After getting attacked from behind by Finn Balor after taking care of business against Bron Breakker on NXT â a move that got 192,000 more fans to watch the show than the week prior â Seth Rollins decided to ask the current NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes to have his back on the final RAW before Money in the Bank, addressing the crowd about what's at stake this weekend at the O2 in London.
âSavannah, welcome to Mondy Night Rollins! Now, before we get cooking here tonight, we got a special guest in the arena; ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the one, the only, NXT Champion himself, Carmelo Hayes. Now Melo, I don't do this too often, but you had my back this Tuesday night on NXT, so I just wanted to say thank you. You know we've got more in common than being the two flyest dudes; we are both fighting champions. As a matter of fact, my man Melo has a title defense tomorrow night on NXT; please whoop up on that âBumba**' Corbin,â Rollin said as the crowd cheered NXT.
âAnd as for me, this Saturday afternoon, live in London, England, I go one-on-one at Money in the Bank with Finn Balor. A couple weeks ago, I posed a question; which Finn Balor is going to show up at Money in the Bank? Last week, I got my answer in spades because Finn Balor jumped me not once, but he followed me all the way to down to NXT, jump me, again, and tried to turn my ribs to dust. And here's the thing, Finn, I'm still standing. I'm still standing, Money in the Bank's this Saturday, I'm tired of talking, so why don't you come out here and finish the job right now?â
Unfortunately for Rollins, Balor did not come out to accept his challenge, at least at the time, to address his foe, but that didn't stop âThe Visionaryâ from leaning into his opportunity to address the WWE Universe and left little question about his intentions for Saturday.
Seth Rollins gives the reason why he will leave Money in the Bank still champion.
When Balor didn't show, Rollins continued on, explaining that while he won't be 100 percent healthy at Money in the Bank this weekend, he knows that his best game will still be better than âThe Demon.â
âY'all, I wish that singing was going to draw him out, but I promise you this, Finn Balor is not coming out here right now. I gotta hand it to ya Finn, you are the smartest you've ever been, you are the most dangerous you've ever been, you have surrounded yourself with all the right people, and you're gonna keep hiding in the back, hiding in the shadows. You have tricked yourself into believing that it is your destiny to take everything from me that I took from you seven and a half years ago. Am I 100 percent right now, Savannah? No, I'm not. Will I be 100 percent this Saturday at Money in the Bank? No I will not,â Rollins said.
âBut as good as Finn Balor is, there's one thing he has not accounted for, and that's me. Because I promise you this, when it's just you and me, Finn, standing inside this ring, when the bell ring, the best version of Finn Balor is not as good as the best version of Seth âFreakinâ Rollins. And that, is a bitter pill that you are going to have to swallow, because I am a âVisionary,' I am a âRevolutionary,' I am Seth âFreakin' Rollins!â
Unsurprisingly, when Rollins was at his most boisterous was when Balor decided to strike, and before the commercial break could begin, the âVisionaryâ was jumped from behind by a chair-wielding Balor. Fortunately, because Hayes made the trip up from Orlando, he was able to get the save and even book himself his first-ever match on RAW against Balor; a match he ultimately lost but was put over tremendously for on commentary by Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves.
So what gives? Is Rollins going to put down Balor once and for all at Money in the Bank, embarrassing the UK native in front of his friends and family after taking away his Universal Championship back in 2016 after losing at SummerSlam? Or are Balor's actions, as heel-ish as they may seem, actually justified in a sort of long-term revenge? Either way, it's clear these two performers are going to give it their all at Money in the Bank in London, and the match will be won by the better man.