I’ve started to consider Money in the Bank to be one of the “big” annual pay-per-views of the year. Let’s face it, nobody cares about SummerSlam anymore and the Survivor Series buy-rates speak for themselves. For the last two years the Money in the Bank PPV has been used to pave the way for the entire wrestling year to come.
Think about this for a second… Last year CM Punk defeated John Cena to become the new WWE Champion, continuing one of the hottest wrestling angles of the past decade. Daniel Bryan shocked the world by winning a Briefcase for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship; he’s now one of the most over stars in the industry, competing for the WWE Title on tonight’s card. Christian and Orton kicked off their summer feud, Mark Henry’s reign of terror began, and Alberto del Rio won himself the Briefcase that would single-handedly ruin the entire Punk angle.
It all starts at Money in the Bank.
2010 was no different. Kane won Money in the Bank and immediately cashed in on Rey Mysterio; he went on to dominate Smackdown for the better part of the year. The Miz won his shot at the main event as well, eventually cashing in, winning the WWE Championship and retaining it against John Cena at WrestleMania.
This PPV, or more specifically the Money in the Bank ladder match, is magic. It shapes careers and launches an entire year’s worth of angles. If there’s any doubt in your mind about the gimmick’s efectiveness, ask newly inducted WWE Hall of Famer Edge where he would be without it.
But this year feels different. With Raw’s blockbuster 1,000th episode looming overhead, Money in the Bank can seem like more of an unwanted distraction with the way they’ve been booking it. It’s clear that as far as Vince McMahon is concerned, all roads lead to July 23, but those of us shelling out our hard-earned cash deserve a PPV worth watching, dammit!
