WWE’s Money In The Bank Problem

The Beginning

Before we get into how to fix all of WWE’s self-inflicted woes, we should probably actually identify what the issue is. Money in the Bank was a concept that hit the ground running in WWE and had a very cool first five years. Yes some of the winners may have been duplicates but each presentation was unique and engaging. But while that’s how the gimmick may have started, it certainly hasn’t maintained that perfect average. Let me explain what I mean.

Edge is your first Mr. Money in the Bank and he established a solid foundation for the gimmick to build on with a long run with the briefcase to build anticipation with the audience before cashing it in in the biggest moment possible, after an Elimination Chamber match, to win his first WWE Championship. A moment was made and it would be very easy for WWE to look at the thing that worked and see that it drew them a big rating on Raw the next night and do the exact same thing when the next Money in the Bank match came about soon after.

But they didn’t do that. Rather than just having the 2006 Money in the Bank match be won by another emerging heel and have him cash in in a dastardly manner, Rob Van Dam won the briefcase and cashed it in to completely different circumstances than Edge had. Whereas Edge established himself as the ultimate opportunist, RVD used his contract to get himself a WWE Championship match with John Cena in his territory, wrestling an iconic and very silly match at One Night Stand 2006.

Keep the ball rolling and even if it wasn’t by design, Mr. Kennedy losing the briefcase to Edge was different. Kennedy was told he had torn his tricep and lost the title shot to Edge so he could go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship from The Undertaker, only to then find out that he’d actually just broken some blood vessels and would be fine after all. Sorry, no give backs says Edge. It may not be the best use of the briefcase in history but it is still completely different. I have no trouble telling you what happened with the 2007 Money in the Bank contract because, once again, it was unique.

Even having CM Punk win back-to-back years in 2008 and 2009 in itself is different but it goes beyond that as well. Punk’s 2008 trip to the bank was the first time the Money in the Bank cash-in surprise was a babyface moment, resulting in a huge ovation when he beat Edge for the title the night after Night of Champions. But they then used that to build off of the following year when Punk’s 2009 go around was the first heel turn to come as a result of a Money in the Bank cash-in. We’ve had five Money in the Bank contracts so far and we’ve had five totally unique stories told.

And while I am not going to sit here with the benefit of hindsight and tell you that it was a good idea for WWE to pull the trigger on making Jack Swagger World Heavyweight Champion by having him cash in Money in the Bank the same week he won it, that was different too. 2010 was the first super short Money in the Bank reign and while that was a little neat at the time, it also did become clear that something was lost when you throw patience to the wind. But okay, you learn from that and you move forward right?

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• Money in the Bank
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