of pain - but he would turn the match into a methodical beatdown when he had a chance to turn things around, including a DDT on the outside. One moment of Bray's complacency before hitting the Sister Abigal would cost him though - Braun rallied off a chokeslam and then put on his black sheep mask - to Wyatt's demise though as he cut the mercy and hit a running powerslam for the finish. Strowman isn't part of the family, he's made that clear.
Image: WWE |
No mon(knee) in the bank as Seth's assault on Universal Champion falls short
Drew McIntyre (c) def. Seth Rollins - WWE Universal Championship
Drew McIntyre defied a brutal onslaught from Seth Rollins to continue his reign - or burden of being Universal Champion. Seth was stifled early on with the intensity brought to the table from the Scot, still riding high on his WrestleMania main event victory over Brock Lesnar.
The left knee soon became the target of the Monday Night Messiah as Rollins poured on the offence, buckling McIntyre every time he tried to mount a comeback, including an impressive belly-to-belly suplex to counter a suicide dive that sent Rollins crashing and burning over the commentary desk. Seth was on a mission to fulfil his "destiny", but it turns out that wouldn't be enough. McIntyre was kicking out at one to the dismay of Rollins, and that eventually broke him. After kicking out of a super kick and curb stomp, Drew countered for a Glasgow Kiss, followed by the lethal Claymore Kick, and that was all she wrote. The Universal Champion remained appreciative after what was a hellacious beatdown, offering a handshake to the challenger following the match.
Image: WWE |
Otis and Asuka climb the corporate ladder
Otis wins Money in the Bank 2020 (Men's)
Asuka wins Money in the Bank 2020 (Women's)
Otis and Asuka cashed in on the most unique Money in the Bank match in WWE history to secure a title shot of the preference at any place and location. For the women it began on the ground floor, but Asuka was already one step ahead, leaping from the floor above to take out her competition and make for the lift. Meanwhile, the male competitors waged war in the gym - bad luck for Corbin who smashed the mirrors with a weight, while AJ was left stranded under a loaded barbell at the hands of Otis - who later was found receiving the same kicks to the chest that he was cheering Bryan to perform on Corbin.
The action was thick and fast, but for Dana that was a wake-up call, after retrieving the wrong briefcase in a conference room. Stephanie McMahon delivered that news to her, sending her on her way towards the roof. There were some PTSD flashbacks for AJ Styles who stumbled across an Undertaker-themed room in the HQ, having just recently returned to action after losing in a Boneyard Match at WrestleMania.
A couple floors up and Paul Heyman was preparing to devour a banquet of food, until the men and women crossed paths and a food fight ensued. Shayna Baszler randomly choked out Rey Mysterio during the chaos, who was then squashed between Otis and Jax as tensions heightened. Nia Jax appeared to take the food fight too far and powerbombed Dana Brooke through the table to exact revenge on their clash in the conference room earlier.
Image: WWE |
There was even an appearance from John Laurinitis, who received a pie to the face after springing up on Otis in the cafeteria. It's probably best to avoid the office of your boss when you are waging war in his headquarters, but Styles and Bryan spilled into his room and were promptly kicked out - Vince wasn't impressed.
The women were first to reach the roof, and Nia, Asuka and Evans all took it in turns making their attempts up the ladder - but when Asuka, a former Royal Rumble winner, toppled off both women and scaled the ladder, her problem would now be from the other gender as Baron Corbin tried to stop her getting the briefcase - confusing, much - but Asuka thwarted that attempt and sent him crashing off the ladder, retrieving the briefcase for herself.
Otis found himself glaring at a vacant ladder with no one nearby, unfortunately for him though he snapped the rungs of the ladder and by that time Corbin had recovered. Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black soon joined the chaos, but that would be short-lived as they were pushed off a ladder and subsequently thrown off the roof to their peril by Baron Corbin. AJ Styles and Corbin managed to get back to the top where they unhooked the briefcase and both had a handle on it. That's when Elias, guitar in hand, exacted revenge, interfering in the match and hitting Corbin in the back to dissipate his dreams. AJ Styles fumbled the bag this time, literally, dropping the briefcase into the hands of a lucky, awaiting and opportunistic Otis. Mr Money in the Back. "Yo Mandy, I did it!" he screamed. Quite the surprise - but fitting for how unique the circumstances were.
The women were first to reach the roof, and Nia, Asuka and Evans all took it in turns making their attempts up the ladder - but when Asuka, a former Royal Rumble winner, toppled off both women and scaled the ladder, her problem would now be from the other gender as Baron Corbin tried to stop her getting the briefcase - confusing, much - but Asuka thwarted that attempt and sent him crashing off the ladder, retrieving the briefcase for herself.
Otis found himself glaring at a vacant ladder with no one nearby, unfortunately for him though he snapped the rungs of the ladder and by that time Corbin had recovered. Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black soon joined the chaos, but that would be short-lived as they were pushed off a ladder and subsequently thrown off the roof to their peril by Baron Corbin. AJ Styles and Corbin managed to get back to the top where they unhooked the briefcase and both had a handle on it. That's when Elias, guitar in hand, exacted revenge, interfering in the match and hitting Corbin in the back to dissipate his dreams. AJ Styles fumbled the bag this time, literally, dropping the briefcase into the hands of a lucky, awaiting and opportunistic Otis. Mr Money in the Back. "Yo Mandy, I did it!" he screamed. Quite the surprise - but fitting for how unique the circumstances were.
Image: WWE |
COMMENTS