WrassleGAF proudly presents: WWE Money in the Bank 2013, live on PPV from Philadelphia this Sunday. Featuring two Money in the Bank Ladder matches. The MitB Ladder Match was first created in 2005 and held at WrestleMania 21. This ladder match is for a briefcase suspended above the ring, containing a contract for a World Title match and eligible for cash-in at any point the holder chooses for one year after the day the contract is won. This coming Sunday, there will be two contracts up for grabs, the MitB All-Star match for the red briefcase, containing a WWE Title Shot and the blue briefcase, for a World Heavyweight Championship, which contains seven up-and-coming superstars.
Most notable this Pay-Per-View is the return of none other than THE WHOLE
Of course this is not all, as Mark Henry will battle John Cena for the WWE Championship. Dolph Ziggler will try and regain his World Heavyweight title from the dastardly Mexican Aristocrat Del Rio. Kaitlyn will battle AJ Lee for the Divas Championship. The Miz battles the son of Mister Perfect, Curtis Axel for his Intercontinental Title and Chris Jericho faces off with Ryback.
Finally, WWE will stream a free pre-show on wwe.com, YouTube and on Yahoo! starting at 7:30e/4:30p which will feature a bout between #1 contenders The Uso’s against tag-team champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, better known as two thirds of The Shield.
History of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match
There have been a total of twelve Money in the Bank Ladder matches since its inception in 2005. The first six were contested at WrestleMania 21 through 26. The remaining six were held at the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View from 2010 onwards, two on each show.
2005, WrestleMania 21
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXx5j4GiCHk
In the inaugural Money in the Bank ladder match, six superstars did battle to win the first contract for the Raw brand’s World Heavyweight Championship. WWE Hall of Famer Edge became the first ever Mister Money in the Bank when he bested the late Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Christan and Kane.
2006, WrestleMania 22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqVjBzh2LRA
A year later, the second Money in the Bank match was won by the now-returning Rob van Dam bested legend Ric Flair, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Finlay and Bobby Lashley to win a contract for the World Heavyweight title. He famously cashed it in via pre-announced cash-in at ECW One Night Stand that year against champion John Cena and became the only person to win the title this way.
2007, WrestleMania 23
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_X4oDL1i5A
At the 2007 WrestleMania, the contract could be cashed in for either the World Title or WWE Title and was contested for by CM Punk, King Booker, Edge, Randy Orton, Finlay, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy and ultimately the winner of the match, Mister Kennedy. However, Kennedy was never able to cash in the contract, as only a month later he put it up in a match against Edge on Raw and lost the contract. Edge went on to win the title a day later, as he bested champion Undertaker on Smackdown.
2008, WrestleMania 24
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gI36KpGfDI
In 2008, CM Punk bested Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Chris Jericho, Mr. Kenedy, John Morrison and MVP to win his first Money in the Bank briefcase, like the year before for either of the two world titles. He cashed it in a few months later and won his first World Heavyweight Title from Edge.
2009, WrestleMania 25
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAvPusIaGmo
In 2009, CM Punk became the first and so far only person to win the MitB Ladder match twice, as he became Mr. Money in the Bank by defeating Shelton Benjamin, Christian, Finlay, Mark Henry, Kane, Kofi Kingston and MVP. He cashed his briefcase for a World Heavyweight Title Shot against Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules 2009, winning his second World Title.
2010, WrestleMania 26
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTmxTLrzqgU
The last match to be held at WrestleMania saw the All American American Jack Swagger win the briefcase in a match against Shelton Benjamin, Evan Bourne, Chrisitan, Matt Hardy, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, MVP and Dolph Ziggler. He cashed in the briefcase only two days later and beat Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship.
2010, Money in the Bank, WWE Championship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQI4x3zcw-Y
Later that same year, the first Money in the Bank PPV was held. Starting this point there would be two ladder matches, one for each title. The Miz became the unexpected winner of the red briefcase when he bested Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Evan Bourne, Ted DiBiasi, former tag-team partner John Morrisson, Edge and Mark Henry. He cashed in the briefcase in November that year, to win the WWE Title from Randy Orton on Raw.
2010, Money in the Bank, World Heavyweight Championship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEksE4jFdQo
That same night, on the Smackdown side of things, Kane became the winner of the blue briefcase. He defeated Big Show, Matt Hardy, Christian, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. Kane also made history by being the first person to cash in his contract on the same night he won the briefcase, defeating Rey Mysterio after his successful title defense against Jack Swagger.
2011, Money in the Bank, WWE Championship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jp8KxmqThU
In 2011 a hot Chicago crowd awaiting the arrival of their hero CM Punk, challenging John Cena for the WWE championship in the main event, saw Alberto Del Rio become the WWE Title Mr. Money in the Bank after beating Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Alex Riley, The Miz, R-Truth, Evan Bourne and Jack Swagger. He tried to cash in the briefcase later that night at Mr. McMahon’s command, who saw a victorious CM Punk leave the WWE that same night as WWE Champion after failing to sign the Chicago born Superstar to a new contract, but failed to cash-in when he was kicked in the head by Punk himself, foiling Mr. McMahon’s plan. However, a month later, at SummerSlam, Punk returned to challenge and defeat the champion-in-his-stead John Cena and immediately lost his title to the cash-in by Del Rio, who only held the contract for 28 days total.
2011, Money in the Bank, World Heavyweight Championship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJpxDogd-68
The real upset that night was in the blue briefcase match, as complete outsider Daniel Bryan unexpectedly defeated Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Sin Cara, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Kane and Sheamus for the win. Regarded by many as one of the (if not, THE) best wrestlers the world, Daniel Bryan would proclaim he would cash-in his contract at WrestleMania the following year, becoming the second person to pre-announce a cash in for a match. However, Bryan couldn’t wait that long and successfully cashed in his contract at the TLC Pay-Per-View in December of that year, defeating newly crowned champion Big Show just 12 seconds after winning the title from Mark Henry.
2012, Money in the Bank, WWE Championship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8bnRgfWDl0
In 2012 we got probably the single most predictable Money in the Bank Ladder Match since it’s inception, as nobody was shook at all when John Cena became the latest red briefcase holder as he defeated an all-former-world-champ-roster of The Miz, Chris Jericho, Kane and Big Show. He became the second person to cash in the briefcase in a pre-announced match, being the honorable babyface he is he challenged CM Punk at the 1000th episode of Raw. Luckily, everyone WAS legit shook when Cena also became the first ever Mr. Money in the Bank to cash in and not win the title. Unfortunately, he did win the match, but by disqualification as Big Show interfered in the match and laid out CM Punk.
2012, Money in the Bank, World Heavyweight Championship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0E2IFL9tMI
The blue briefcase was won by Dolph Ziggler, who defeated Christian, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Santino Marella, Sin Cara, Lord Tensai en Tyson Kidd to win the briefcase. He would go on to defend the briefcase on two occassions, retaining first against Chris Jericho and in December in a shocking win against John Cena, with a little help from soon-to-be girlfriend AJ Lee. Ziggler would hold on to his briefcase for a record breaking 267 days, not cashing in until April of 2013 and successfully defeating Alberto Del Rio to become champion.
Notable matches on the card
The main attraction of the night will be the battle for the red briefcase, granting a WWE Title Shot at any time for one of the seven contestants. Aptly named the Money in the Bank All-Star match, this bout houses no less than seven former World Heavyweight and WWE champions. Four of which former Money in the Bank Ladder Match winners, all of whom subsequently successfully won the championship. The bout includes the Devil’s Favorite Demon Kane, winner of the 2010 Blue briefcase and former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion. The Apex Predator Randy Orton, three time World Heavyweight and six time WWE Champion has never won a briefcase, one of few accolades the third generation superstar will undoubtedly want to add to his accomplishments. The returning RVD will undoubtedly receive a hero’s welcome by the Philadelphia crowd, who are the unofficial home crowd of Extreme Championship Wrestling, where RVD finds his roots, winner of the 2006 briefcase and former WWE champion, he will certainly intend to live up to his name and steal the show and become a two-time Mister Money in the Bank. The Celtic Warrior Sheamus is undoubtedly one of the toughest superstars in the match, having bested many wrestlers over the past years since his debut in WWE back in 2009, already a former two-time WWE Champion and having lost the World Heavyweight Championship last summer, The Great White Irishman will give it his all to win the briefcase for the first time. Captain Charisma himself, Christian, is undoubtedly the most experienced ladder match contestant in the match, having made history with his partner Edge against The Hardy Boyz and the Dudley Boyz and winning the tag-team titles that way on multiple occasions. A former World Champion, he is ready for ONE! MORE! MATCH! and wants to cash in and win the last title on his bucket list, the WWE Title. CM Punk, the self-proclaimed Best In The World and absolute master of the Money in the Bank Ladder match, having won and successfully cashed in two briefcases has just returned from a short hiatus and holding the WWE title for all of 2012 and a bit more will try and make it a hattrick. The final contestant and absolute favorite going into this match is The American Dragon, Mr. Small Package, The Dazzler and King of Beards, Daniel Bryan. Having bested both Randy Orton and Sheamus in singles competition over the past few weeks, Daniel Bryan seems unstoppable going into the match. Having won the blue briefcase in 2011, he’s hell bent on proving himself and becoming a two-time briefcase winner, so he can add the WWE Title to his list of championships.
On the World Heavyweight Championship side of things, we find seven relatively fresh WWE Superstars doing battle for a shot at the title. First off, we have the Bare Knuckle Brawler Wade Barrett, at one point poised to be the next big thing, a string of injury and John Cena burial happened to keep him off the path, he is a favorite in this match and will no doubt be ready to seize this opportunity with both hands. The second contestant is the Essence of Mustachioed Magnificence, Cody Rhodes, a dangerous outsider for the win, the son of legendary Dusty Rhodes has been on the edge of a main event run for a long time and will no doubt do his best to fulfill that promise this Sunday. On the other hand, his friend, Intellectual Savior of the Masses Damien Sandow has no doubt put his high IQ to good work and devised a game plan that cannot fail to win the briefcase so he can get his hands on some Championship Gold he can display on the mantle of his mansion. There is however something he cannot account for and that is Zeb Coulter, the ultra-right manager of two other contestants, The All American American Jack Swagger and The Personification of the American Dream, The Swiss Sensation Antonio Cesaro will no doubt want to destroy the competition together so one of them can come out on top. Cesaro especially is another favorite for the win, being one of the legitimate strongest wrestlers on the planet, there’s no telling what he can do with a ladder in his grasp. But let's not count out the sixth contestant in the match, the Ballroom Brawler Fandango doesn't just have the best dancing skills, he can certainly use some skills to dance circles around his competition and surprise us with an upset win. Finally, the third member of The Shield, US-Champion Dean Ambrose has been on a tear through WWE with his stable-mates since their WWE debut at Survivor Series in November of last year. Is there anyone that can stop this man from becoming World Heavyweight Champion in the coming year after taking the briefcase this Sunday? Only time can tell, but no doubt he is the superstar to look out for.
As Mark Henry came out to the ring wearing a suit and announced his retirement to onlooker John Cena and millions of viewers around the world at the June 17th Monday Night Raw, tears streamed down his cheeks. He thanked us all and even got to pose with the WWE Title, handed to him by John Cena, good guy champion he is, because that was the one accolade he didn’t win. Henry, a sixteen year WWE veteran and true legend was hanging up his boots… Or so we thought. In one fell swoop he stunned the world and picked up Cena to deliver his devastating world strongest slam and inform the world the WWE Title would be his, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT HE DOES! Can Cena overcome the monster and once again retain his 13th WWE Title at Money in the Bank?
When The Show Off Dolph Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase at the Raw after WrestleMania 29 back in April the crowd gave him the loudest ovation we’ve heard in years. But his long deserved second World Heavyweight Title run was uneventful. Before he could defend his title at the May Pay-Per-View Extreme Rules, a brutal kick to the head by Jack Swagger caused a serious concussion. Ziggler was off TV for the next month, and when he finally returned to face Alberto Del Rio at June’s WWE Payback the latter brutally kicked Zigglers head for 20 minutes until he could have no more. As Del Rio turned on the crowd, Ziggler became their champion, invoking his rematch clause for this Sunday, he will do his upmost to regain the title he feels is rightfully his.
We were first introduced to The Chickbusters AJ Lee and Kaitlyn in 2010, when they both competed in the all-women Season 3 of NXT. While fan-favorite AJ Lee was surprisingly voted out in the last elimination round her best friend Kaitlyn went on to win the competition. For the next two years the two were always seen together, joining the main roster under tutelage of Natalya the Chickbuster faced many opponents together. However, AJ soon became involved with Daniel Bryan late 2011 and when the emotionally abusive Bryan blamed her for his 18-second World Title loss at WrestleMania 28 and dumped her she soon developed a short fuse, going on emotional fits and attacking people left and right. Kaitlyn tried to console and help her, but was on the receiving end of one too many vicious slap by AJ Lee. Their friendship would never recover. Earlier this year, AJ became the #1 contender to Kaitlyn’s Divas Title and spend many weeks emotionally toying with Kaitlyn, pretending to be an anonymous admirer via text message and gifts to Kaitlyn. After weeks of making Kaitlyn fall for this secret admirer AJ revealed she was behind it all, telling Kaitlyn nobody would ever love her. The emotional abuse paid off at WWE Payback last month, when AJ successfully defeated Kaitlyn via her Black Widow submission and won her first Divas Championship. One month later, Kaitlyn seems to have overcome AJ’s mind games and on more than one occasion delivered a brutal spear to poor 115 pounds AJ. Kaitlyn no doubt intends to repeat that act this Sunday and regain the Divas Title from AJ.
