Drew McIntyre's Nightmare, Biggest Takeaways From WWE Money in the Bank 2024 Results

WWE Money in the Bank was a tale of two premium live events for Drew McIntyre.

The Scot kicked off the night by winning the same-titled men's match and guaranteeing himself a championship opportunity.

However, intent on keeping his promise to leave the show as world heavyweight champion, he made a grave mistake by cashing in during Seth Rollins and Damian Priest's advertised title bout.

The rest will make for an excellent video package if and when McIntyre and CM Punk settle their differences inside the squared circle.

The Scot's nightmare scenario was just one of the major takeaways from a show that featured several headline-grabbing moments.

What were they and how do they affect those involved moving forward? Find out with this recap of Saturday's show at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena.

Drew McIntyre told us.

The Scottish Warrior vowed Monday night on Raw to win the men's Money in the Bank ladder match for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship whenever and wherever he saw fit.

He made good on his promise, outlasting Jey Uso, LA Knight, Andrade, Chad Gable, and Carmelo Hayes to retrieve the briefcase; the same briefcase that has doomed two of his world title reigns and been the bane of his life for the last three years.

The win not only confirmed what was obvious from the get-go, that McIntyre was one of three guys in the match who could realistically win and earn the title opportunity, but it also set him up to make an impact later in the show.

It was the Scot who insisted that he would leave Saturday's show in Toronto as the world heavyweight champion.

More on that in a bit.

Still, it is a bit odd that McIntyre would be booked for an "I told you so" moment of any kind at this show when there was one right there a month ago at Clash at the Castle, in his home country.

Either way, his run in 2024 has been nothing short of extraordinary and adding "Money in the Bank winner" to his already impressive resume only further establishes him as one of the top guys of this era.

Anyone expecting Sami Zayn to be a transitional champion following his victory over Gunther at WrestleMania 40 received their reality check Saturday when he weathered the storm of Bron Breakker, defeating the seemingly unstoppable force cleanly.

The match was great, a trademark of this Zayn run, and managed to highlight the young juggernaut even in defeat.

Throughout his run as champion, it has felt as though fans have been waiting for Zayn to lose the title to another heel heated up by WWE Creative.

We saw it with Chad Gable, who became one of the most over villains but saw his championship dreams turn to nightmares as Zayn retained over him in every one of their title clashes.

It seemed as though the world was certain Breakker would be the one to dethrone The Underdog from the Underground. Instead, the beloved Zayn mustered all of the resiliency that he could to explode across the squared circle and blast his opponent with a Helluva Kick for the win.

Perhaps WWE recognized that a Breakker win could be construed as the company shoving a young star down their throats and instead of heading that route, it wants him to face some adversity to earn the fans' respect.

Maybe Triple H and Co. have a long-term plan in mind for Zayn. Or maybe the goal is to book the title change in four weeks at SummerSlam.

Whatever the case, Zayn winning continued a run that has seen him become one of the most beloved Superstars on the WWE roster and someone who can channel the success of this reign into a legitimate world title down the road, if the company sees him in that position.

John Cena appeared unannounced at Money in the Bank for the second successive year.

Unlike last year, when he hyped fans and teased of a potential UK WrestleMania, this was for a more somber announcement: The 2025 Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 41 will be his final events as an active competitor.

Yes, after an incredible career that saw him tie Ric Flair for the most world titles, Cena is calling it a career.

There is a story waiting for The Greatest of All Time, too.

Cena is winless in his last three one-on-one matches. He lost to Roman Reigns at 2021 SummerSlam, to Austin Theory in the opening contest of WrestleMania 39 and to Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel in October 2023.

For him to go out on his terms and get one last great run, he has to reverse his fortunes of late.

Along the way, perhaps he does the unthinkable and eclipses Flair's record by winning a 17th world title, indisputably establishing himself as the most decorated main event star in WWE's recognized history.

Cena is one of those Mount Rushmore of pro wrestling candidates and a legitimate retirement tour is most definitely something he has earned.

A mistimed three-count in the World Heavyweight Championship match between Seth Rollins and Damian Priest gave way to Drew McIntyre making his way to the ring, cashing in his MITB briefcase and turning the advertised singles bout into a Triple Threat match.

Anyone expecting a happy ending for The Scottish Warrior learned quickly that thou shalt not infuriate CM Punk, who attacked McIntyre and beat the life out of him, using a steel chair to brutalize him before knocking him out with the world title belt.

Priest capitalized to retain his title and advance to SummerSlam, where he will defend against Gunther in one of the marquee matches of the annual summertime spectacular.

For McIntyre, the outcome all but confirms a showdown with Punk, presumably as early as the August 3 premium live event.

There are longer-reaching consequences of the outcome, though.

Though he was not pinned or made to submit, Rollins losing the match means he cannot challenge for the world title as long as Priest remains champion. It also means that Punk, the man with whom Rollins has a personal rivalry of his own, cost him an opportunity to get back to the top of the WWE mountain.

The finish was a thing of perfection.

Not only do we get the predictable Punk interference that again costs McIntyre his dream, but it also propels the Punk-Rollins story teased ahead of WrestleMania 41 and before The Best in the World's injured triceps that took him out of the equation.

Add to that Priest's mounting frustration with not being allowed to prove himself as champion because of the incessant interference during his defenses, and you have three stories for Triple H and the creative team to tell or expand upon in the weeks and months to come.

It was apparent at Elimination Chamber in February that Tiffany Stratton was winning fans over with her rapid improvement between the ropes and character work.

It was obvious two months later at Backlash, when she was equally as over as her opponents, Bayley and Naomi, in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Women's Championship.

Saturday night, her popularity and momentum were undeniable as she outlasted Zoey Stark, Lyra Valkyria, Iyo Sky, Chelsea Green and Naomi to win the women's Money in the Bank ladder match and earn herself a championship opportunity at any time over the next year.

Along the way, she delivered a Swanton Bomb off the top rope and onto her opponents, then ensured victory by shoving Green off a ladder and through two tables below.

It was the most logical next step for a performer who exceeded expectations in NXT, rose to even greater prominence on the main roster and bided her time while waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump into the title picture.

The 25-year-old has experience in major gimmick matches, has battled for championship gold and now has the chance to make a huge jump to the top of the women's division and plant her flag there for the foreseeable future.

When and where that will be remains to be seen but expect to see Stratton weave her way in and out of championship feuds along the way, keeping her visible and prominent until the time is right.

Solo Sikoa earned the biggest win of his young career at Money in the Bank, doing something no one has done since The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania 40 Night 1: pinning Cody Rhodes.

The Enforcer-turned-Tribal Chief capitalized on interference from Tanga Loa and the ferocity of Jacob Fatu to captain a team including Fatu and Tama Tonga to victory over The American Nightmare, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton.

The six-man tag team match was all about spotlighting Sikoa as the next challenger to Rhodes' title and the lead heel on the SmackDown brand. It worked, too, with the Toronto chapter of the WWE Universe greeting him with chants that were not what one would consider pleasant.

Those chants were drowned out by chants of "We want Roman," further suggesting that the build to the inevitable Bloodline civil war is more than effective and will ultimately result in an unforgettable moment when Reigns returns to reaffirm himself as the true Tribal Chief.

Until then, Sikoa's journey should take him to SummerSlam, where he will challenge for the top prize in WWE against its most popular babyface at one of the biggest shows on the calendar.

Not bad for a guy accused of heading up a "bootleg" Bloodline.