WWE News & Rumor Roundup - Truth about Money in the Bank botch, Long-awaited John Cena rematch before retirement? Women's IC and US titles
Today's WWE News & Rumor Roundup edition might as well be renamed the Money in the Bank special! MITB is a highly anticipated PLE every year, and this time around as well, the company had some massive surprises.
Unfortunately, the show also featured a string of botches, one during the World Heavyweight Championship match between Damian Priest and Seth Rollins. John Cena also returned to announce his retirement tour and unsurprisingly, several stars have joined the queue for a showdown against the future Hall of Famer.
We also have an exciting update regarding the possibility of two new championships being added to the WWE.
#1. Backstage news on Damian Piest's Money in the Bank botch
While Damian Priest and Seth Rollins put on a phenomenal World Title match, one spot threatened to dull their performances.
There was a moment in the match where Priest didn't kick out after Rollins' Falcon Arrow, leading the referee to stop the count at two, for no reason at all. Since it happened, fans have been wondering about the reason behind the visibly uncomfortable spot, and Dave Meltzer has some answers. As revealed on the Wrestling Observer Radio, people backstage noted that Damian Priest just didn't kick out as planned.
The possibility of "timing issues" regarding Drew McIntyre's entry was raised, but the general feeling behind the scenes was that Priest just made a mistake during the pinfall.
"I had asked around, and basically, the story I heard was that he didn't kick out. I think there's a possibility that there might have been a timing.... this is not what I was told when I watched it [but[ maybe there was a timing thing where it was supposed to be like one or two, and then the music hits, and then because Drew's coming down right away. And then maybe like that's supposed to be the thing in the music, but when I did ask, it was, 'he just didn't kick out.'"
Triple H even addressed the spot from the World Heavyweight Championship match, sympathizing with Damian Priest and acknowledging that it was a rare error from the champion.
#2. CM Punk hopes to wrestle John Cena after the latter's WWE retirement announcement
The Triple H era has been full of surprises, and he reserved a massive one for Money in the Bank, getting John Cena out for a heartbreaking announcement. The Cenation Leader announced the end of his in-ring career and is preparing for a memorable retirement tour.
One of his greatest rivals of all time, CM Punk, was asked about John Cena's future during the Money in the Bank press conference. Punk began by talking about his interactions with Cena backstage at Money in the Bank, revealing a joke about getting the former World Champion out of retirement years later.
CM Punk was grateful that his name would always be mentioned when recalling John Cena's career. Before The Franchise Player hangs up his boots, Punk wishes to share the ring with him for the last time.
"It makes me feel proud that I think if you talk about John's career, you have to talk about me. We're married in that respect. Proud of him; he gets to go out on his terms. I know that's important. I'm looking forward to what he does, and I told him that if it's gonna be one more time, we gotta do it one more time."
CM Punk and John Cena have way too much history for WWE to ignore a potential showdown; however, whether it will lead to a match is the most important thing to track.
#3. Is WWE considering adding more titles?
Triple H's vision for the product involves transforming various aspects of it. Women's wrestling has been a major focus over the past decade, and for years, there have been calls for the addition of more singles titles for the ever-growing locker room in WWE.
PWN reported yesterday that the WWE Women's United States and Intercontinental Championships are in the works for the RAW and SmackDown brands, respectively. Fightful asked around backstage in the WWE, and while nothing was definite, multiple sources confirmed the titles had indeed been "discussed."
It was clarified that the images doing the rounds were AI-generated and not real. It was stressed, though, that talents have been pushing for the introduction of the Women's US and IC titles for years, and now, in 2024, it could finally become a reality.