Seth Rollins Defeats Finn Balor, Retains WWE World Heavyweight Title At Money In The Bank
While the reintroduced WWE World Heavyweight Championship has already been contested in multiple championship matches since its revival, Saturday saw reigning champion Seth "Freaking" Rollins successfully defend the title for the very first time on a Premium Live Event. The highly-decorated WWE star defeated Finn Balor in the semi-main event of Money in the Bank 2023, a rematch of their Universal Championship match from SummerSlam 2016.
Balor's loss at Money in the Bank 2023 didn't come without a little bit of controversy. Balor's Judgement Day cohort and the new Sr. Money in the Bank Damian Priest made an appearance at ringside during the match, seemingly arriving to aid Balor. However, Priest's visible contemplation of cashing in his title match during the match distracted the challenger and ultimately cost him the match. The pair were seen arguing after the bout concluded, teasing turmoil amongst two of The Judgment Day's four members.
This match marked Rollins' third televised defense of the World Heavyweight Championship title defense since winning the title at WWE Night of Champions 2023 in a bout against AJ Styles.