MAMI in the Bank turns into Caution in the Bank!

story by editor-in-chief: Ashly Nicole

Anyone WWE fan knows that the kings and queens of the ring are absolutely ruthless when it comes to defending their titles, or getting them back. This year so many amazingly talented wrestlers qualified to compete for the briefcase at Money in the Bank, and only two came out with the sought after contracts that allow the winners to cash in to compete for the World Championship belt.
Fans sold out the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California this year for an action packed weekend, featuring so much anticipated talent, including new comers The Prodigy, Roxanne Perez and the newly signed Stephanie Vaquer. Money in the Bank also called for some beloved seasoned WWE stars to compete for the briefcase, making both men and women’s ladder matches a six way free for all match! Meaning there are no rules, all ladders, and doing whatever it takes to be the first to grab that briefcase.

The women’s match kicked off Money in the Bank with an unbelievable match, and was originally and affectionately being referred to as, “Mami in the Bank”, because our queen of darkness and labubu’s, Rhea Ripley was one of the first to qualify to compete at Money in the Bank. However, the five other WWE superstars competing would soon give Rhea a run for her money. Competing against Rhea were Naomi, Roxanne Perez, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, and Alexa Bliss. At first fans thought that Rhea had this match in the bag, as she statures over most of the other women in this match, and she is known to be absolutely unforgiving, and a wrestler that stops at nothing to win, but from the beginning of the six way battle, everyone could quickly anticipate that Rhea might not come out on top of that ladder this time! This was one of the most chaotic and frustrating matches of the evening, with Rhea quickly being sandwiched between ladders, knocked out of the ring and dog piled by ladders, thrown on her by her competitors, and at one point even receiving the devil’s kiss from Stephanie Vaquer on top of a ladder (ouch). A combination of all of these incidents led to Rhea being visibly absent for a lot of the match, leaving the briefcase as anyone’s prize. There were so many iconic moments in this match, especially seeing Roxanne and Alexa, the two smallest wrestlers in this match, overpower Naomi and Stephanie, probably two of the strongest, for a quick second. The women’s ladder match was absolutely unmatched, and full of tons of unexpected outcomes, and the most surprising and exciting one of them all being Naomi finally reaching the top of the ladder and grabbing that briefcase, securing that contract that she can cash in at any time to take on Iyo Sky, Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, or even Becky Lynch to compete for a women’s World Championship title belt. I can’t wait to see who she cashes in on, and if she comes out with a new Championship title!

In between the women’s and men’s ladder matches, we got a couple of other fire fueled matches. The first of these consisted of Dirty Dominik Mysterio vs Octagón Jr.
This match was added to the card after a confrontation between the two at WWE x AAA Worlds Collide. Dominik and his long time girlfriend, Liv Morgan, were taunting Octagón Jr. and his team after their match, which led to a brawl and the title challenge. The match itself saw Dominik initially struggle, but then gain control, with Octagón Jr. attempting, but ultimately failing to make a comeback, resulting in Dominik successfully defending his intercontinental championship. Surprisingly, Dominik did this without the use of any chairs or help from anyone else in Judgment Day; the only “help” Dom had for this match was from his Güerita, Liv Morgan, who stood ringside cheering him on the entire time, and may or may not have created a distraction or two.
Out of the two, the next one had to be the most hard fought match. Becky Lynch defeated Lyra Valkyria to win the Women's Intercontinental Championship, although the victory was controversial, and honestly sorely won. Lyra initially ambushed Becky, but Lynch quickly turned the tables and dominated much of the match. Despite Lyra Valkyria's resilience and several near-falls, in the end, Lynch secured the win using underhanded tactics, specifically by grabbing Lyra's tights during a pinning combination. Lyra kept to her word from a previous Monday Night RAW, where she said, "If she [Becky] beats me, I'll raise the bitch's hand", despite their intense rivalry and prior negative history, and raise Becky’s hand she did. After the defeat, Lyra was paraded around the ring by Becky for several minutes, with Becky forcing Lyra to continue to raise her hand and finally making Lyra put the championship belt around her waste. Lyra snapped and attacked Becky, leaving the new champion laying in the ring. While Lyra fulfilled the initial agreement made, she did not take kindly to Becky's further demands and lashed out, continuing on with their current rivalry indefinitely.

Next up was the very anticipated men’s ladder match, pinning WWE superstars, Solo Sikoa, LA Knight, Seth Rollins, Penta, Andrade, and El Grande Americano against each other. This match began with everyone surrounding Seth, hoping to knock him out of the competition immediately, but just like Judgement Day, Seth Rollin’s and crew never play fair, and the match was full of interruptions and distractions. We got appearances made by Bronson Reed, Bron Breakker, Jacob Fatu, and JC Matteo. While the original six were the main attraction of this match, I can’t help but note that Jacob Fatu making an appearance was not for the greater good, nor to defend Solo as some would think. Jacob’s appearance, alongside JC Matteo was originally intended in defense of Solo, but resulted in Jacob completely betraying Solo during the match! Jacob delivered a superkick and a Moonsault, followed by a Spinning Solo through a ladder bridge. Not only did Fatu betray Solo, but he used his signature move to do it. During all the action the other 5 superstars made several attempts at grabbing the briefcase; Penta and LA Knight making it to the top of the ladder on a few occasions, but in the end, it was Seth “Freakin” Rollins who took home the briefcase for the second time in his career. I think this match left everyone a bit bitter, Grande Americano with a bit of serious injury, and fans still longing for a big LA Knight or Penta win.

For the final and main event of the evening, the ultimate tag team match featuring John Cena and his new accomplice, Logan Paul, against the dream team, Main Event Jey Uso and THE American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes. As most are aware, this is one of the 20 dates left on John Cena’s farewell tour. Although Cena was not competing for a briefcase, the hero turned heel was there for vengeance and ego. This match was set up after John Cena's victory over Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41, where Cena attempted to cost Jey Uso the World Heavyweight Championship against Logan Paul. Cody Rhodes returned to confront Cena and ended up challenging him to a match at Money in the Bank.
The match began with Cody and Jey controlling the ring, showcasing their chemistry as former tag team champions, however Cena and Logan gained momentum by isolating Jey and working to prevent him from tagging in Cody for a good portion of the match. There were several clip worthy moments, including Cody hitting Logan (who was operating a drone camera at the time) with a superplex, it was probably one of the most entertaining things to see from the eye of a tiny drone. Jey Uso speared Cena through the announce table, then causing Logan to hit a springboard moonsault on Jey through the announce table! Let’s just say…there wasn’t any tables to commentate at for a hot minute.
The entire match was incredibly frustrating to watch, and I thought it might be all over for Cody and Jey, but then the unthinkable happened. While the referee was distracted, Cena used the Undisputed WWE Championship belt to attack Cody Rhodes. However, before Cena could capitalize, a mysterious person dressed in all black and a hood covering their face sprinted through the audience and dove into the ring. That person was none other than the beloved and missed, R-Truth! The crowd, and I’m sure every single wrestling fan watching, absolutely lost their minds! There has never been a louder and more audible shock; R-Truth, who had recently been released from WWE, was brought back by his devoted fans, who were outraged at the star’s release from the company weeks prior. After diving into the ring, R-Truth ripped off his hood, and was seen holding John Cena’s Undisputed WWE Championship belt, then proceeded to run at John Cena, his hero, full speed, resulting in Cena taking the full metal plaque of the belt right to the face, causing the entire stadium erupt into screams and cheers yet again.
While the shock and chaos from R-Truth’s completely unexpected appearance settled, this gave Cody some time to recover, and deliver his signature move, the Cross Rhodes to Cena, securing the victory for himself and Jey Uso. 

This match was significant for being John Cena's final Money in the Bank appearance as an in-ring competitor, as he is set to retire from professional wrestling at the end of 2025. A sad way to end his final Money in the Bank match, but that’s unfortunately what happens when The Rock turns you heel and your tag team partner is Logan Paul. I would say, “maybe next time…” but.

Watching Money in the Bank live and in person is such a surreal experience for any wrestling fan, new and old, and something I certainly don’t take lightly. This year’s Money in the Bank event was definitely one for the books, and I’d bet one of the most iconic events in 2025 so far, (still not over the R-Truth appearance).
The energy, the unexpected turns and team ups, and all the ladders, left everyone wanting to see more. I’m anticipating some crazy cash ins from Naomi and Seth at some point this year, and can’t wait to see who they cash their briefcases in on, and so looking forward to seeing more of the chaos R-Truth could be cooking up, and the rest of John Cena’s farewell tour to find out if he ends up retiring as the 17 time Undisputed WWE Champion…or maybe 18 time, if you’re pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down.

Photos by Scott Brinegar and Ashly Nicole