Why WWE's Money in the Bank at The O2 in London is a big deal

It is the first time the wrestling company will be hosting an event in the British capital since 2002

Austin Theory won the 2022 Money in the Bank match. Photo: WWE

The WWE is returning to the UK.

The pro wrestling company has announced The O2 in London will host Money in the Bank on July 1. It is the first time in more than two decades a WWE Premium Live Event (one that is shown on pay-per-view or on streaming services) will be held in the British capital.

“The O2 is one of the world’s premier venues and the perfect home for Money In The Bank. We are excited to bring one of our ‘big five’ events to the UK and look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to London on July 1,” said Dan Ventrelle, executive vice president of talent at WWE.

The other WWE “big five” events include the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series — usually always hosted in the US. This is the first major event to be held in London since Insurrextion in May 2002 at Wembley Arena.

Ahead of the event, here’s what to know.

Why is it a big deal?

Until Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales in September 2022, the WWE hadn’t held a major stadium event in the UK since 1992’s SummerSlam.

The special event was named in reference to Cardiff Castle and featured seven matches including the main event of a championship match between Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre. Its official attendance numbers at Principality Stadium hit 62,296.

Fans not only from the UK but also around the world travelled to Cardiff for the event.

After the event, there was a post-show press conference in which WWE's chief content officer Paul Levesque answered questions from the media including if the success of Clash at the Castle meant for more overseas tours.

“As far as the events go, when you put 62,000 fans going crazy like you had tonight in a stadium like this, it’s hard not to want to do it again. It’s hard not to want to do it in a lot of different places that I think we will get this same type of reaction to, so there are a lot of markets in the world, there are a lot of stadiums in the world, there are a lot of places," said Levesque.

“That’s the one thing about WWE, there is not a place on this planet, and I’ve been to most, [if not] all of them. I’ve been fortunate enough to, in my career, to go to all of them, there’s not a place on this planet that doesn’t know WWE, that WWE Superstars don’t go there and have fans all over them, and giving us this type of reaction. That is amazing.”

“We want to go see those fans, we want to get in front of them, we want to be in stadiums all around the globe doing this kind of event. Tonight was step one in that process, and I think you’ll see and hear a lot of announcements over the next few years that’ll be very exciting for everybody, and hopefully all of you have your passports and stuff, and can visit us there as well.”

What is Money in the Bank?

The event is held annually and usually has a men’s and women’s match.

In it, participants compete using ladders to retrieve a briefcase hanging above the ring. The first wrestler to grab the briefcase wins a contract that guarantees a championship match of their choosing at any time within the next year.

The first event was held at WrestleMania 21 in April 2005 before becoming its own event in 2010.

In 2017, the WWE held its first women’s Money in the Bank match, with Carmella winning it. She eventually cashed in her briefcase against Charlotte Flair to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

In last year's event, Austin Theory and Liv Morgan won their respective matches, with Morgan cashing in her briefcase to defeat Ronda Rousey to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion, while Theory finally cashed in on a losing effort to Seth Rollins for the WWE United States Championship in November.