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If you missed last night's Money in the Bank PPV, you missed something special. This may have been a "B-Show" PPV, but with just three weeks of build, it will go down as one of the most memorable WWE PPVs of all time. And I'm not just saying that because of a post show high. Between pre-show hype, in ring action, crowd involvement, and post show implications, this will be remembered as a classic. Let's get to it....
- Daniel Bryan d Sin Cara, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Wade Barrett, Sheamus, Kane, and Cody Rhodes to win the Smackdown Money in the Bank Match. Great opener, the crowd was hot from the start, even with CM Punk chants throughout the match, but it never took away from the heat of this match. We had the injury angle with Sheamus powerbombing Sin Cara to the outside through a ladder which we now know is the reason to write him off TV for his Wellness Policy violation. The match was very well put together. Everyone worked their spots well. The finish saw Bryan battling Barrett on the ladder. It looked like Barrett was going to hit Wasteland off the ladder onto another ladder, but Bryan broke out the Elbows of Doom to break free and then hit a head kick to knock Barrett off the ladder. Bryan climbed to the top and retrieved the ladder to guarantee himself a title shot anytime this coming year. This match had fewer spectacular spots than the Raw MITB match, but it was also a much cleaner match.
- Kelly Kelly d Brie Bella to retain the WWE Divas Championship. Awful match, even for Divas standards. Kelly Kelly is just awful in the ring.
- Mark Henry d The Big Show. Almost like a showcase match for Henry which was the right decision. Show kicked out of The World's Strongest Slam, but then Henry hit another followed by two splashes to get the clean win in the middle of the ring. Not a great match, but short enough and the right finish. After the match, they did an injury angle with Henry attacked Show's ankle with a chair. Show will reportedly be out for a few months.
- Alberto Del Rio d Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Alex Riley, R Truth, Jack Swagger, and Evan Bourne to win the Raw Money in the Bank Match. Another excellent Money in the Bank match. It had a much different feel than the Smackdown match which I give a lot of credit to the agents who put this match together. We've seen on shows like Hell in the Cell where it feels like you're seeing the same match 2 or 3 times. Here, we saw a much bigger focus on the ladders and big spots, which of course also led to more botches and dangerous spots, but it really didn't take away from the match. At any point, you felt there was a legitimate chance that Del Rio, Mysterio, Kofi, The Miz, or Swagger may win the match. The only guys I never felt like had a chance were Truth, Bourne, and Riley. Some of the big spots included a summersault plancha to the outside by Truth, stereo top rope splashes off the top rope to the outside by Kofi and Mysterio, and a Shooting Star Press off a big ladder on the outside by Bourne. A scary spot which I still don't know if it was a work or legit, but The Miz fell a good 10 feet from the briefcase and looked to injure his knee. He was helped to the back, but returned to a huge pop trying to climb the ladder only to be stopped by Mysterio who got huge heat for that. There was another cool spot where all seven of the guys were on a series of ladders all with a chance to grab the briefcase. The finish saw Mysterio and Del Rio on the ladder. Mysterio kept knocking Del Rio down, so Del Rio ended up ripping off Mysterio's mask. In true Luchadore style, Mysterio chose to protect his face rather than get the briefcase. Del Rio shoved Mysterio off onto another ladder, but this also caused Del Rio's ladder to tip over. Even though it was a botched spot, Del Rio played it off, reset the ladder, and climbed up to get the briefcase, taking him one step closer to his destiny. Another awesome match.
- Backstage Del Rio complained that he shouldn't have even been in this match because he was already the #1 contender (from the match he won two weeks ago on Raw), so we'll see how this plays out with him technically being both the #1 contender and holding the MITB briefcase.
- Christian d Randy Orton via DQ to win the World Heavyweight Championship. This was an excellent match until the finish. The stipulations were if Orton were DQ'ed or if there was a bad referee decision, Christian would win the title, so of course that telegraphed the finish. The crowd was again really hot for this match, really pulling for Christian and were anti-Orton, even chanting Randy Sucks. The finish had Orton beating Christian down in the corner. Christian spit right in Orton's face, and this caused Orton to snap. He took Christian down and started pounding on him. The ref pulled him off before he was DQ'ed, but as Christian got up, Orton kicked him right in the groin for the DQ. The crowd actually popped for this because they knew it meant Christian won the title. After the match, Orton was still out of control. He destroyed Christian on the outside, including RKO'ing him on the Spanish announce table which didn't break. By this point, the crowd turned pro-Orton and were cheering him like crazy. Orton left, but reportedly Vince was going backstage cursing that Orton had to go back out and put Christian through the table. So Orton went back and hit another RKO, and the table didn't break again. Regardless, the crowd was going nuts. These two have very good chemistry together, but I just hate that Christian won the title like this. If you don't have the confidence to put the title on Christian clean, then don't give him the title at all. Now it's just going to be a %@%%## title run like The Miz where he never beats anyone.
- CM Punk d John Cena to win the WWE Championship. The crowd heat was unreal for this match. It was literally unlike any WWE crowd I've ever seen/heard. We've had hometown guys before, but no one has ever received an ovation like CM Punk did last night, especially since he's a heel (well, I guess that's pretty debatable at this point), and Cena is the face (and again, that's debatable). From the moment CM Punk came out, the roof literally blew off the All-State Arena. Punk soaked in the ovation for a good five minutes. Then Cena's music hit, or at least I think it did because the boos that rang out literally drowned out his theme music. This was a hated man. Punk stood at ringside next to friends Colt Cabana and Ace Steel as Cena entered the ring. Once the match began, these two went over 30 minutes. No, it wasn't the cleanest match in the world, and yes, they were seen calling a lot of their spots, but this was the epitome of what you mean when you talk about a big match feel. This match blew away anything from this year's WrestleMania, including The Undertaker and HHH. The crowd was holding their breath as Punk escaped the STF and flipped out of the Attitude Adjustment. One great spot was when Cena locked on the STF and Punk reversed it into the Anaconda Vice, a spot all three announcers completely missed (more on this later). Punk hit a brutal knee to Cena's chin as Cena was leaning against the ropes which was a legitimate MMA knockout shot. Somehow Cena worked on. Punk hit the Go To Sleep but Cena was able to roll out of the ring. The finish saw Cena take control. At this point, Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis came to ringside. Cena was able to lock in the STF at this point. Vince yelled for them to ring the bell, but it was planned perfectly that the ref had his back turned to Vince. So Vince yelled at Johnny Ace to get them to ring the bell. Cena saw this happening, released the STF, jumped out of the ring, told Ace it wasn't going to happen like this, and clocked Ace in the face. As Cena got back in the ring, Punk took control, hit the GTS to his exposed knee, knocking Cena out, allowing Punk to pin Cena cleanly in the middle of the ring to become the new WWE Champion. The crowd went NUTS.
- After the match, Vince McMahon looked on in shock and then stormed to ringside. He took Jerry Lawler's headset and started screaming for Del Rio to get out here and cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Del Rio ran to the ring. As soon as he slid in, Punk nailed him with a round kick to the head knocking him out. Punk stood in the ring with a giant smile on this face looking at Vince who was steaming. Punk grabbed the title, blew Vince a kiss, and left through the crowd. The fans were going absolutely crazy at this point. Punk made his way through the crowd celebrating at the top of the stands as the show went off the air. The announcers did make the point that Del Rio never actually cashed in his title shot because the match never officially started.
It was like a perfect storm of storylines coming together for this show. It is Punk's final night in WWE. The show is in Punk's home town. Punk is threatening to leave with the WWE Title. Vince is dead set on not letting him leave with the title. It's the Money in the Bank PPV, so you're guaranteed to have two immediate possible challengers if Punk were to win the title. As we saw in the week leading to the show, there were literally thousands of different scenarios out there of what WWE was going to do. Not only were Punk's promos so refreshing to hear leading to the show, but it was also reminded all of us how fun it can be leading into a show when you don't already know the finish. And the best part is, even with all of our predictions, I don't think any of us predicted Punk just winning and leaving with the title. Like I said last night, it was so simple yet so perfect. The intrigue we have going into tonight's show may even be greater than it was for last night's PPV.
Before I move on, I do have to bring up the one major negative of last night's show. The freaking announcing was awful. My God, Booker T, you need to go. It may have been funny your first week, but I cannot stand to hear you call another match. Your cliches and obvious ignoring of the crowd is just insulting to listen to. Lawler isn't any better. Lawler may have been good with JR, but it's so obvious that he no longer cares at this point. He makes annoying little comments and cheers the faces like a little girl. And Michael Cole is Michael Cole, basically a parrot for Vince. It's clearer than ever that WWE desperately needs to revamp their announce teams.
So that brings us to tonight. I'm going to list out a few key things in my mind and hopefully you guys can come up with some great ideas of what may happen. Don't forget, Summerslam is just four weeks away, so they need to get the card into place.
- Will CM Punk be live at tonight's show?
- Will CM Punk buy a ticket and sit in the crowd?
- Will CM Punk not be at the show but have some type of video or twitter messages on tonight's show?
- Will CM Punk announce that he is signing with another promotion?
- Will WWE "re-write" history that CM Punk never existed and John Cena is still champion?
- Will Vince McMahon actually fire John Cena?
- Will John Cena turn heel?
- Will HHH, Stephanie, or any other McMahon's return tonight?
- Will Vince re-hire CM Punk?
- Will there be a tournament for a new title?
- Will Alberto Del Rio be declared the new champion since he won MITB?
- PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR OWN GUESSES/IDEAS/SUGGESTIONS!!!
As for Punk, I know there is nothing official out there, but I can safely say that Punk has reached some type of agreement with WWE. It may include taking a long vacation before coming back full time, but there is no way Punk was winning the title last night if his contract was actually expiring.
The stipulation last night was that if CM Punk left the Money in the Bank PPV with the title, Vince McMahon would fire John Cena. I really wish they didn't include this stipulation because we all know it's bull****. WWE isn't firing John Cena, just like they didn't fire him last year. Hell, they didn't even keep him off TV for a single week last time he was fired. However, WWE is on fire right now, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt until they screw it up.
I know you guys are all with me feeling the excitement for tonight's show. This blows away The Rock's return. I can't wait until 9pm tonight to see what goes down. I've been negative on WWE for so long, I really hope WWE hits it out the park tonight and starts to turn the wrestling business around.
