Liv Morgan wins Money in the Bank. Masha Slamovich and Yuka Sakazaki make PWG history. DOA Wrestling announces their Queen of Thorns tournament, and more! Let’s break it down in this week’s edition of Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up!
WWE Money In The Bank: Liv Morgan Cashes In, Bianca Belair Retains, & More
WWE is fresh off the heels of a wild Money in the Bank pay-per-view from Las Vegas. The 2022 card featured three high profile women’s matches, including the annual Money in the Bank ladder match.
There, seven competitors vied for the Money in the Bank briefcase, which guarantees them a future title opportunity for a championship of their choosing. Amongst the field included two former winners: Alexa Bliss and Asuka. In addition, two competitors entered the high-risk match for the very first time: Raquel Gonzalez and Shotzi. Also among the participants were three returnees to the match: Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, and Lacey Evans. Lynch joined the fray last after earning her spot on the go-home RAW in a last chance qualifying six-pack challenge match.
Much like Lynch, certain competitors headed into the Saturday pay-per-view with heaps of momentum. On June 27th, fellow competitors Liv Morgan engaged in a battle on Monday Night RAW. There, Morgan defeated the former RAW Women’s Champion. Four days later on Smackdown, a battle of the brands commenced with a trios tag team match. Morgan teamed with Bliss and fellow RAW superstar Asuka to take on Smackdown competitors Lacey Evans, Raquel Rodriguez, and Shotzi. In a similar fashion, Liv Morgan gained the pinfall of Shotzi to earn the victory for her team.
Heading into Money in the Bank, Liv Morgan gained all the momentum possible amongst a fierce group of competition. Ladders were twisted, broken, and innovatively weaponized during this battle for the Money in the Bank briefcase. In the end though, Becky Lynch seemed inches away from clinching the victory. However, Liv Morgan halted that effort, climbing up a ladder right beside Lynch. Becky pushed the ladder away, but Morgan wisely utilized the adjacent ring rope to catapult herself back towards Lynch. Morgan managed to beat down “Big Time Bex” off the ladder and climb to the emotional victory.
A full recap of the Women’s Money in the Bank match can be read below, courtesy of our live coverage page.
WOMEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH: BECKY LYNCH VS. ASUKA VS. LIV MORGAN VS. LACEY EVANS VS. ALEXA BLISS VS. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ VS. SHOTZI
As soon as the bell rings everyone goes for a ladder except Asuka and Lynch. The two trade shots in the ring. Asuka floors Lynch after a flurry. Rodriguez tries to get in the ring but Asuka knocks her off the apron with a hip attack. Asuka avoids getting a ladder dropped on her by Lynch. Rodriguez goes on a ladder strike tear, striking almost everyone with it as she swings it wildly. Lynch and Morgan try to suplex Rodriguez, but she reverses it and suplex both women on a ladder. Everyone except Shotzi and Lynch gets trapped under a ladder. Lynch leg drops the ladder.
Bliss surprises everyone with a Molly Go Round. Asuka hip tosses Shotzi into a ladder. Asuka climbs but is stopped by Evans. Both Evans and Asuka climb. Lynch knocks over the ladder. Evans and Shotzi take turns trying to climb the ladder. Rodriguez, Evan, and Morgan fight on top of the ladder. Morgan blasts Evans with a sunset bomb off the ladder. Shotzi traps Rodriguez in a tree of woe using the ladder. Shotzi pulls Bliss off the ladder but they both fall into the ladder. That wasn’t supposed to happen, but it was effective.
Lynch tries to climb but Shotzi yanks her off the ladder, causing Lynch to slam her face into the mat. Shotzi tries a senton while Lynch is on a ladder but Lynch moves out of the way. Asuka pulls Rodriguez out of the ring. Rodriguez floors Asuka with a clothesline. Rodriguez clears the announce desk and drapes a ladder between the apron and the desk. Asuka gets to her feet. Rodriguez tries to powerbomb Asuka through the ladder but Asuka escapes and traps Rodriguez in a flying armbar.
Rodriguez tries to powerbomb Asuka but Lynch knocks them into a ladder. Lynch dives off a ladder and leg drops Asuka while she is laying on a ladder. Lynch tips over a few ladders and starts her climb. Morgan cut her off. Lynch tries to push Morgan off her ladder but Morgan bounces off the ropes and knocks Lynch off her ladder. Morgan pulls down the contract for the win.
Liv Morgan is your 2022 Women’s Money in the Bank Winner….
LIV MORGAN DID IT!!!@YaOnlyLivvOnce has won the #MITB contract! pic.twitter.com/Ic4EWkDD49
— WWE (@WWE) July 3, 2022
…But Morgan’s night didn’t end just there.
After an impressive title defense against Natalya, Smackdown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey struggled to stand. This paved the way for Liv Morgan to cash in her contract she won earlier in the evening. With the roar of the crowd behind her, Morgan charged to the ring as Rousey hobbled on one leg. Liv Moran was officially cashing in her Money in the Bank contract for a chance at the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
Rousey bounced right back though, applying the ankle lock to a stunned Morgan. Liv fought her way out though, kicking at the bad leg of Rousey. This allowed Morgan to reverse Rousey into a pin to gain the 1-2-3 count. Therefore, your NEW Smackdown Women’s Champion is Liv Morgan!
Following the match, Rousey handed the championship over to Morgan, before the two impressed in a hug as a show of respect.
The following Monday on RAW, Morgan teamed with RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. Belair previously defeated Carmella at Money in the Bank to retain the RAW Women’s Championship. On RAW, Morgan and Belair joined forces to take on former title challengers: Carmella and Natalya. As history would repeat itself, Belair and Morgan again both emerged victorious in this bitter tag team match.
As Liv Morgan now sets her sights on SummerSlam, the question is: Who’s next for the new Smackdown Women’s Champion?
READ MORE: WWE Money in the Bank Results (7/2/22): Who will win MITB, More!
DOA Pro Wrestling Announces 2nd Queen of Thorns Tournament
Don’t Own Anyone Pro Wrestling recently announced the return of its Queen of Thorns Tournament. Slated for July 30th in Portland, Oregon, DOA also unveiled the official competitors and brackets for the 2022 tournament. Eight competitors will take part, with some notable names.
Former DOA Grand Champion Rebel Kel returns following her impressive performance in the inaugural tournament in 2019. There, Kel advanced to the semi-finals but fell short to the eventual winner Christina Von Eerie. Former IMPACT Knockouts Champion Su Yung will also return for a second chance at claiming the title of Queen of Thorns. Yung made it all the way to the finals of the previous tournament. Now, she returns to take on the first female graduate of the Oregon Pro Wrestling School graduate Amira in the first round.
Additionally, Former FSW Women’s Champion Sandra Moone will also compete. Moone made her IMPACT Wrestling debut earlier this year against Masha Slamovich and has steadily been rising up in the independent scene. She will meet with former SHIMMER athlete Kikyo in the opening round. Kikyo also participated in the inaugural tournament, falling short in the quarterfinals against Christina Von Eerie as well.
The official opening round matchups of the second-ever Queen of Thorns Tournament are as follows:
- Rebel Kel vs Mighty Mayra
- Amira vs Su Yung
- Sandra Moone vs Kikyo
- Kelly Paige vs Abigail Warren
Here is the official bracket for the 2nd DOA Queen of Thorns Tournament!
Sound off in the replies or QRT this and let us know who you think will take the crown on July 30th!
??: https://t.co/AzaAcSl9OM pic.twitter.com/gNAav2p0PS
— DOA Pro Wrestling (@doaprowrestling) July 4, 2022
Masha Slamovich & Yuka Sakazaki Make History at PWG Nineteen
For the first time since 2011, Pro Wrestling Guerilla featured a women’s match over the weekend.
On July 3rd, Yuka Sakazaki battled Masha Slamovich at PWG’s ‘Nineteen’ event in Los Angeles, California. This match marked the first time in over a decade that a women’s match was featured on Pro Wrestling Guerilla. Previously, Candice LeRae defeated Portia Perez in April of 2011 at PWG Card Subject To Change III. In a recent interview with POST Wrestling, Yuka Sakazaki shared her excitement for the match. Additionally, Sakazaki expressed hope for more women’s matches in the future of PWG.
“I’m very glad to see that not only did PWG have a very rare Joshi match on the card, I’m very glad to be part of the match! I’ll do my best to live up to expectations. I’m not sure about future women’s matches but I hope that my match with Masha [Slamovich] would lead to more women’s matches there.”
In the end, Yuka Sakazaki would emerge victorious against “The Russian Dynamite” Masha Slamovich in an impressive showcase of both talents.
Match 2 at #PWGNineteen @YukaSakazaki vs @mashaslamovich. First women's match in PWG since 2011. pic.twitter.com/2vIFxcDMUY
— SoCal UNCENSORED (@socaluncensored) July 4, 2022
Full results of PWG Nineteen are below:
- Shane Haste def. Titus Alexander
- Yuka Sakazaki def. Masha Slamovich
- Three-Way Match: Davey Richards def. JONAH and Kevin Blackwood
- ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey def. Buddy Matthews
- PWG World Tag Team Championships: Kings of the Black Throne (Malakai Black & Brody King) (c) def. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)
- PWG World Championship: Daniel Garcia (c) def. Konosuke Takeshita
RELATED: PWG Nineteen Results (7/3/22): Daniel Garcia, Mike Bailey, And More
INTERVIEWS
LPW Challenge Champion Taryn From Accounting chatted with A Wrestling Gal to discuss death and taxes, traveling the world, Canadian vs American bowling, respect for Bussy (Allie Katch & Effy), and more.
WWE Superstar Lacey Evans spoke with NBC Sports Boston to discuss the 2022 Money in the Bank, a possible Evolution 2, who came up with her vignettes, and more.
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair appeared on Sports Illustrated To discuss her match with Carmella at Money In The Bank, her journey to becoming one of the faces of women’s wrestling, her relationship with husband Montez Ford, and more.
Smackdown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan also spoke with Sports Illustrated about her performance at Money in the Bank, cashing in on Ronda Rousey, supports from her peers, and more.
Former IMPACT Knockouts Champion Tasha Steelz spoke with Denise Salcedo about her reign as IMPACT Knockouts Champion, the first-ever Queen of the Mountain, and more.
Former NXT Superstar Mila Moore joined PWMania to discuss her WWE tryout, the Women’s Evolution, training, her release from WWE, and more.
