Kayla Braxton hosted a post-show press conference after Saturday’s WWE Money In the Bank Premium Live Event from The O2 Arena in London, England. Below are highlights and full video:
* Cody Rhodes came out first and mentioned how he told Bayley his back was hurting, and he was afraid of discomfort when he sat down for the press conference, but he’s fine. When asked about WrestleMania possibly coming to London, Cody said John Cena was spot-on. Cody can’t think of another city that deserves it more, and it would be special. Cody said Cena is the man and can say what he wants, but Cody thinks Cena might know something we don’t
* Cody was asked about his momentum since WrestleMania 39. He said he has a very specific task in front of him… behind the scenes and on camera he knows what he wants. Cena just told him he can be champion without a title, but to pay attention to the merchandise/markets numbers WWE shows him, and if the numbers match what you’re seeing, then you’re on the right path. Cody said he feels like he’s on on the right path
* Cody was asked about some of the fan chants we heard. He said he and his dad disagreed on this, but he feels like if the crowd wants to play, let them play, let it ride. He indicated he may not agree with some of the chants and some may not be acceptable as someone with a younger fanbase, but let the fans rock. He said if London is gearing up for a WrestleMania, they might want to keep that in mind. He also said some of the chants are hard to understand and he always has to ask what they mean, and whether they are good or bad, but it’s fun. He said the whole point of this is to get you loud, even if you’re mad or excited, and bring the crowd volume up, not down. He thinks lately WWE has been hitting that
* Cody was asked if winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title would be the end of his story. He said he didn’t want to be a downer, but no. Winning the title would be amazing, but what Seth Rollins is doing with the title is amazing and he’s doing great, adding equity to it every day. Cody said his story is getting the title his father didn’t get. He said he doesn’t want to spoil plans and upset the people at Peacock, but there should be news announced soon on his documentary about his dad. Cody said the WWE World Heavyweight Title is a whole different story, but he doesn’t look down on it at all
* Mr. Money In the Bank Damian Priest (who wants to be called Senor Money In the Bank) came out with his briefcase. Ms. Money In the Bank IYO SKY came out next with Bayley. IYO and Bayley were asked about the status of Damage CTRL after what happened in the MITB Ladder Match. They said “we” won and this is “our” briefcase. SKY said she’s happy with the win, and Bayley said they did what they promised
* Priest said it’s mind-blowing to be in his position. He was asked if he will seek cash-in advice from previous briefcase holders, and he said he doesn’t ask advice on how to chokeslam. Priest said not taking advice from someone who’s been in this position would be silly, but he’s going to keep doing things his way because his way has been working. Priest said he knows what he wants to do with the briefcase
* Priest was asked another storyline question on if he and Finn Balor have any issues. He said they had a misunderstanding, and honestly they’ve had several lately, but they are good, The Judgment Day is good. Priest said he went out to ringside to put pressure on Seth Rollins, and he wanted Balor to win, he wasn’t there to cash in on Balor
* IYO was asked if she has any plans to cash-in, or does she and Bayley have a cash-in in mind together. Bayley told everyone to be patient. SKY said she just wants to celebrate for now… she then opened the briefcase and pulled out a “WINNER” t-shirt
* New Undisputed WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan came out next. They were asked if they have new challengers in mind. They said they now have limitless options as they can go to all three brands to defend the titles. They are ready to defend any time, any place
* Rodriguez and Morgan were asked about a recent interview where they said they want to wrestle celebrities Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, and where they called the rappers out but not in a mean way because they love Cardi and Megan. At the MITB press conference, it was suggested they do Cardi and Megan vs. Liv and Raquel at WWE SummerSlam. They said the invite has been officially sent, so they can feel free to pick it up. The champs joked that they would take it easy on the rappers
* Rodriguez and Morgan were asked another storyline question, about Shayna Baszler turning on Ronda Rousey. They were just as shocked as everyone else and while they planned for many different scenarios in this match. Rodriguez said maybe this was jealousy from Baszler or years of hate building up
* WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins came out next. He was asked how it feels to bring prestige back to the title. He talked about the title being on the line all the time and said this is very much like WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair, Bret Hart and Triple H
* Rollins was asked about anyone else in WWE NXT he’d like to defend against after the recent win over Bron Breakker. Rollins immediately named NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes because he thinks their styles will mesh well. He joked about having to name his protégé, NXT Heritage Cup Champion Nathan Frazer, or he’d ask why Rollins didn’t give him the rub. Rollins cited Frazer’s recent work with Dragon Lee. Rollins said NXT has lots of talent but Hayes jumps off the page
* Rollins was asked a storyline question about Damian Priest possibly cashing in on him. Rollins said he knew Priest might try to cash in tonight, so he was prepared but it didn’t look like Finn Balor was. Rollins said Money In the Bank changed his life and he hopes it can do the same for Priest, just not at Rollins’ expense
* WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H came out next. He mentioned the chants of the night and how sometimes they’re not all good, but John Cena said it best. He said as of late they have been building minimal PLE sets because the crowd is such a big part of the show. The fans are why they do what they do
* Triple H said they had an amazing tour of the UK this week. He gave thanks over and over to everyone who made it happen. He said Money In the Bank was the highest-grossing arena event in WWE history and that’s a big deal. He said Friday’s SmackDown in London was the highest-grossing SmackDown in WWE history. He said these were bold statements that people should be proud of because WWE is proud. He said they drew more than 37,000 fans to The O2 Arena over two nights. He said the full numbers are being worked on but they are delayed until next week due to the Independence Day holiday in the United States. He said they set new records in sponsorship, merchandise sales, viewership and social media engagement. He called it a successful week for WWE all across the board
* Triple H said the only injury coming out of Money In the Bank was to someone he won’t name because it would embarrass the man. He said the person was walking back to the back when they rolled their ankle. He said this was notable because the person didn’t do anything while they were out there. He said everyone was healthy and safe at the end of the show and that’s what is important
* Triple H praised Logan Paul for being good this early on. He said Damian Priest is wonderful. He said he knows LA Knight was a massive favorite going into Money In the Bank, and Knight will continue to rise. He said good things happen to those who wait, indicating Knight has a bigger push coming, and said Knight’s rise is just starting
* Triple H praised WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER and how he beats the living crap out of an opponent better than anyone else does. He talked about Drew McIntyre’s return and said GUNTHER and Drew will draw a lot of interest going into the summer
* Triple H said Cody Rhodes proved why he is a top guy. He said John Cena said he came to the show to help bring WrestleMania to London, but sometimes in life you need an adrenaline shot and truth be told, Cena came because he needed that. He praised the Women’s MITB Ladder Match participants but not by name, and congratulated IYO SKY on her win. He said Seth Rollins proved why he’s champion, and Damian Priest is already showing why this MITB stuff is interesting. He talked up The Bloodline Civil War Match and the participants. He said story-telling is what WWE does at the end of the day. He said most stories are great, but sometimes a story really sticks with you like a good movie and that’s what the Superstars did in this match. He praised Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns as being the biggest name around, and said he always elevates everyone around him, whether it’s The Usos, Solo Sikoa, or Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. He said Reigns is amazing at what he’s doing. He tipped his hat to everyone involved and said they are why people came. He said now this should lead to a spectacular SummerSlam
* Triple H was asked about WrestleMania possibly coming to London. He joked that John Cena put him in a position to where he will get dragged no matter what he says here. He praised the UK crowds and pointed to how the last four Premium Live Events, besides WrestleMania 39, have been international shows, which is up from recent years. He said WWE is a global company, and they intend to be global. He said “never say never” and if there’s a way to get it done, they will be hellbent on getting it done. He was asked about another show in Europe this year. He talked about how WWE is known all over the world and while there’s a lot when it comes to logistics, they intend to make it to all these places, and they are working on it. He said this is where they are headed in the future and the future is bright
* He was asked if locking Drew McIntyre in is a priority. He said it is a priority, and if Drew had an issue with WWE then it was news to him. He said the amount of speculation on McIntyre has been funny. He added that McIntyre took some time off after WrestleMania for a minor injury, but while he was out they decided to get “something else” fixed, but he did not elaborate. He praised McIntyre as a talent and said he hopes McIntyre finishes his career in WWE. He mentioned how he and Drew would talk on the phone while Drew was out, and they would ask, “Did you read this story?”
* Triple H asked again if there was even one female reporter in the room. She finally spoke up and asked about WWE NXT Europe and if the “UFC takeover” has delayed the plans as there have been no recent updates. Triple H chuckled and said first let’s get this “UFC takeover” stuff straight, indicating that this was a bad choice of words by the reporter. He said the deal with Endeavor has slowed things down, but the intent is still the same. They originally said NXT Europe would launch in 2023, but they didn’t know the Endeavor acquisition would happen. He praised the pool of international talents and said WWE wants to give them a big stage, and explore those markets, the company just needs a little more time
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