If someone said just 2 weeks ago that R-Truth would get the biggest pop of the night at WWE Money in the Bank, fans would look at them with confusion and disbelief.
However, this was not your standard Truth comedy appearance. Less than a week before the show, the former Tag Team Champion announced online that he had been let go by WWE, sparking shock online that bled into TV as “We Want Truth” chants could be heard audibly on Raw, NXT and SmackDown, the latter of which was acknowledged by John Cena, who was also in action at Money in the Bank.
Competing in the main event, which at the time seemed like an odd choice, Cena teamed with Logan Paul to take on Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso, who is also scheduled to put the title on the line against Gunther on the June 9th episode of Raw. With Uso worked over for a lengthy period of time, it first appeared that this would be yet another boring Cena match that sees the Hollywood star continue his mission of ruining wrestling. Despite the fact that Cena and Paul looked to be on the same page, their egos led to their downfall as one too many premature tags caused the heels to argue and allow Rhodes to finally get into the match.
With Rhodes finally picking up the pace of the match and all the big moves hit, the 4 men gave the LA crowd something to cheer about. Paul hit a massive moonsault to the outside onto Uso and through the announce table. As Cena looked to take advantage, the Undisputed Champion was attacked by a hooded figure, who revealed themselves to be R-Truth. A genuine surprise and a thunderous ovation, Truth struck Cena with the gold to allow Rhodes to capitalise and pin the champion.
Although there were no stakes involved in the match, Truth’s appearance and Cena’s loss ended the show on a high and sent the crowd home happy. In more positive news, it has been reported that Truth has signed a new deal and is a rare example of WWE actually listening to the fans and taking action. And no, this was not part of a storyline, despite what some may believe.
Much like the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber PLE, the main selling point of the show was the 2 ladder matches. Kicking off with the Women’s match, the story was that the NXT call-ups of Stephanie Vaquer, Giulia and Roxanne Perez looked to prove themselves against the more established Rhea Ripley and Alexa Bliss. With Ripley buried under a ladder at 0ne point along with Giulia and Perez frequently teaming up and Vaquer also given her time to shine, the NXT stars were given their moment and teased many dream matches for down the road. Ultimately, it was the sixth woman in the match, Naomi, who largely stayed away from the drama to take advantage and unhook the briefcase. Given her current storyline work and heel turn on SmackDown, Naomi was the right choice to win here as it sets up the most anticipated cash-in of the 6.
Later in the night, Seth Rollins emerged the victor in his ladder match thanks to interference from Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. While there were creative spots and big moments in the match, especially from El Grade Americano, the storyline between Rollins and Solo Sikoa going in meant that there were really only 2 credible options to win the match. While LA Knight and Penta would have been popular choices, it was clear that Rollins and Sikoa having back-up would be a huge part of their inevitable cash-ins down the road. With everyone down, Rollins called in reinforcements to help tip the odds in his favour, which looked to be neutralised by Jacob Fatu. However, in the moment fans have been waiting weeks for, the US Champion finally uttered the words “I hate you” to Sikoa and attacked his former ally to allow Rollins to take advantage.
Rollins may become champion as soon as the next episode of Raw given Uso’s upcoming title match and looks to be booked strong given his faction. However, despite their strong showings, it remains unknown what is next for the likes of Penta, Andrade and LA Knight, the latter now being 0-3 in the match. Additionally, the Fireball-sponsored ladder was easily a step to far in the new era of aggressive sponsorships.
Rounding out the card, Dominik Mysterio easily defeated Octagon Jr. to retain the Intercontinental Championship and Becky Lynch defeated Lyra Valkyria to finally win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. As Valkyria attacked Lynch after the bell, it looks likely that both women will go to one more match to try and end things once and for all. Both women always put on great matches and there is definitely an appetite for one more round.
WWE Money In The Bank Final Thoughts
Overall, WWE Money in the Bank was a watchable show but not up to the standard of the previous years. The two ladder matches had their moments but are unlikely to be in consideration for match of the year when 2025 comes to a close. Lynch vs. Valkyria was an entertaining and necessary part of the story and Mysterio’s title defence was a victim of being booked too quickly to give fans a chance to get invested in the story. And then there is the main event.
Cena and Paul vs. Uso and Rhodes was a very slow match with Uso being worked over far too long before the hot tag came. While Paul had his high spot moments, there isn’t anything else fans will remember from the match aside from the R-Truth return. Had Truth not been cut from the company, or if the news had not created as much Backlash, the interference spot would have likely not happened and fans would not be as complimentary of the main event. If WWE waited a week to inform Truth of the news or handled the exit better, they wouldn’t have had to rectify a problem that they created. Fans will go back to see the Truth return as it was a genuine shock, but it shouldn’t be a distraction that this was a boring match for the most part. However, there is genuine intrigue as to what Truth will do next given he is now back in WWE less than a week after the news broke.
And once again, despite what Triple H tells you, no, it was not a part of the plan.
Featured image: WWE
