As usual, a week’s worth of wrestling is a fantastic dose of self-care. Last week in Wrestling, Money In The Bank 2024 happened, and it was quite a spectacle. Drew McIntyre and Tiffany Straton came out victorious in their respective ladder matches. One fumbled the cash-in while the other challenged a legend. NXT Heatwave also took place on a weekend full of WWE spectacle.
Ethan Page jumped ship from AEW and became NXT’s captain by falling into a championship win thanks to a couple of Trick Shots from Trick Williams. A fantastic tag team showing by DIY on Smackdown and Axiom & Frasier at Heatwave. With such a scorching week in WWE, we have much to cover, so let’s see who got over and who was stepped over.
Stepped Over: Drew McIntyre
The Scottish Psychopath took the biggest L of the week, failing to successfully cash-in his Money In The Bank contract and win the WWE Heavyweight Title. Instead, CM Punk crashed the party, smashed Drew, and watched in all his smug glory as Damien Priest retained his title. After Drew flipped his wig at the post-show and gave General Manager Adam Pierce a stiff elbow for interfering in his rant, Drew is now suspended indefinitely and fined for his outburst as well. Not a great Kayfabe week for Drew. However…
Got over: Drew McIntyre
Drew is the hottest thing going on in the company at the moment. His story is red hot, he’s working with arguably the second biggest draw in the company, his story has weight and fan investment, and the man has never been better in the ring or on the mic. We are in the back half of 2024, and Drew is already my pick for the non-existent Oh, Wrestling Wrestler of the Year Award. The eventual clash between Drew and CM Punk will definitely be a classic. The only thing we have to fear is Punk legitimately falling apart after the match.
Stepped over: Bron Breakker
I love the trajectory of Bron Breakker on the main roster. He has solid mic skills, impeccable ring work, and the fans are digging him. The Dog Pound is all but inevitable. However, the machine fed the BadAss to Sami Zayn in a clean victory at Money In The Bank, which halted his momentum on the main roster. What began as a slow build of dominance has stalled out a bit, given his inability to smash Sami. A man slower, older, smaller, and kayfabe weaker than Bron. It was a strange idea to put Bron in that IC title match. I believe it was a plan B. He was building a feud with Ludwig Kaiser. It’s pro wrestling, so all it takes is a solid story to get Bron back in the face, but his loss to Sami, while not shameful in the least, does stunt his forward momentum.
Also, his name remains stupid and confusing and should be changed to simply “Steiner.” What are we doing? Breakker? Ew.
Got over: Ethan Page
Ethan is the new face of NXT, a pretty big leap for a newly aquired talent from AEW. The Fatal Four Way match with Shawn Spears, Je’Von Evans, and former champ Trick Williams was fun with some great spots. Je’Von in particular, showing off his ability to soar. The closing spot saw Trick Williams Land consecutive Trick Shots on Je’Von and Ethan—the last causing Ethan to land on Je’Von to get the pin and the win. With his unearned win, Ethan skyrockets to the top of the NXT roster with a lot of potential for great stories, given his “stolen” win. Perhaps he will adopt the Dominic Toretto philosophy of “winning’s winning.” I am not a big NXT fan, but I’ll watch these four to see where the story lands.
Stepped over: Damage Ctrl
Post-Wrestlemania, Damage Ctrl is at a loss for what’s next. Iyo Sky failed to claim a second Money In The Bank briefcase, Dakota Kai didn’t qualify for the match, Asuka remains on the shelf, and I have no idea what Kairi Sane is doing these days besides hanging out in the background. Once a major faction in WWE, now relegated to swearing, they are still a threat while proving otherwise in the ring. Like many wrestlers in a losing streak, Sky claims Damage Ctrl needs a change. What that means remains to be seen, but Iyo isn’t wrong. Nothing is working for the group, and perhaps a fresh feud with a viable stable is the shot in the arm the group needs. I don’t think they need to split. As a faction, they are lost in the shuffle. On their own, it will be so much worse.
Got Over: Tiffany Stratton
It’s officially Tiffy Time. Tiffany claimed her place at the top of the Women’s Division as the new Money In The Bank winner. Despite a short fall from grace a few months ago, Tiffy has been a star in the Women’s division and is poised to pick up her first main roster strap within the year. Her affiliation with Nia Jax leads me to believe she will try and cash-in at Summerslam and screw over her new friend. If we get a longer stint with Tiffy carrying the briefcase, there will be many opportunities for fun segments with Tiffany and the Women’s champ. Whoever that may be. Either way, it was a great ladder match and a deserved winner.
Stepped over: Bayley
I will keep putting Bayley on this list until WWE decides to make her a key player again. Bayley remains on the sidelines as an NPC in her own story at the top. Besides short segments with her bestie Naomi, Bayley is stuck in a Champion’s Purgatory. She smiles, waves, wins, and repeats without direction or motivation. Bayley is a born babyface, but she needs something to sink her teeth into, and right now, she’s just a shoulder to carry the Women’s Championship into Summerslam. With Money In The Bank out of the way, hopefully, WWE will focus on Nia Vs Bayley. There was a nice long vignette for Nia Jax after NXT Heatwave, but nothing for Bayley. Not great for the champ.
Got Over: DIY
When the duo of Johnny and Tomaso were on Raw, there were signs they were about to split, after their inability to beat R-Truth and Miz for the World Tag Titles. It seems WWE had other plans, such as moving them over to the Blue Brand and putting them in a position to dethrone the current champs. DIY becomes your new WWE Tag Team Champions on Smackdown, dual submitting the team of A-Town Down Under, ending their three-month title reign. DIY is one of HHH’s homegrown favorites when they dominated NXT as tag champs and bitter rivals. Their call-up to the main roster came with a promise of similar success, which hasn’t manifested until right now. They always put on fantastic matches. It’s their motivations and stories that always come up short. Hopefully, these new titles will generate some engaging stories and conflicts for the team.
Stepped over: A-Town Down Under
The title change could be a catalyst to face-turn Austin Theory with a feud against his partner, Grayson Waller. It’s been a long time coming. Sadly, I doubt splitting these two up is the best for either wrestler. Their tag team is one of the more enjoyable duos on the roster. They have great chemistry, are always entertaining to watch, and found their grove right before winning the titles. However, like Damage Ctrl, they face an uphill battle as singles on Smackdown. The Bloodline, Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, LA Knight, Logan Paul, and AJ Styles compete for time on a two-hour show. These two are less likely to make the cut unless shackled to each other or a bigger draw. Let’s see how it pays out.
