WWE Raw airs live tonight on the USA Network from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
WWE will be transitioning through various programming changes in the near future, with “WWE Raw” heading to Netflix come January 2025 as well as “WWE Smackdown” moving to the USA Network and “WWE NXT” going to CW in October. However, according to Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative Paul “Triple H” Levesque, “NXT” leaving the USA Network will not be the only change coming to the gold brand later this year.
Speaking at the Money in the Bank 2024 post press conference, “The Game” went into detail about WWE planning ahead toward making more changes to “NXT” in the fall. He also explained that, over time, the audience will see various differences to “Raw” and “SmackDown” as we inch closer to December.
“We are just getting started. I really feel like that. We got a whole fall thing coming up with CW for NXT. Which by the way Shawn is just killing it right… Whether that’s talent development, recruitment, NXT in general. I can’t say enough good stuff about it. I’m in awe of what they’re doing down there… When they move to CW, when SmackDown makes the move to USA, when Raw makes the move to Netflix. We’re just getting rolling. We’re lining up all this stuff that’s gonna happen. A lot of the changes you see now, we are slow rolling things out. When we get to the fall, when we get to the winter, there’s gonna be a lot.”
Triple H also expressed how excited he is about John Cena returning to the ring for a full year after announcing his retirement at Money in the Bank. Furthermore, he stated how grateful he is to be running creative with the current talent on the WWE roster.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
While Damian Priest emerged with his WWE World Heavyweight Championship still in hand after WWE Money in the Bank, he also emerged to viral videos highlighting an in-ring mistake of his. The mistake in reference occurred when Seth Rollins laid out Priest with a Falcon Arrow, to which Priest was meant to kick out of. As the referee’s hand inched closer to the three count, though, Priest’s shoulder remained firmly planted on the mat. Nevertheless, the referee ruled that Priest had kicked out of the pinfall attempt. At the Money in the Bank post-show press conference, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressed the confusing spot.
“Human beings in a ring, mistakes happen, things happen. It is what it is,” Levesque said. “It’s funny, for me, now looking at that, if that was something I was involved in as a talent, I don’t care how good the rest of it was, that would be all I would think about. To me, it’s a shame that that’s all people will talk about, and that’s all people will hit Damian Priest with, while he had a phenomenal performance tonight. But a bunch of people will attack that, criticize that, comment on that.”
Knowing that the negative aspects of a match can sometimes eclipse the positive, Levesque further wishes he could have powered off Priest’s phone to allow him the proper space and time to reflect on all the shining moments in his WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign. “He has stepped up to a place where when you see him as a performer now, I feel like I’m watching a champion come out. I feel like I’m watching a top tier guy,” Levesque said.
Despite the questions surrounding Priest’s kickout, or lack thereof, Levesque asserts that the referee’s decision stands, and Priest remains the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Looking ahead, Priest now turns his attention to WWE SummerSlam, where he is slated to defend his title against the 2024 King of the Ring, GUNTHER.
Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to WWE
16-time WWE Champion John Cena made a surprise appearance at Money in the Bank, confirming rumors from earlier in the day, announcing that his time for retirement was now, sending the Toronto crowd into a frenzy wrought with “no” chants. Carrying a towel that slightly altered his trademark “My Time Is Now” catchphrase to say “The Last Time Is Now,” Cena’s shirt, which read, “John Cena Farewell Tour,” hinted at what he would soon make clear — that this wasn’t an imminent goodbye but seemingly a slow progression that would include plenty of lasts.
After praising Canadian WWE fans for being some of the most dedicated in the world, “The Greatest of All Time” made it clear that he wanted to be there when WWE makes history, debuting “Raw” on Netflix, but also that the 2025 Royal Rumble would be his last. He then stated the same for Elimination Chamber, as well as WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. While it initially seemed as though Cena would hang up his wrestling sneakers for good after WrestleMania, he clarified at the post-show press conference that his retirement tour will take place from January to December 2025, with approximately 30-40 matches planned. He also said that even after he retires from in-ring competition, he will still be part of WWE “in some capacity for an extended time to come.”
Personifying what remains of his competitive spirit, Cena said, “If you’re a WWE superstar, if you want some, hurry up and come get some,” leaving the fans in Toronto and at home all over the world to wonder about a series of potential dream matches they can hope to see become a reality as Cena’s swan song gets underway.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
MEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH:
Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Chad Gable
Winner: Drew McIntyre
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Sami Zayn (c) def. Bron Breakker
Announcement of the return of the Bad Blood PLE for Saturday, October 5, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
MITB host Trish Stratus introduced John Cena.
John Cena announced his upcoming retirement next year. “Last Time Is Now”
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Damian Priest (c) vs. Seth Rollins
* Stipulation: If Rollins wins, Priest must leave The Judgment Day. If Priest wins, Rollins cannot challenge for this title again while Priest is champion *
It appeared that Rollins had a pin for a 3 count but the ref only counted two, even though it appeared that Priest didn’t get a shoulder up.
Drew McIntyre came down and cashed in MITB briefcase.
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Damian Priest (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre
CM Punk attacked McIntyre. Punk grabbed the Title belt and hit McIntyre upside the head. Priest hits South of Heaven chokeslam on McIntyre. Priest pins McIntyre for the win.
Winner and still World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest
WOMEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH:
Chelsea Green vs. Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Winner: Tiffany Stratton
The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu) w/ Tonga Loa def. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
WWE NXT Heatwave PLE – Sunday July 7, 2024 – Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
CARD
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP FATAL 4-WAY MATCH:
Trick Williams (c) vs. Ethan Page vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Shawn Spears
NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Nathan Frazer and Axiom (c) vs. Chase University (Andre Chase and Duke Hudson)
NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Lola Vice
NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Oba Femi (c) vs. Wes Lee
SINGLES MATCH FOR THE NXT WOMEN’S NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Kelani Jordan (c) vs. Sol Ruca
[COUNTDOWN TO NXT HEATWAVE PRE-SHOW]
Arianna Grace & Karmen Petrovic vs. Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx
The rivalry between Sami Zayn and Johnny Knoxville continues, as the latter crashed Zayn’s comedy show in Toronto on Thursday night.
Earlier this week, Knoxville took to Twitter to tease that he was heading to Toronto. This led to Zayn replying with, “WTF is this …?!”
‘Fly Me to the Moon’ Stars Scarlett Johansson & Channing Tatum Weigh in on Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories | THR News Video
During last night’s Sami Zayn & Friends Comedy Show, the Jackass star showed up and attacked Zayn. Knoxville snuck up on Zayn during the curtain call and gave him a low blow kick.
As of this writing, there is no word on if Knoxville will be showing up at Saturday’s WWE Money in the Bank 2024 pay-per-view event.
In addition to Knoxville, Trish Stratus, Bayley and Cody Rhodes appeared at the comedy show.
Source: eWn
WWE Money In The Bank PLE – Saturday July 6, 2024 – 7pm ET- Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will be the host.
CARD
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Damian Priest (c) vs. Seth Rollins
* Stipulation: If Rollins wins, Priest must leave The Judgment Day. If Priest wins, Rollins cannot challenge for this title again while Priest is champion *
Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline
MEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH:
Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Chad Gable
WOMEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH:
Chelsea Green vs. Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Bron Breakker
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will air live on FOX and take place from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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