We’ve got another exciting Central Division matchup on the NBA schedule as the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls are set to tip at 7 p.m. ET on Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as part of the NBA on Martin Luther King Jr. Day schedule. Cleveland is 22-15 overall and 13-8 at home, while Chicago is 19-22 overall and 6-12 on the road. The Cavs have won the last five head-to-head matchups over the Bulls and has also gone 4-0-1 against the spread in those games.

However, both teams have been average against the number this season, with Chicago going 20-20-1 against the spread and the Cavaliers going 18-18-1. For Monday’s matchup, Cleveland is favored by 4 points in the latest Bulls vs. Cavaliers odds via SportsLine consensus and the over/under is 220.5 points. Before entering any Cavaliers vs. Bulls picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Chicago-Cleveland. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:

Cavaliers vs. Bulls spread: Cavaliers -4
Cavaliers vs. Bulls over/under: 220.5 points
Cavaliers vs. Bulls money line: Cavaliers -169, Bulls +142
Cavaliers vs. Bulls picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Cavaliers
The Cavaliers extended their winning streak to four games against the Nets their last time out. Cleveland came out on top against Brooklyn by a score of 111-102 on Thursday. Among those leading the charge was Donovan Mitchell, who dropped a double-double on a season-high 45 points and 12 rebounds.

The four-time NBA all-star missed Cleveland’s Dec. 23 matchup against Chicago, which the Cavaliers won by 14 points despite being 6.5-point underdogs on the road. Jarrett Allen had 19 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists in that victory and his presence in the post will loom large against a Bulls squad that struggles to protect the rim.

What you need to know about the Bulls
Meanwhile, even if it wasn’t a dominant performance, Chicago beat San Antonio 122-116 on Saturday. The Bulls’ win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Nikola Vucevic, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 16 rebounds.

Ayo Dosunmu also had 21 points off the bench in the victory while DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points. Chicago shot 51.1% from the floor and went 15-for-34 from the 3-point line (44.1%). The Bulls are averaging 17.3 made 3-pointers and shooting 43.0% from beyond the arc over their last three games.

Key Betting Info
The Cavaliers will be relying on another big game from Mitchell to pull off a victory with Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee) out for significant stretches. For the season, Mitchell has averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.

Some of the betting trends to consider are:

The Bulls are 6-3 against the spread in their last 9 games when the spread was between +2 to +5.
The Bulls are 7-10-1 against the spread in their last 18 games when on the road.
The Cavaliers are 6-6 against the spread in their last 12 games when the spread was between -5 to -2.
How to make Cavaliers vs. Bulls picks
The model has simulated Cavaliers vs. Bulls 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits well over 60% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

The New York Knicks (23-16) will try to avoid their second loss of the month when they host the Orlando Magic (21-18) on Monday afternoon. New York opened January with five consecutive victories before suffering its first loss at Dallas last Thursday. The Knicks bounced back with a 106-94 win at Memphis on Saturday, moving into a four-way tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Orlando is currently on a three-game losing skid, falling to Oklahoma City in a road game on Saturday.

Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on Monday at Madison Square Garden. New York is favored by 6.5 points in the latest Knicks vs. Magic odds, while the over/under is 221.5 points. Before entering any Magic vs. Knicks picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Orlando-New York. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:

Knicks vs. Magic spread: Knicks -6.5
Knicks vs. Magic over/under: 221.5 points
Knicks vs. Magic money line: Knicks -272, Magic +219
Knicks vs. Magic picks: See picks here
Why the Knicks can cover
The Knicks played without leading scorer Jalen Brunson (calf) on Saturday, but they still managed to beat the Grizzlies by double digits on the road. Brunson is a game-time decision for this game, with Miles McBride being his replacement option. Power forward Julius Randle stepped up with Brunson sidelined on Saturday, finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Randle is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 24.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Orlando is riding a three-game losing streak following its loss to Oklahoma City, which is the team’s third skid of at least three games since Dec. 15. The Knicks are the only NBA team to play on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in all 38 seasons in which games have been played on the holiday, going 23-14 heading into this game.

Why the Magic can cover
While New York was able to pull off a win without Brunson, it was certainly not a clean performance for the Knicks. They were facing a Memphis team that was without Ja Morant, Steven Adams, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., but they still trailed at halftime. New York also committed a season-high 22 turnovers without their floor general in the lineup.

Orlando tends to keep games close, with seven of its last 11 losses coming by 12 points or fewer. The Magic trailed Oklahoma City by just six points with two minutes remaining before missing their final three shots from the floor. Power forward Paolo Banchero leads Orlando with 22.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. See which team to pick here.

How to make Knicks vs. Magic picks
The model has simulated Magic vs. Knicks 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

WWE Backlash touches down in Puerto Rico for the promotion’s first major event on the Caribbean island in 18 years. Some of the biggest superstars, figuratively and literally, in sports entertainment and beyond are aligning for Saturday’s show.

A first-time encounter between Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar headlines the event, plus global music superstar Bad Bunny takes on Damian Priest in a street fight. Rhodes has been foaming at the mouth for a shot at Lesnar since the former champion cost him a rematch against undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns. Bad Bunny and Priest teamed together in artist’s first major WWE match at WrestleMania 37. The former friends found themselves at odds after Bad Bunny aided Rey Mysterio against Priest’s Judgement Day cohort Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 39.

In addition to three title matches set for the evening, there are some interest bookings to look forward to. The Bloodline look to finally rid themselves of their problem in undisputed tag team champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens as well as Riddle when they meet in a six-man tag match. Plus, one of the stranger bookings in recent memory comes to a head when the giant Omos takes on Seth Rollins.

Here’s how you can catch all the action on Saturday night.

Watch 2023 WWE Backlash
Date: Saturday, May 6
Location: Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Start time: 8 p.m. ET (kickoff show starts at 7 p.m.)
Watch live: Peacock

Watch 2023 WWE Backlash match card
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest (San Juan Street Fight)
SmackDown women’s championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Zelina Vega
Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and The Usos)
Raw women’s championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Iyo Sky
United States championship — Austin Theory (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed
Seth Rollins vs. Omos

WWE returns to Saudi Arabia on May 27 for Night of Champions, the next event in the promotion’s lucrative and controversial deal as part of the country’s Saudi Vision 2030 program. As always, WWE is bringing a big card to the country, with potential for some massive promotion-shifting results.

Five of the card’s seven matches will have a title up for grabs. That includes the main event, where undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns will attempt to leave Saudi Arabia with four belts as he teams with Solo Sikoa to battle undisputed tag team champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. Also, the first world heavyweight champion since 2013 will be crowned when Seth Rollins and AJ Styles clash over the recently-reintroduced title.

Plus, both women’s titles will be at stake. Raw women’s champion Bianca Belair will face off against Asuka while SmackDown women’s champ Rhea Ripley takes on Natalya. And a clash of legends is also scheduled when Trish Stratus takes on Becky Lynch.

Let’s take a look at what we know, and what we think, is happening at Night of Champions, which streams live on Peacock on May 27 at 1 p.m. ET.

WWE Night of Champions 2023 matches
World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles: After Roman Reigns retained the undisputed WWE universal championship against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania, Triple H announced that WWE was reviving the world heavyweight championship so that whichever brand Reigns was not drafted to in the WWE Draft would have a champion. Rollins won his way to the finals by winning a triple threat match and then defeating Finn Balor in the semifinals. Styles followed the same path on SmackDown, beating Bobby Lashley in the semifinals.

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes: After losing to Reigns at WrestleMania, Rhodes found himself in the sights of Lesnar. The pair met at Backlash, with Rhodes winning a match that saw Lesnar badly bloodied. Lesnar went for his revenge on Raw, interrupting a triple threat and beating Rhodes down before demanding Rhodes face him in “a fight.” In the final Raw before Night of Champions, Lesnar attacked Rhodes twice more, this time badly injuring Rhodes’ arm.

Undisputed Tag Team Championship — Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens (c) vs. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa: After Zayn and Owens beat The Usos to win the titles at WrestleMania, it was clear there would be some trouble within The Bloodline. That has proven to be the case, with Reigns appearing increasingly angry with The Usos before a very surprising turn on SmackDown. As it seemed Paul Heyman was about to announce The Usos would rematch Zayn and Owens, he instead announced that Reigns and Sikoa would take the title shot, leaving The Usos shocked.

Intercontinental Championship — Gunther (c) vs. Mustafa Ali: Gunther was recently drafted to Raw, providing the longest-reigning intercontinental champion in the modern era with a fresh crop of challengers for his title. The first man up would be determined by a battle royal, which saw Ali emerge as the winner by last eliminating Bronson Reed and Ricochet.

SmackDown Women’s Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Natalya: After beating Dana Brooke on Raw, Ripley continued the attack. This brought out Natalya to make the save. That alone is enough to set up a match in WWE. But add in Natalya’s history in Saudi Arabia, where she was one half of the first women’s match in the country, and it made sense she would be involved in a title match as WWE returns to the country.

Raw Women’s Championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka: Asuka ruined Belair’s homecoming celebration in Knoxville, blinding the champion with a chili-blended poison mist. Belair attempted a measure of vengeance the following week on SmackDown, but Asuka’s mist proved a powerful repellent. The two superstars will re-run their blistering WrestleMania 39 match at Night of Champions.

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus: After Stratus turned on Lynch when the pair lost the women’s tag team titles, it was clear this was a program WWE thought had legs to go through a major event or two. One week after Lynch returned and attacked Stratus as Stratus was handing out missing flyers with Lynch’s face on them, Lynch laid out an official challenge for the two to have a match at Night of Champions.

The WWE ring returns to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for the Night of Champions pay-per-view event. While this year’s edition of the event doesn’t follow the old rules of “every title in WWE will be on the line,” the card is still loaded with intriguing and important matches.

Five of the card’s seven matches will have a title up for grabs. That includes the main event, where undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns will attempt to leave Saudi Arabia with four belts as he teams with Solo Sikoa to battle undisputed tag team champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. Also, the first world heavyweight champion since 2013 will be crowned when Seth Rollins and AJ Styles clash over the recently-reintroduced title.

Plus, both women’s titles will be at stake. Raw women’s champion Bianca Belair will face off against Asuka while SmackDown women’s champ Rhea Ripley takes on Natalya. And a clash of legends is also scheduled when Trish Stratus takes on Becky Lynch.

The card also sees the return of dominant intercontinental champion Gunther as he welcomes his latest challenger in Mustafa Ali. Gunther has wreaked havoc over the SmackDown brand and a recent move to Raw offers a new roster of challengers to attempt to mow down. Ali represents the first of those challengers after he beat Dolph Ziggler to earn the opportunity.

Let’s take a look at who the CBS Sports experts are picking in each match at Night of Champions, which streams live on Peacock on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

WWE Night of Champions 2023 predictions
Undisputed Tag Team Championship — Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa

I am all in on this tag team match. Reigns has lost faith in The Usos and is taking matters into his own hands, accelerating The Bloodline’s demise. Putting the tag titles at stake allows the rare opportunity for Reigns to go out on his back without jeopardizing his record title run. Zayn and Owens, particularly the former, are long overdue for revenge on the undisputed world champion. There will be few sweeter moments in 2023 than seeing Zayn Helluva Kick Reigns and pick up the three-count. Reigns is bulletproof and a clean loss at his expense won’t knock him down a peg as much as it will elevate everyone directly and indirectly involved in the match. Owens and Zayn will score a marquee win, The Usos’ will be validated despite their recent losses and the aura of Sikoa as the group’s true biggest threat will continue to build. Pick: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn retain the titles — Shakiel Mahjouri (also Brent Brookhouse)

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes

Rhodes’ win over Lesnar at Backlash was shocking. Not that it was shocking that Rhodes won as much as it was shocking to see Lesnar gushing blood for nearly the entirety of the match. The blood — intentional or not — added a whole new level of intensity to the rivalry between Lesnar and Rhodes and has set Lesnar off on a violent path of revenge. In the final Raw before Night of Champions, Lesnar badly injured Rhodes’ arm, which sets up another excuse for how Lesnar can get his win back without harming Rhodes’ place as a top talent too much. It’s also unclear what Rhodes’ big SummerSlam program would be, so dragging things forward with Lesnar makes a good amount of sense. Pick: Brock Lesnar wins — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

Rollins vs. Styles will be a fantastic match, no doubt about it. It’s also refreshing to see Styles return to the main event scene after his latest midcard run and a stint in NXT. It’s certainly feasible for Styles to have another world title run at age 45. The issue is that his momentum — barring something like an O.C. heel turn — is non-existent. Rollins is hotter than ever and is long, long overdue for a top spot after giving the rub to Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul and others in 2021 and 2022. WWE missed the mark with elevating Rhodes and Sami Zayn this year. They can’t do it again. Pick: Seth Rollins wins the vacant title — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

Intercontinental Championship — Gunther (c) vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali won a battle royal to earn a shot at long-reigning champion Gunther. That probably shouldn’t be shocking given he is a regular on WWE’s cards in Saudi Arabia. What would be shocking would be Ali winning the match. Gunther is on a hell of a run and just got a fresh batch of challengers when he was drafted to Raw. His reign won’t last forever, but there is no reason for it to end without there being a compelling program around the title swap, not a guy just winning a battle royal. Pick: Gunther retains the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

Raw Women’s Championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka

WWE have booked themselves into a corner with this match. Belair and Asuka had a strong showing at WrestleMania 39 despite a mismanaged build. Belair is a marketable and valuable champion for the company; meanwhile, Asuka is one of the division’s few legitimate threats. Asuka has not been booked well enough to dethrone Belair this weekend, but a second loss to the champ won’t remedy that either. The safe play is to keep the title on Belair, but much needs to be done after Night of Champions to prepare Asuka for an eventual title run. Pick: Bianca Belair retains the title — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

SmackDown Women’s Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Natalya

Similar to Gunther’s match with Ali, this match doesn’t feel like there’s any intrigue. Natalya was in the first women’s match in Saudi Arabia and she gets a title shot in the latest trip to the country. But the entire thing came about because Natalya stepped in when Ripley continued to attack Dana Brooke after winning a one-on-one match. Ripley isn’t going to have her still-young title reign end yet and certainly not against Natalya, who is no longer really a player as a potential world champion. Pick: Rhea Ripley retains the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus

It feels like WWE wants to extend this story to SummerSlam, maybe with Stratus only occasionally appearing between Night of Champions and the summer’s big pay-per-view extravaganza. The only way that can happen is with Stratus picking up a cheap win over Lynch. It feels like that’s the easiest play for all involved here. Pick: Trish Stratus wins — Brookhouse

This is a match buoyed purely by star power and dream status. The price tag on these Saudi Arabia shows dictate marquee matchups, after all. It’s nice that WWE has at least tried to build a story around Lynch vs. Stratus instead of slapping it onto a poster and calling it a day. Lynch should pick up the victory in a historic-ish match and can move forward to an intriguing world title program with Rhea Ripley. Pick: Becky Lynch wins — Mahjouri

WWE superstars return to Saudi Arabia for WWE Night of Champions. Not every title is at stake on Saturday, but a champions vs. champion super match and the crowning of a new world heavyweight titleholder tip the bill.

A triple-headliner is advertised for the promotion’s return to Jeddah. Undisputed tag team champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will defend their crowns against undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns and Bloodline enforcer Solo Sikoa. A Backlash rematch pits Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes against each other. Finally, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles meet in the finals of a tournament to crown Raw’s new world heavyweight champion.

WWE’s trips to Saudi Arabia often have a dramatic flair. This year’s dream match features two all-time great female superstars from different generations: Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus.

The card also sees the return of dominant intercontinental champion Gunther as he welcomes his latest challenger in Mustafa Ali. Gunther has wreaked havoc over the SmackDown brand and a recent move to Raw offers a new roster of challengers to attempt to mow down. Ali represents the first of those challengers after he beat Dolph Ziggler to earn the opportunity.

Here’s how you can catch all the action on Saturday night.

Watch 2023 WWE Night of Champions
Date: Saturday, May 27
Location: Jeddah Superdome — Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Start time: 1 p.m. ET (kickoff show starts at noon)
Watch live: Peacock

2023 WWE Night of Champions match card
Undisputed Tag Team Championship — Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa
Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes
World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles
Intercontinental Championship — Gunther (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
Raw Women’s Championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka
SmackDown Women’s Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Natalya
Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus

Former WWF champion Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, better known by his wrestling persona “The Iron Sheik,” has died at age 81. The news of Khosrow’s passing was announced on his official Twitter page on Wednesday.

Born in Iran, Khosrow was a solid amateur wrestler who competed for a spot on Iran’s 1968 Olympic Greco-Roman team. After failing to secure a spot, he moved to the United States where he continued his involvement in amateur wrestling, helping to coach the U.S. Olympic team while continuing to compete.

Khosrow eventually transitioned to a career in professional wrestling after being trained by AWA promoter and accomplished wrestler Verne Gagne. He would go on to wrestle for many of the biggest territories in the United States, adopting a persona as an Iranian heel with signature curled-toe boots.

RESPECT THE LEGEND FOREVER 😢 pic.twitter.com/Cr6CC9pXSO

— The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) June 7, 2023
In 1983, Khosrow returned to the WWF for a second time, entering a program with Bob Backlund, who was at the tail end of a reign as WWF champion that lasted 1,470 days. Khosrow won the championship on Dec. 26, 1983 when Backlund’s corner threw in the towel as Khosrow had his finishing move, the camel clutch, locked in.

Khosrow’s title reign served as a transitional one to move the title to Hulk Hogan, who defeated him to become champion 28 days after Khosrow defeated Backlund. This allowed WWF to avoid a match between popular babyfaces Backlund and Hogan with the use of a brief reign by a heel champion.

Khosrow continued to find success in WWF after his stint as champion, teaming with Nikolai Volkoff and eventually winning the WWF tag team championships.

A drug-related arrest while traveling with storyline rival “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan in 1987 preceded Khosrow’s departure from WWF, though he returned to the promotion briefly in 1988 and then again in 1991. The 1991 return saw Khosrow in the new character of Colonel Mustafa, aligning with Sgt. Slaughter, the former all-American wrestler turned Iraqui sympathizer in a controversial angle at the height of the Gulf War.

Khosrow struggled with drug addiction for many years and often made media appearances where he would swear and often use homophobic and racist language.

Khosrow eventually found sobriety and became a popular Twitter personality though the tweets were almost entirely written by a management team.

Monday night’s edition of Raw was a big one for advancing the place of champions and the state of the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

World heavyweight champion Seth Rollins has a challenger for Money in the Bank. After Finn Balor couldn’t help himself and interfered in fellow Judgement Day member Damian Priest’s title match with Rollins the previous week, Balor made it official that he would challenge for the belt at the July 1 event in London.

The story of the match draws on the history between Rollins and Balor, which includes Rollins accidentally injuring Balor in their 2016 match to crown the first universal champion. That injury led to Balor having to give up the title less than 24 hours after winning it. Balor cited that moment as Rollins robbing his momentum when he’d reached the mountaintop.

The other major champion on Raw got a championship upgrade. Despite being on Raw, Rhea Ripley held the SmackDown women’s championship after using her Royal Rumble victory to target then-SmackDown champ Charlotte Flair.

On Monday, Ripley was awarded a new championship, the women’s world championship. This pairs with Asuka’s Raw women’s championship recently being renamed to the WWE women’s championship, removing the show branding and establishing the belts more firmly as world titles.

What else happened on WWE Raw?
Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio is official for Money in the Bank after multiple confrontations between the two led to a formal challenge to open the show. During the segment, The Miz snuck in to attack Rhodes, leading to the start of their match.
Cody Rhodes def. The Miz via pinfall with Cross Rhodes. The match started immediately after Miz’s attack. Mysterio did not remain at ringside after he hit Rhodes with a cheap shot and ran to the back.
Becky Lynch def. Chelsea Green via submission with the Dis-arm-her. Before the match, Lynch was confronted by Zoey Stark, with Stark saying Lynch can’t beat Trish Stratus and also won’t be able to win Money in the Bank.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match — Damian Priest def. Matt Riddle via pinfall with a Razor’s Edge. After the match, Gunther and Imperium came to the ring to further beat down Riddle.
Indus Sher was interviewed and offered Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin a “real match” after beating down the duo before their planned match last week.
Bronson Reed def. Ricochet via disqualification after interference by Shinsuke Nakamura.
Shayna Baszler def. Raquel Rodriguez via pinfall with a roll-up after Ronda Rousey distracted Rodriguez.
Chad Gable def. Erik via pinfall with a sunset flip. During the match, Valhalla attacked Maxxine Dupri only for Dupri to hit an arm drag, a move Gable was seen teaching Dupri earlier in the night.
WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship — Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) def. Imperium (Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser) via pinfall after Zayn hit Kaiser with a blue thunder driver. The match came about after yet another backstage confrontation between the groups. Imperium asked Owens and Zayn if they were confident enough to put their titles on the line, which the champs agreed to do. Matt Riddle came to the ring late in the match, drawing Gunther’s attention and leading to the finish.

WWE is jetting off to London and WWE superstars are trying to punch their tickets to championship glory. Money in the Bank takes place at the O2 Arena on July 1 with the winners of annual ladder matches securing a nearly foolproof path to a title.

WWE returns to London for its first major event since 2003’s Insurrextion following the success of Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales in September. WWE continues its globetrotting following events in San Antonio, Montreal, Los Angeles, San Juan and Jeddah so far this year. The London card features two Money in the Bank ladder matches.

The match originated at WrestleMania 21 and has since evolved into its own major event with separate matches for the men’s and women’s divisions. Whichever superstar retrieves the briefcase hanging above the ring earns the right to challenge for a championship of their choice at a time and place of their choosing. This has led to many surprise impromptu matches when champions are at a disadvantage. Traditionally, superstars have cashed in the briefcase for a world championship match. More recently, the stipulation has expanded to allow a cash-in on any title.

Take a look below at the confirmed matches for Money in the Bank and take a glance at the crystal ball of what may come.

2023 WWE Money in the Bank matches
World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor: A match between Rollins and Balor at the conclusion of the June 6 episode of Raw teased a world championship tilt at Money in the Bank. The fighters squared up after Rollins’ successful title defense against Damian Priest, Balor’s teammate in The Judgement Day. The match was made official one week later. There is a history between Rollins and Balor. The two fought for the inaugural universal championship in 2016. Balor picked up the victory, but he suffered an injury in the match and was forced to vacate the belt after one day. It remains the only world championship run of Balor’s main roster career. Rollins became the first world heavyweight champion since the title was reintroduced at Night of Champions.

The Usos vs. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa: The Bloodline officially split when Jey Uso chose to join his brother Jimmy in rejecting Reigns’ abuse. Jimmy had superkicked Reigns multiple times at Night of Champions, leading to speculation of whether Jey would join his twin. On SmackDown, Jey said that Jimmy was “out” of The Bloodling before adding that he was as well, superkicking Reigns before he and Jimmy took out Sikoa as well. The drama-filled storyline now moves to Reigns and Sikoa going two-on-two with The Usos.

Ricochet vs. LA Knight vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Damian Priest vs. Logan Paul (Money in the Bank ladder match): The winner of the ladder match will have one year to cash in their briefcase for a title shot at a time and place of their choosing. Ricochet and Nakamura have been targetted by Bronson Reed in recent weeks, leading to a possibility Reed gets involved in the match. Meanwhile, Priest has been at the center of a lot of tension within Judgement Day, including with Finn Balor’s involvement in his world heavyweight championship match with Seth Rollins. Paul is the only competitor who did not “earn” his spot and instead announced that WWE had simply offered him an opportunity.

Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark vs. Zelina Vega vs. Bayley vs. IYO SKY vs. Trish Stratus (Money in the Bank ladder match): Vega claimed the first spot in the match by defeating Lacey Evans in a qualifier on SmackDown. New rivals Lynch and Starks won their respective matches the following week on Raw to cement their places. Stratus then joined Stark, her protege, when Lynch accidentally hit Stratus during her match with Raquel Rodriguez, earning her a win by disqualification. The winner of the ladder match will have one year to cash in their briefcase for a title shot at a time and place of their choosing, though almost every woman to win Money in the Bank has cashed in in less than 24 hours.

Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio: Mysterio has taken a few cheap shots at Rhodes in recent weeks, leading to Rhodes making a challenge for a match at Money in the Bank. As is usual for Mysterio, it was Rhea Ripley who accepted the match on his behalf. This is taking place at the same time as Rhodes continues to target a third match with Brock Lesnar.

Intercontinental Championship — Gunther (c) vs. Matt Riddle: Riddle retaliated after a brutal attack at the hands of Imperium, leading to an intercontinental title tilt between him and Gunther. The defending champion will certainly have the size and strength advantage, but Riddle’s legitimate UFC background makes him a unique striking threat to a champion known for his heavy blows.

Women’s Tag Team Championships — Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan: Rousey and Baszler were promptly faced with a new challenge after defeating NXT women’s tag team champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn to unify the belts. Former champions Rodriguez and Morgan, the latter of whom recently returned from injury, challenged the reigning champions for the titles they were forced to vacate.

WWE is bringing a pay-per-view to England for the first time since 2003 when Money in the Bank lands in London on Saturday. One of the staple events on the WWE calendar, Money in the Bank also sets up storylines that become central to the next several months of the promotion’s programming.

The winners of the men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches receive contracts that allow them to challenge once for any title of their choosing at any time. This has led to some of the most iconic moments in WWE history as winners have cashed in to win world titles in dramatic fashion.

The card will also feature three title matches. Newly crowned heavyweight champ Seth Rollins will battle it out with Finn Balor in a rematch seven years in the making. Intercontinental champ Gunther will take on Matt Riddle. And women’s tag team champions Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler will face off against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.

Let’s take a look at who the CBS Sports experts are picking to win each match on the Money in the Bank card, which streams live on Peacock at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday.

2023 WWE Money in the Bank predictions
Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio has been handled masterfully, leading to him being a truly top-tier heel in terms of generating heat. It is starting to feel a little inorganic at this point, with the boos being more of a “crowd doing a bit” situation than genuine reactions but it’s still been fun and has placed Mysterio into a spot where he feels like he matters on the roster. That said, this needs to be a Rhodes win. He went from a surefire choice to end Roman Reigns’ run to losing their WrestleMania showdown and falling down the card a bit. While a feud with Brock Lesnar was used to rehab him, Rhodes still won the first match with a quick pin and was demolished ahead of and during the rematch. Losing to Mysterio doesn’t keep him strong for the rubber match with Lesnar and another eventual run at a belt. Pick: Cody Rhodes wins — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos

Expect a lot of shenanigans in this match. The Usos are arguably the greatest tag team in WWE history and should have a leg-up over singles superstars Sokoa and Reigns. The problem is that Reigns and Sikoa are coming off a rare loss to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at Night of Champions. Reigns is also heavily protected by the company, I can’t see him falling short in consecutive pay-per-views even if he’s not taking the fall. Stories like this are built on the chase. It’s too soon into The Bloodline breakup for The Usos to beat Reigns. Pick: Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa win — Shakiel Mahjouri (also Brent Brookhouse)

Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match — Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Damian Priest vs. Logan Paul

Looking at any Money in the Bank match to identify a winner first involves a process of elimination. Who would WWE not have carrying around one of the biggest storyline tools in the company? Ricochet, Nakamura, Escobar and Butch are all out on those grounds. They are there to provide texture to the match, not to win the match and spend weeks or months teasing cashing in for a world title. That leaves Knight, Priest and Paul. Priest only makes sense in terms of the Judgment Day story and seems an unlikely choice to win. Paul is not a regular staple on television, which doesn’t set him up as a good choice to hold the briefcase, plus he has only had a small handful of matches, one of which was already for a world title. That leaves Knight, a fountain of charisma and someone in whom WWE higher-ups seem to have a lot of faith. Knight has to be the favorite here if for no other reason than being the only valid option to hold the briefcase. Pick: LA Knight wins — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match — Zelina Vega vs. Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark vs. Bayley vs. Iyo Sky vs. Trish Stratus

The women’s side of things is far more difficult to figure out than the men’s. There are multiple valid winners in this match. In fact, everyone in the match would be a fine winner and an intriguing option to challenge for a world title. Iyo Sky is the favorite heading into the match because the storyline playing out with Bayley’s controlling nature and jealousy would make things interesting. Only one woman has held the contract for more than two days before cashing in, so the more interesting question will be: can the briefcase be used for long-term storytelling on the women’s side for once? I’d like to think yes, and it makes the most sense to do so with Sky. Pick: Iyo Sky wins — Brookhouse

This year’s Money in the Bank feels like a rare event where many outcomes are in question. I can see a lot of interesting ways the women’s ladder match shakes out. Sky is the fan-favorite pick, but increasing tension with teammate Bayley could spill over on Saturday. Bayley stealing the briefcase from Sky could be an interesting angle. Lynch is typically a safe bet in these scenarios. Starks could win with her egotistical mentor Stratus moonlighting as contract holder. Ultimately, I’m siding with the underdog. Vega shined in her women’s title match against Rhea Ripley, has been reliable in the ring and on the microphone and has crossover appeal. A Vega also brings much-needed legitimacy to the LWO stable. WWE is pining for a new Latin star and she appears to have been under the company’s nose all along. Pick: Zelina Vega wins — Mahjouri

World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor

It’s too soon to take the world heavyweight championship off Rollins. The newly-minted world title was Rollins reward for being a workhorse who put over just about every other major superstar for the past few years. Rollins’ work ethic has also translated to countless media appearances in the lead-up to the PPV. WWE has done good work to build Balor into a believable threat and The Judgement Day are stronger than ever. There is an interesting story to tell with Damian Priest as the briefcase holder and an increasingly paranoid Balor as champion, but WWE can tell that tale after Rollins establishes himself as champion. Pick: Seth Rollins retains the title — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

Intercontinental Championship — Gunther (c) vs. Matt Riddle

While Riddle is a valid option to end Gunther’s lengthy run as intercontinental champion, this simply doesn’t feel like the right time. There are plenty of ways to have Gunther get the win without harming Riddle, including underhanded tactics from Imperium. Riddle just doesn’t quite feel like he’s at the level where he feels like he “needs” a title and WWE is committed to Gunther being a record-setting intercontinental champion. Pick: Gunther retains the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

Women’s Tag Team Championship — Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez

What’s strangest about Rousey and Baszler’s reign is how long it took to get here. Strapping the tag title around the waists of the real-life friends and UFC veterans made perfect sense after moving Rousey out of the main event title scene. Yet it took Rodriguez and Morgan vacating the belt after the latter suffered an injury for WWE to finally pull the trigger. It’s too soon for Rousey and Baszler to lose the belts, plain and simple. Rousey remains one of WWE’s biggest crossover stars. Having her lose in London isn’t worth the juice. Pick: Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler retain the titles — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)