Posted in: The Classic Paper Review The Classic Paper Review – Vol XII – Money in the Bank
By Mazza
Apr 2, 2009 - 8:15:43 AM
Vol XII – Money in the Bank
What the hell? Not this guy again! Well I had so much fun last time out, they just could not stop me posting here on the main pages of LOP once again. In case you missed me last time, my name is Mazza and this is the 12th edition of my column, The Classic Paper Review. So it seems as if I have made it to the main pages at a sad time as LOP legend DaveyBoy is ready to bow out. I’ll give you all three guesses as to who was the major influence for this rookie reviewer. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Davey for the all the great columns and wish him all the best for the future.
It is now time to get on with the show. With today being my official main page debut, I thought I would bring you another special edition of my column. For those of you who don’t know, I normally take a PPV from yesteryear to review but every now and then I like to shake this format up a little. Recently I have been thinking about the title Mr Wrestlemania. In my mind, as well as the minds of many other fans, this title without question belongs to Shawn Michaels. Sure Undertaker has a better win-loss record but win or lose, you can pretty much guarantee that come April, The Heartbreak Kid will give us something special that we will remember forever. Then I started to think about the Money in the Bank ladder match. The winner of this match is often referred to as Mr Money in the Bank, but does that necessarily mean they deserve this title? Well today I intend to find out by not only analysing all four editions of the match, but also looking at the individual performances of the competitors.
THE FACTS
The Money in the Bank ladder match was a concept that was created on WWE programming in 2005 by Chris Jericho when he shopped the idea to Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff. The idea was simple, hang a briefcase over the ring with a contract for a world title match inside. The contract could be cashed in at anytime and would be valid for a year. Six men would be put into the match and they would use ladders to try and receive the briefcase. Bischoff jumped at the idea and quickly booked the match.
Fast forward to 2009 and the MitB match is about to be featured for the fifth consecutive year at Wrestlemania. The match has been a highlight of the last four Wrestlemanias and the cashing-in of the briefcase has been one of the most surprising moments of each of the last three years (Edge did not cash in the briefcase until 2006 after winning it in 2005). On every occasion, the briefcase was cashed in successfully and three out of four times, it came straight out of left field to shock wrestling fans, marks and smarks alike.
The match itself has seen some amazing spots over the last four years and if there is one thing guaranteed at Wrestlemania 25, it is that we are going to see some more. Right now however, it is time to sit back and relax as I take you on a guided tour of the first four editions of the Money in the Bank ladder match.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
(Wrestlemania 21) Edge defeated Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Benoit, Christian and Kane in 15:17 in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match (I apologise for this being the same review as in Taste My Rainbow 41, both columns just came about at the same time!)
If you are looking to make an impact with a new style of ladder match, this certainly had the correct participants. The only questionable choice for a match like this would be Kane and he would prove to be an interesting addition to the athleticism and technical skills on show. We start out with everyone trying to eliminate The Big Red Machine in the entrance way. Christian, who has his “problem solver” Tyson Tomko with him, quickly goes for a ladder but gets hit in the face with it courtesy of Y2J. The spots come thick and fast as Shelton flies over the ropes, taking out Jericho, Christian, Benoit and Tomko on the floor. Kane then flies at them from the top rope and takes out all five men. The participants play to their strengths as Benjamin and Jericho use their athleticism, Christian and Edge their craftiness, Benoit goes for Crossfaces and Kane just pounds the crap out of everyone with the ladders. Angry at being on the receiving end of a Crossface attempt, Kane smashes Benoit’s arm with the ladder before tasting a Spear from Edge. We have a brief E&C reunion when they give Kane what can only be described as a con-ladder-to. Benjamin then starts to stake his claim as match MVP when he is involved in a number of spots with Edge. Soon, all five smaller men are fighting at the top of ladders under the briefcase. Christian takes Benoit down with an armbreaker but Shelton once again tops it by taking Edge out with a T-Bone Suplex. Jericho seems to be alone in his quest to win the match as he climbs but Benjamin’s next trick is to run up a ladder placed against the one Jericho is at the top of and clothesline Y2J of it (You know, the move in SDvRaw which always makes you fall flat on your face!).
With Kane starting to look dominant again, Tomko interferes in the match and takes him out with a big boot. He then sets up a ladder and helps Christian to the top of it but Kane recovers to clothesline Tomko to the floor and then push Captain Charisma off the top of the ladder and into his bodyguard. Kane goes for the briefcase but is thwarted by Jericho as both men crash and burn when the ladder falls. Crowd favourite Benoit then gets involved in the action for the first time in a while and hits a diving headbutt on Kane from the top of a ladder, busting open stitches above his eye as well as his nose in the process. Benoit climbs but Kane sits up and meets him at the top of the ladder. The two men duke it out but Benoit comes out on top as Kane falls to the floor. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Edge appears and smashes Benoit’s injured arm with a chair and the ultimate opportunist climbs the ladder to become the very first Money in the Bank winner.
This match was a phenomenal concept and whoever thought of it should be highly praised. The match was exciting from start to finish and it was only a shame it didn’t last longer. It definitely deserves its place alongside Shawn Michaels versus Razor Ramon and the TLCs from Manias 16 and 17. All 6-men (7 if you include Tomko) played their part in making this a highly exciting match but particular credit goes to Benjamin and Kane. CPR Rating: 10
Participant Ratings:
Chris Benoit – He was easily the crowd favourite in this match and took a couple of hard looking knocks including the diving headbutt, which looked absolutely sick. He definitely played a pivotal role despite quite a lot of rest time – CPR Rating: 7.5
Chris Jericho – He was involved in a lot of the action throughout the match and none of it was shabby. He did not do much to reinvent the match but he took his share of knocks – CPR Rating: 7.5
Christian – Much like Edge, he was not really in the match much which is a shame considering the experience he has. He still managed a couple of nice touches here and there though – CPR Rating: 6
Edge – He won the match but was hardly involved. A couple of nice moments but could have done better, especially considering his pedigree in the match type – CPR Rating: 6
Kane – He seemed to be the odd man out but he really made a contribution. Obviously was not involved in any groundbreaking spots but his dominance on the ground made up for that – CPR Rating: 8
Shelton Benjamin – Excellent match and his athleticism really shone through here. Some nice innovative offence was offered and he was easily MVP. Amazingly he did not botch anything either – CPR Rating: 9
(Wrestlemania 22) Rob Van Dam defeated Shelton Benjamin, Ric Flair, Finlay, Matt Hardy and Bobby Lashley in 12:21 in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match
The second MitB seemed like a very strange mix. Flair, Finlay and Lashley all seemed a bit out of place in this match but time would tell if they could pull a Kane-esque performance out of the bag. We start out with a free-for-all in the ring which leaves Lashley the last man standing. Hardy is the first man to go after a ladder but is taken out by an RVD baseball slide before he can get into the ring. The previous year’s shining star, Shelton soon picks up where he left off when he leans a ladder against the ropes, runs up it and delivers a senton, taking out Lashley, Hardy and Van Dam on the floor. Flair then proves that age is no barrier as he climbs the ladder but gets suplexed off the top by Hardy. The Nature Boy however appeared to injure his knee and is helped to the back. We soon get to witness some comedy as Bobby Lashley attempts to climb the ladder. I really think he suffers from vertigo as he did not look the slightest bit comfortable. Shelton joins him and attempts a rolling powerbomb. The strongman however is probably too scared to take the fall and holds onto the ladder. Benjamin eventually completes the move with an assist from Matt and Finlay.
An RVD chant soon starts up which is strange because he had been missing since the early exchanges (probably went for a smoke). Finlay then takes on the Kane role as he throws ladders at Hardy, Benjamin and RVD (who made a short cameo appearance in this section of the match) before Flair returns from the back to a chorus of wooo’s. He takes out the competition with a flurry of chops and has his hands on the case before Finlay takes him out with a shillelagh. Lashley uses the power game to take out the opposition and once again attempts to climb the ladder looking like a scared 4-year-old girl. RVD finally awakens from his slumber to thwart the big man with a chair assisted drop kick from the top rope into Lashley’s back. Bobby, once again looking worried about the drop, sells this hilariously. Matt is the next to try for the briefcase but Finlay comes to stop him, only to get hit with a Side Effect. The agony is not over for him yet though as RVD nails him with a five-star frogsplash from the top of a ladder. Fan favourite Van Dam then has the briefcase in his hands but out of absolutely nowhere, Shelton appears opposite him on the ladder. Replays would show that he used the top rope to spring onto the ladder, a move that was met by a “you gotta be freaking kidding me” from Tazz. Matt sets up a ladder along side them and Shelton moves to Hardy’s ladder as all three men go at it. Van Dam then pushes the second ladder over and Hardy and Benjamin miss the ring and fall straight to the arena floor, allowing RVD to claim the briefcase.
The strange mix of styles did not really help this match in the long run. There were some nice spots here and there but it was nowhere near as compelling as the first. Still an above average PPV bout though. CPR Rating: 8.5
Participant Ratings:
Bobby Lashley – Talk about fish out of water. I really don’t know how he got in, and stayed in this match without anyone seeing him on a ladder beforehand. Total mess and he looked almost as stupid as he does when he talks – CPR Rating: 2
Finlay – He tried to take on the Kane role and to some extent was successful. He was involved in a lot of the action and despite not doing anything “holy shit” worthy, he certainly did a decent job – CPR Rating: 7
Matt Hardy – Unlike Edge and Christian the year before, Matt actually used his TLC experience to help the match flow nicely. Like Finlay, he was involved in a lot of the action and was not afraid to put his body on the line – CPR Rating: 7.5
Ric Flair – Flair was done no favours by being put in this match. He did a decent job before his injury but was pretty much non-existent when he returned – CPR Rating: 6
Rob Van Dam – This is really hard to rate. He was probably the man involved the least but every time he did show up, it was to showcase a pretty good spot. He certainly can’t be faulted for getting anything wrong – CPR Rating: 7.5
Shelton Benjamin – For the second year in a row, Shelton was the most impressive man in the match. Some very impressive and innovative spots were shown again by Benjamin and he was never out of the action for too long – CPR Rating: 9
(Wrestlemania 23) Mr Kennedy defeated Edge, CM Punk, King Booker (with Queen Sharmell), Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Finlay and Randy Orton in 19:05 in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match
The first two years saw the participants do a very good job of not giving the MitB match a clustered feeling to it. The Wrestlemania 23 version of the match saw two men added and it was the most star studded match yet. WWE refused to pull the trigger in making a match pitting Raw’s top two heels against each other so both Edge and Randy Orton would participate. The match starts out with a brawl and strangely it is Finlay who is the first to try and make a name for himself as he uncharacteristically comes off the tope rope to take out four men on the floor. Edge, Finlay, Orton and Jeff all take a shot at ending the match quickly to no avail as CM Punk is taking people out left and right with a step ladder. Edge manages to get his hands on the step ladder and busts Punk open with it before setting up a ladder across the side of the ring and the barricades. Booker then takes out the competition with a flurry of spinebusters and takes the time to give a Mania spinarooni but walks straight into a double ladder shot courtesy of the Hardys. Team Extreme then work over bitter rival Edge but Finlay saves the Rated R Superstar before a big spot can be hit.
Kennedy is next to take a hit as he places Matt on a ladder and goes for a Kenton Bomb which sees his target roll out of the way. The Hardys work together to eliminate the competition but when it comes time to retrieve the briefcase, it is every brother for himself. As they fight at the top of the ladder, Finlay pushes them both to the mat. Edge then goes on a mission delivering six spears but Punk avoids the seventh and Edge spears the ring post. Punk then puts the ladder on his shoulders and takes out anyone who comes near him until Edges flies in under the radar to complete his spear collection. With a crazed look in his eye, The Rated R Superstar goes for the big ladder but Orton pushes him off and to the floor. Jeff then takes out Orton as the Hardys plan something big. Matt places Edge on the ladder that Edge himself set up between the ring and the barricades earlier on. Jeff climbs the big ladder and delivers a seated senton which breaks the ladder, Edge as well as himself, in half. Matt looks concerned and Edge is stretchered to the back.
In the ring, Orton hits three RKOs and climbs but is joined by Punk. As they jockey for position, Randy hits Puck with an RKO from the ladder. Orton then tries to give Booker the same treatment but the King comes out on top as he hits the Bookend from the ladder. Booker then climbs but is joined by Matt. Queen Sharmell interferes by pulling Matt down and as Booker has his hands on the briefcase, Hardy has Sharmell in position for a Twist of Fate. Booker comes down to save his Queen only to taste the Twist of Fate himself. Finlay then takes out Matt with a Celtic Cross onto a ladder. Finlay is hurt so Hornswaggle makes an appearance to climb the ladder for his “father”. Suddenly, Kennedy appears and takes out Finlay before joining Hornie on the ladders and hitting the little man with a Green Bay Plunge. An irate Finlay hits Kennedy with a ladder and goes for the case but is taken out when Punk dropkicks the ladder. Punk climbs but is soon joined by Kennedy and the two go at it at the top of the ladder. Punk wins the battle as he pushes Kennedy off but the war would be lost as Kennedy takes Punk out with another ladder before climbing to claim the briefcase.
This was a very good edition of the MitB series which had a couple of absolutely insane spots and did not feel clustered despite two extra participants. There was always something interesting going on and the mesh in styles worked better than one year earlier. CPR Rating: 9
Participant Ratings:
CM Punk – He had a pretty solid Wrestlemania debut and was involved in a fair amount of the action. He took a couple of nice bumps and gave a good account of himself – CPR Rating: 7.5
Edge – He was involved a lot more than he was in the first MitB match and gave the match some big name presence, despite being taken out half way through. He gets an extra half mark for actually showing up the next day on Raw when it looked like he should have had a broken back in one of the sickest spots I’ve seen since Mankind going through the cell – CPR Rating: 8.5
Finlay – Finlay, as he did a year earlier, gave a strong showing in a match that on paper he should have no place in. He was involved in a lot of the action and even looked very comfortable on the ladder for an 82-year-old – CPR Rating: 7.5
Jeff Hardy – Jeff and the MitB finally met and the younger Hardy certainly didn’t disappoint. Like Edge, the big spot was his last taste of the action but even before then he had electrified the match enough take Shelton’s place as match MVP – CPR Rating: 9
King Booker – He did not really do much here and looked a little out of place. Having said that, there was some nice interaction with Matt and Sharmell which let him work in his own element for a minute or so – CPR Rating: 6.5
Matt Hardy – Another solid but unspectacular ladder match for Matt here as he was involved and played his part without ever doing anything extraordinary – CPR Rating: 7.5
Mr Kennedy – The winner was constantly involved in the action and was not afraid to get involved with big spots. He showed the WWE made the correct decision booking him as the winner here and it was a shame that injuries plagued him afterwards. Extra half mark given for Green Bay Plunging a midget off the ladder – CPR Rating: 8.5
Randy Orton – It was poor booking to have Orton in this match and he seemed to spend most of it waiting to get hit with a ladder – CPR Rating: 5
(Wrestlemania 24) CM Punk defeated Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, Carlito, Montel Vontavious Porter, Mr Kennedy, and John Morrison in 13:55 in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Last year’s MitB saw the WWE go back to using superstars of an athletic disposition for the match. Of the three new faces, two of them in Carlito and John Morrison may have been new to MitB but they certainly had experience in ladder matches. It was suspected that it would have been Jeff Hardy’s year to take the victory but due to a violation of the WWE wellness policy, he was suspended for Wrestlemania and that left the seven man field without a clear favourite. There was a nice fresh start to this match with everyone going out to get a ladder apart from MVP. He stayed in the ring, picked up the first ladder to be thrown in and proceeded to take out anyone who tried to enter. This does not last for long however as Jericho sneaks in from behind and ends Porter’s dominance. Morrison is the first man to try something new as he goes to the top rope and with a ladder in his hands and nails a moonsault onto a host of superstars on the floor. In the ring, Y2J goes for the Walls of Jericho on Kennedy but turns it into a slingshot to the ladder. Kennedy however makes a great landing on the ladder and quickly climbs to try and make it two in a row. Morrison then rides a ladder from the top rope onto Kennedy’s ladder in his bid to out-Shelton Shelton. This seems to be a wakeup call for Benjamin as he soon joins them under the briefcase on his own ladder. Kennedy sets up to suplex the Shaman of Sexy but Shelton lands a sunset flip/powerbomb on Kennedy as all three men come crashing down.
Benjamin gets up to climb the ladder but Carlito makes an appearance to push the ladder over. Shelton shows extraordinary balance by landing and standing on the top rope. He sends the ladder back into Carlito and then tries to jump back onto it. For the risks he takes, there was no way Shelton could get through 3 MitBs without a botch and unfortunately, the ladder did not read the script as Benjamin and the ladder came crashing down. He is soon back up and climbing though but is stopped by Punk who hits a Go To Sleep but Punk in turn gets nailed with a Green Bay Plunge onto a ladder courtesy of Mr Kennedy. Shelton obviously felt like he had a point to prove following Morrison’s good start and the Jeff Hardy/Edge spot a year earlier and prepares for a big spot of his own. He makes it to the top rung of the ladder but it is pushed over by Carlito and Kennedy. Benjamin goes flying through a ladder that is set up between the ring and the barricades, breaking it in half on the way down.
Kennedy, Carlito and Jericho all climb the ladder but this is pushed over by MVP but he gets a ladder in the face courtesy of Morrison. We soon have Jericho, Morrison and Kennedy fighting on two ladders under the briefcase and they are joined by Punk and Carlito who both land on the ladders by jumping from the top rope. One by one they come tumbling down with Carlito using a Backstabber to send Jericho crashing to the mat. With everyone else down and out, MVP sets the ladder up and climbs but Matt Hardy (who was feuding with Porter and out of action at the time) comes running through the crowd to take MVP out with a Twist of Fate. The match becomes a war of attrition now and we have 638 spots in the next two minutes. Jericho seems to have the match won but a tenacious Punk joins him and the two battle away at the top of the ladder. Unfortunately for Y2J, his leg gets caught up in the ladder allowing CM Punk to become the fourth winner of Money in the Bank.
If you like to see spot after spot, this is definitely the MitB for you. They really did come thick and fast here but it did lack in storytelling compared to the previous three (Matt Hardy run-in aside). This still was more than compelling and worthy of a decent spot on any wrestling card. CPR Rating: 8.5
Participant Ratings:
Carlito – Much like his career, he promised brilliance on a couple of occasions but overall he did not quite live up to his potential – CPR Rating: 7
Chris Jericho – A solid performance from the man with the most ladder match experience. Pretty much like in the first one, he did nothing earth shattering but was constantly involved – CPR Rating: 7
CM Punk – A very similar performance to the previous year but he went that one step further. He put on a good show and proved to be a credit to the series – CPR Rating: 7.5
John Morrison – He really pushed Shelton for the spot of MVP here as his athleticism led to a host of innovative spots. I would not be surprised to see Morrison as a winner of the match in a couple of years – CPR Rating: 8.5
Mr Kennedy – He didn’t quite meet the standards he set for himself at Wrestlemania 23 but he certainly played his part and was involved for a lot of the action – CPR Rating: 7.5
MVP – Porter surprisingly took the role of class dunce in this version as he was MIA for much of the match. Even the Hardy run-in couldn’t save his performance – CPR Rating: 5.5
Shelton Benjamin – Once again Shelton stole the show with his athletic prowess and his willingness to take risks. He really could not be faulted for the botch and although his big spot was his last piece of action in the match, he still fought off the strong challenge from Morrison for MVP – CPR Rating: 9
THE REAL MR MONEY IN THE BANK
I guess it is pretty clear right now who I am going to give this title to so to hell with the suspense, the CPR can now pronounce Shelton Benjamin as Mr Money in the Bank. He has participated in three of the four matches and has put his body on the line and showed amazing feats of athleticism in all three. What is more amazing than anything else however is that in 45 minutes of dare devil action, he only has the one botch to his name.
The match has also seen great performances by Jeff Hardy and John Morrison, solid performances from Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, CM Punk and Mr Kennedy in addition to surprisingly good displays from fishes out of water Kane and Finlay. Jeff has now probably passed the point in his career to appear in the match again but Morrison certainly has the potential to push Shelton for the title.
The problem is that at the end of the day, this title is really not doing much for Shelton. He is respected enough by the WWE management to be given long runs with the Intercontinental and United States titles but his lack of charisma and personality may always hold him back from taking the next step. I honestly believe that he is only a decent gimmick away from leaping up the pecking order in the same way he has leaped up ladders in these matches. The question is this, would giving him the MitB briefcase this year be the gimmick he needs?
MITB V5
I think the answer to that last question is “possibly” and I really do believe that it wouldn’t hurt for Shelton to be rewarded for his performances with a match win this year. At the end of the day, if he is not successful with the briefcase, he could always drop it to someone else. Having said that though, I do not believe that the bookers have past performances in mind when deciding who should run with the briefcase and it is very likely that Benjamin will put on another great performance at Wrestlemania 25 but leave empty handed.
The favourite to take home the briefcase right now is Montel Vontanius Porter. If he does win this year, the irony is that it will be a polar opposite to Shelton being on the rough end once again. MVP had a less than stellar performance in last year’s match but once again, this is unlikely to deter the booking of this year’s. Following his infamous losing streak, Porter is now a face on a roll and has just defeated Benjamin for the US title. He clearly has all the makings of a future main eventer and it would make perfect sense for the WWE to give him the briefcase whilst he is hot.
Christian is also being touted as a possible winner of the match this year. He certainly has the experience to be a credible winner and the character to run with the briefcase but the fact that he is not at the top of Vince’s hot list leads me to think that he won’t be leaving Houston with the briefcase this year. I do however believe that a good performance from Captain Charisma is vital in proving his worth to the company.
I doubt last year’s winner will double up at Mania 25 but it is not out of the question. Despite Punk successfully cashing in the briefcase last year to become World Heavyweight Champion, his career has been on the back-burner ever since as he seems to be winning titles in the opposite way to the order they are meant to be won in. The man that he won the tag team titles with, Kofi Kingston, will participate in the match for the first time. This maybe just compensation for being stiffed in the No Way Out elimination chamber but he should be an interesting addition to the match. Whatever happens though, I would not expect his fans in Jamaica or Ghana to be celebrating come the finish.
Good old reliable Finlay will make his third appearance in Houston and expect more of the same. He will probably show some hard hitting action and his experience should help the match move along as it should do. This experience may be needed with Mark Henry involved this year. Henry could potentially play a very interesting role as long as he doesn’t spend too much time climbing ladders. A heavy hitter in these matches is not necessarily a bad thing and surely he cannot look any more out of place than Lashley did.
The final participant in the match is Kane. In the first MitB he outshone many men considered to be experts in ladder matches. We all know that the big man has been victim to some really bad booking decisions throughout his career but the potential of a trusted upper mid carder having the guaranteed title shot could make him a dark horse this year. Recent rumours have suggested that The Big Show was originally pencilled into win the match which for me, further strengthens the possibility of Kane being a serious contender to win it. Having said that, if I am pushed to make a prediction, I would have to say that Shelton will once again be the Most Valuable Player, but MVP will be the man leaving Houston with the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Well I hope you have all enjoyed this little recap of Money in the Bank. I’ll be back soon with a more orthodox instalment of The Classic Paper Review. As always, feedback, good or bad will be very much appreciated whether at maz_rusti@yahoo.co.uk or in my feedback thread in the forums (if somebody is kind enough to open one up for me). I also need your help with another issue. My next column is all planned out but right now I have an underused Royal Rumble Anthology box-set collecting dust at home. Feel free to let me know your favourite Rumble and the one with the most nominations will be pencilled in for CPR 14. I will leave you with a “thanks for reading” and plug three columnists from the columns forum who may well be involved in a triple threat for the coveted columnist of the month award:
