We are less than a day away from Money in the Bank taking place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and there’s much to look forward to. Aside from the legend, the icon, the moment, the 7-time Women’s Champion Trish Stratus being the host for tomorrow night’s show, we’ll also be seeing six women battle it out for a Money in the Bank contract. Note to both Liv Morgan and Bayley: watch out, because you never know who might cash in and what title they have in mind.
All of that takes place tomorrow, but tonight, the focus is on Friday Night SmackDown. It’s one final chance for the female fighters of Team Blue to prove themselves before tomorrow’s big night. Let’s get started!
Jackie Redmond interviewed Bayley to ask about the process of winning the Money in the Bank ladder match, having been winner of the 2019 match. Bayley says the Money in the Bank ladder match is one of the most brutal yet rewarding matches in WWE, but you have to stay mentally sharp as timing is important. She gets interrupted by Chelsea Green, who says her advice is almost as irrelevant as she is; in fact, she wouldn’t even be Women’s Champion had it not been for Green’s “illegal” ejection for interfering in the match between her and Piper Niven at Clash at the Castle. As Chelsea is one of the competitors in this year’s Money in the Bank ladder match, she declares that she will be coming for Bayley’s title when she becomes “Cha-Ching Chelsea” and wins. The interruption is a set up as Piper attacks Bayley from behind and throws her into a box, with Green making the final statement that she’ll be coming to Bayley with a Money in the Bank contract and become the WWE Women’s Champion.
This wouldn’t be the first time Bayley appeared this week. Following the backstage attack, she was seen leaving the office of SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis. Naomi approaches her to check if she’s okay, with the champ saying that she’s sick of them. Turns out, she had been talking to Aldis to make a match between her and Piper Niven later on. Naomi mentions that she’s got Bayley’s back, but it was noted by fans that her demeanor seemed to change once the champ turned around.
Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae made their way out to the ring for tag team action, in their latest encounter against Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. Unfortunately, the show went on a commercial break, but once the show returned, the match was already ongoing. Jade initially held control but was quickly overtaken by LeRae and Hartwell, double teaming on her and making sure she was far from Bianca. Both Cargill and Hartwell ended up hitting big boots on each other, which laid them out and opened up an opportunity to tag in their respective partners. Once tagged in, Belair launched a quick and fiery offense on LeRae and almost got a near fall on her. The match would end with both Jade and Bianca hitting Jaded and a KOD on LeRae and Hartwell, with Cargill getting the pin for her and Belair.
Cathy Kelley would interview them following the match, with Bianca saying that while the past few months have been rough, her and Jade are here to finish what they started, which is to get back the Women’s Tag Team Championships from Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, and Jade chimes in to thank them for keeping the belts warm for them. Both women know that regaining their title is inevitable. Any last words? “We’re gonna see you soon.”
It was then time for Bayley to have her match. With Naomi by her side, she would be taking on Piper Niven, who would have Chelsea Green in tow. IYO SKY was in the crowd of the arena, watching Bayley’s entrance with a focused facial expression; we would later see brief cuts to Zoey Stark and Lyra Valkyria also observing the action, who like SKY will also be competing in the Money in the Bank ladder match. From the outset of the match, Niven made sure to demonstrate her domineering moveset on the champ, trying to make an example out of her after her loss in Scotland three weeks ago. Tiffany Stratton, another MITB competitor, would make her way out to the ring and kept an even closer eye on the match. Chelsea and Naomi would go on to have a fight outside the ring, but IYO, Zoey, Lyra, and Tiffany would join in. The commotion would cost Piper the match, resulting in another loss to Bayley.
The champ didn’t get to leave unscathed as Nia Jax would attack her inside the ring immediately after winning. Basking in glee over her attack, Michin, who has had issues with Jax throughout the past two months, would come running her off with a kendo stick in hand, saving Bayley.
Money in the Bank airs live from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, tomorrow night on Saturday, July 6th, at 7 p.m. EST on Peacock. The following matches are set to take place:
Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match: IYO SKY vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Next week’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown (July 12) is set to include the following:
- Michin vs Nia Jax (with Tiffany Stratton)
Share your thoughts on tonight’s show in the comment section below!
