London was loud. Really loud. When the O2 Arena packed in over 18,000 screaming fans for Money in the Bank 2023, the atmosphere didn't just feel like a secondary premium live event; it felt like WrestleMania in July. Honestly, that's what happens when you take one of WWE's most bankable concepts and drop it into a city starved for major shows.
It wasn't just about the ladder matches.
Sure, the briefcases were the hook, but July 1, 2023, will be remembered more for the structural shifts in the Bloodline and the emergence of stars who felt stuck in the mid-card doldrums for way too long. If you weren't watching, you missed Damian Priest and Iyo Sky changing the trajectory of their careers in a single night.
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The Night Damian Priest Shocked the O2
Going into the men's ladder match, the "smart" money was on LA Knight. You could hear it in the building. Every time Knight climbed a rung, the O2 erupted. It was deafening. But WWE decided to pull the rug out. Damian Priest grabbed that briefcase, and at the time, people were sort of heated about it.
Looking back? It was the right call.
Priest used that win to cement The Judgment Day as the premier faction on Monday Night Raw. The match itself was a car crash in the best way possible. You had Logan Paul and Ricochet doing a Spanish Fly through tables on the outside that looked like a glitch in a video game. It was terrifyingly dangerous. They didn't even hit the tables cleanly, which made it look even more brutal.
Shinsuke Nakamura, Santos Escobar, Butch, and Kevin Owens (who filled in the chaotic energy) all killed themselves for our entertainment. But Priest winning wasn't just a result; it was a statement. It signaled that WWE was finally ready to move on from the same three or four guys at the top of the mountain.
Iyo Sky and the Genius of the Women's Ladder Match
If the men’s match was a spectacle of stunts, the women’s Money in the Bank 2023 match was a masterclass in storytelling.
Bayley and Iyo Sky.
The tension within Damage CTRL had been simmering for months. It wasn't some hidden secret; it was a slow burn that finally caught fire in London. When Bayley pushed Iyo off the ladder, the betrayal felt personal. But Iyo Sky is the "Genius of the Sky" for a reason.
The finish was brilliant. Iyo handcuffed Bayley and Becky Lynch together through the rungs of the ladder. Think about that for a second. It was creative, nasty, and totally fits her character. While her opponents were literally tethered to each other, struggling to move, Iyo just climbed over them.
She climbed over the past.
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It led to one of the most successful "cash-ins" in recent memory when she took the title off Bianca Belair at SummerSlam later that year. It’s rare that the briefcase actually makes someone a superstar overnight, but for Iyo, it was the definitive turning point.
The Bloodline Civil War: A Family Feud for the Ages
Forget the briefcases for a minute. The real main event—the emotional core of the show—was the "Bloodline Civil War."
Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos.
This wasn't just a wrestling match. It was a 32-minute operatic tragedy. After years of Roman Reigns being untouchable, the unthinkable happened. Roman Reigns got pinned. Jey Uso did what nobody had done in 1,294 days.
The story beats were perfect. Roman’s arrogance, Solo’s coldness, and the pure, desperate emotion from Jimmy and Jey. When the referee's hand hit the mat for the three-count, the sound in London wasn't just a cheer; it was a release of three years of tension.
Critics like Dave Meltzer or the folks over at Fightful pointed out that while the work-rate was high, it was the psychology that carried it. You don't need forty Canadian Destroyers when you have a storyline that actually makes people care about the characters. It proved that Roman didn't need the title on the line to be the biggest draw in the company.
Why London Matters for WWE's Global Strategy
Money in the Bank 2023 wasn't just a stop on the road to SummerSlam. It was a test.
Nick Khan, WWE’s President, has been very vocal about "internationalizing" the premium live events. By bringing a "Big Five" caliber show to the UK, they proved that the market there is absolutely rabid. The gate was massive. The merchandise sales broke records.
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John Cena even made a surprise appearance to pitch for WrestleMania in London. Think about the gravity of that. Cena doesn't just show up to say hi anymore; he shows up to move the needle. His segment with Grayson Waller was a fun little ego-check for the newcomer, but the message was clear: WWE is no longer just a North American touring company that occasionally goes overseas. They are a global powerhouse.
Technical Execution and the "Hush" Moments
The show had its flaws, sure.
The Gunther vs. Matt Riddle match for the Intercontinental Championship felt a bit like a TV match that got lost on a PPV. It was stiff, and Gunther is always a joy to watch chop someone's chest into a burger, but it lacked the stakes of the rest of the card. Then Drew McIntyre returned.
The "pop" for Drew was huge. It settled the rumors that he was leaving the company (at least for a while) and set up a collision course with Gunther that would eventually pay off in a big way.
Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio was exactly what it needed to be. Dom is the most hated man in wrestling, and Cody is the ultimate hero. It was a palette cleanser. Sometimes you just want to see the bad guy get punched in the face by the guy in the American flag tights. It worked.
What You Should Take Away From This Show
If you’re looking back at Money in the Bank 2023 to understand where WWE is today, you have to look at the winners.
Priest and Sky weren't the obvious choices, but they were the necessary ones. They represented a shift toward rewarding workhorses. The Bloodline story reached a peak that many thought it couldn't sustain, yet it did.
The show proved that WWE's "B-shows" are often better than their "A-shows" because they have more room to experiment. You get weirder finishes. You get hotter crowds. You get moments like the London fans singing Seth Rollins’ theme for ten minutes straight even when nothing was happening.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Wrestling Fan
- Watch the Bloodline Civil War for the psychology: If you want to learn how to tell a story in the ring without saying a word, that’s the gold standard. Pay attention to Roman's face when he realizes he's losing control.
- Track the briefcase stats: Historically, the cash-in success rate is high, but 2023 showed that the timing of the cash-in is more important than the win itself. Iyo Sky’s patient approach compared to Priest’s long tease is a great study in pacing.
- Support local wrestling: The success of the London show has led to more international events (Backlash in France, Bash in Berlin). If you're a fan outside the US, your voice and your ticket purchases are literally changing the WWE schedule.
- Revisit the Undercard: Don't skip the Logan Paul spots. Regardless of how you feel about him as a person, his athletic output in the ladder match is objectively top-tier and changed how "celebrity" wrestlers are viewed in the industry.