When news broke that WWEā€˜s 2022 iteration of Money in the Bank was moving to a ā€œmore intimateā€ venue, it left many a raised eye across the wrestling world.

After suffering through weeks of underwhelming ticket sales, the organization opted to pull the plug on running their premier ladder-based Premium Live Event from Allegiant Stadium, the 65,000 cap home venue of the Las Vegas Raiders, to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the same venue where AEW ran Dynamite in the leadup to Double or Nothing that seats just 17,000.

That's a major downgrade, right? Not only is it embarrassing from an external standpoint, but when even Tony Khan made fun of the move, though moreso for booking Vegas on the same night as UFC 276 than running the Garden Arena, you know Mr. McMahon couldn't have been pleased.

And yet, you wouldn't know it from the actual results of the show, as not only was the in-ring work very well received, headlined by a pair of massive Ws by Liv Morgan, but, according to Sean Ross Sapp, the Premium Live Event brought in a massive bag and put some serious ā€œMoney in the Bankā€ for WWE too.

Money in the Bank made good on its name for WWE.

Money in the Bank 2022 was dealt a tough hand coming out of Hell in a Cell.

Cody Rhodes, the galavanting hero of the promotion through the month of May, was officially iced out of action due to his gruesome torn pectoral injury, Roman Reigns wasn't expected to wrestle on the show following an extended absence from television reprieved only momentarily by a SmackDown match versus Riddle, and the promotion's Women's Tag Team Champions, Sasha Banks and Naiomi, had long since walked out of the company and may ultimately have been released shortly thereafter.

Granted, there's no way of knowing if Rhodes was booked to win MitB, if Reigns had a match in the cards for the Vegas-based show, or if the Tag Team Titles would have been defended at the six-match show, but had the WWE's cupboard been fully stocked, it's hard to imagine one, two, or all three of those acts being held off the show intentionally.

Still, despite being down two of their top titles ā€“ three really if you consider that Reigns technically holds the top belt on both RAW and SmackDown ā€“ having to change venues, and having just suffered through a massive front-office shakeup on the business side of the organization with Vince McMahon having to step down as CEO and Chairman of the Board and his daughter, Stephanie, tasked with taking his place, the Premium Live Event went on as planned and largely exceeded expectations.

Why? Because the promotion gave the fans at home a fun, hard-hitting wrestling show.

There were fan service-y moments, like Liv Morgan winning the Women's Money in the Bank briefcase and then cashing it in on Ronda Rousey, incredible wrestling matches, like the tag-team showcase of The Usos versus The Street Profits, and even gave Theory some just deserts for being such a smarmy heel with a thorough lashing at the muscles of ā€œThe Almightyā€ Bobby Lashley, even if that moment of vindication was ultimately blemished by a Money in the Bank surprise that was jaw-dropping for all of the wrong reasons.

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Rhea Ripley holding the WWE Woman's World Championship with a text bubble reading "I have to vacate the WWE Woman's World Championship" with the RAW logo as the background.

Matty Breisch Ā·

Damian Priest with a text bubble reading "Iā€™m going to beat the YEET out of you" next to Jey Uso with the RAW logo as the background.

Matty Breisch Ā·

Ronda Rousey with a text bubble reading "Remove Vinceā€™s influence completely" next to a grayed-out Vince McMahon with the WWE logo as the background.

Matty Breisch Ā·

Heck, even the decision to put Theory in the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, though a cheap way to get easy heat by Mr. McMahon via Adam Pearce, was ultimately effective, as it made a few new enemies for the top mid-card heel on RAW and got more than 1.56 million fans to tune into the Fourth of July edition of the longest-running wrestling show on television in part to see what sort of goofiness would ensue.

All things considered, that is a pretty darn good outcome for a show expected to have a down week due to the holiday.

Was Money in the Bank 2022 a fluke? Would moving future non-Big Four shows to smaller venues prove to be a fool's errand that leaves money on the table, or did the promotion accidentally luck into a very interesting opportunity to artificially elevate the hype surrounding their shows by running in more intimate venues? Could the day eventually come once more when the WWE runs a show in the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York, where the promotion ran ECW One Night Stand back in 2005, or even the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, which has become a popular venue for shows produced by brands like Impact, Ring of Honor, and MLW? Only time will tell, but after trying to run the biggest shows imaginable for years, going small proved a financial win for a Pay-Per-View defined by money.