Best and Worst Booking Decisions of 2023 WWE Money in the Bank Results

WWE Money in the Bank 2023 was a rousing success. The show offered fans many high points, like a surprise John Cena appearance, and few low points.

The annual premium live event emanated from the O2 Arena in London, England, making it the first international show to occur in the city since 2002. In turn, the raucous live audience created an incredible atmosphere similar to Clash at the Castle's incredible Cardiff crowd.

At this rate, WWE will have to consider revisiting the United Kingdom every year because the fans in attendance added so much to a fun afternoon of pro wrestling. Speaking of which, Money in the Bank landed at an excellent time slot thanks to the time difference, and the show didn't overstay its welcome.

All in all, it was a strong outing, so there isn't much negative to say about this show. Nevertheless, let's look at the best and worst booking decisions for the event.

Best: Damian Priest Wins the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

This was undoubtedly an unpopular outcome for many fans because LA Knight was the clear favorite to win the men's Money in the Bank ladder match.

The O2 Arena welcomed The Mega Star with a massive ovation, and the venue nearly came unglued every time he came close to securing the briefcase. However, Damian Priest was the better option because it was a great way to continue to develop him on the main roster.

Let's face it. WWE didn't do the work to make Knight a plausible threat to Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins. He has been mostly presented as a joke, and granting him a contract to challenge for a world title wasn't a long-term fix.

Priest is a new star but has also proved himself in the match with Bad Bunny at Backlash. He's a former United States champion, and he recently faced Rollins for the world heavyweight title in the main event of the June 5 episode of Raw.

The Punisher has been an asset as one of the members of the hottest faction on the flagship series. This was a tremendous way to reward him and advance his career. It makes much more sense for Knight to defeat Austin Theory and build up his rep on SmackDown with his newfound popularity.

Worst: Shayna Baszler Turns on Ronda Rousey

Everyone likes an abrupt swerve, right? The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match didn't disappoint in that regard.

During the bout, Shayna Baszler turned on her long-time friend, Ronda Rousey, and cost her team the tag titles. This isn't exactly a bad move because the two could have some great matches and remind fans what The Baddest Woman on the Planet can do as a singles competitor.

They've both talked about this matchup for a long time, and SummerSlam is a perfect destination for their first encounter. WWE has also subtly planted the seeds for this turn as The Queen of Spades grew tired of being Rousey's sidekick.

However, it's hard to understand why the company split up this team so soon. After all, the team just merged the NXT and WWE women's tag titles last week, and their mere month-long reign had already paid dividends because the belts were more visible again.

Surely, there was more the company could do with Baszler and Rousey as a duo before the team imploded in their first defense at a major premium live event.

Best: Iyo Sky Wins the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Iyo Sky was the best option to win the women's Money in the Bank ladder.

The Japanese star is supremely talented. More to the point, Sky has been poised to turn face since she unsuccessfully challenged Bianca Belair for the Raw women's title at Backlash.

The Genius of the Sky also has a ready-made feud with Asuka that could deliver a dream match. This outcome was the right choice and a creative finish that played off her tension with Bayley.

The former NXT women's champion ingeniously handcuffed her stablemate and Becky Lynch and climbed over them to attain the Money in the Bank briefcase. We can't wait to see what Sky will do next.

Worst: The Finish of the World Heavyweight Championship Match

The build for Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins was some of the best weekly programming WWE produced in the lead-up to this event.

The two also had a solid match, but the finish didn't quite live up to the hype. It wasn't hard to predict that Rollins would retain. However, the ending didn't come off as the close of a heated rivalry that was seven years in the making.

Instead, the champion narrowly survived because Balor was distracted by Priest's appearance at ringside with the Money in the Bank briefcase. It was a nice way to advance their storyline and continue to tease dissension among the Judgment Day, but it made for an anticlimactic finish.

This likely means the two will continue their feud on Monday after an inconclusive win, but the execution left more to be desired.

Best: Jey Uso Pins Roman Reigns

The implosion of The Bloodline has been truly masterful, and WWE stuck the landing at Money in the Bank.

It would've been so easy to continue stretching this storyline out as the company has done many times. Instead, viewers received the most shocking development as Jey Uso finally pinned Roman Reigns.

That's right. Main Event Jey brought everything full circle with the rivalry that started it all in 2020 as he handed his cousin his first loss in three years. For the first time since WrestleMania 39, it feels like this was worth the wait.

The Usos went the distance and beat The Tribal Chief at what they do best, tag team wrestling. After everything Reigns put Jey through, he and his brother defeated him together, and that's such an important note.

Yes, the 37-year-old fittingly delivered the final blow, but this helped to cement their claim as the best tag team in WWE. The ending to Money in the Bank 2023 will ensure that this will go down as one of the most memorable shows of the year.