The Miz is the new WWE Champion after successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Drew McIntyre at .
In the pay-per-view main event, McIntyre defeated AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Sheamus, and Kofi Kingston to retain the WWE Championship. It was during the post-match, in-ring celebration that Bobby Lashley attacked McIntyre from behind, slammed his head into the announcer’s table, and cinched in the Hurt Lock.
The Miz immediately cashed in and executed a snap DDT, which McIntyre kicked out of it. Miz then executed his finisher, the Skull Crushing Finale, to score the pinfall and win the title.
Prior to the main event, the camera caught The Miz and MVP–Lashley’s manager–conversing backstage. One can assume that the two men struck some sort of deal. Maybe if Lashley helped Miz win the title, Lashley would get the first title shot? We’ll certainly find out more on the February 22 episode of Raw.
The Miz won the briefcase from Otis at Hell in a Cell in October 2020. He previously attempted and failed to cash in the briefcase on McIntyre at TLC: Tables, Ladders, Chairs, but he used a contractual loophole to retain the briefcase and his title opportunity.
This is Miz’s second reign as WWE champion. His first reign was in 2010, when he cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase against Randy Orton on Raw. He successfully defended the title against John Cena at WrestleMania XXVII, before losing it to Cena at Extreme Rules in 2011.
