Last night was the latest WWE PPV: Money In The Bank. I was very much looking forward to the event thanks to the interest generated by the CM Punk/John Cena feud. That match alone made me stay up to watch the PPV on sky sports. As the name suggested the event was to feature two Money In The Bank (MITB) matches, one for Raw and the other Smackdown. The other matches on the card included a Divas championship match, a match between the Bigshow and Mark Henry and a World Heavyweight Championship match between Randy Orton and Christian.
Winners are in italics.
1. Smackdown's Money in the Bank match featuring Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Kane, Sheamus, Sin Cara and Wade Barrett
What a match to kick off the PPV, it started off at a frenetic pace with all the high flyers hitting spots off the top rope. Sheamus powerbomed Sin Cara onto a ladder which looked absolutely brutal - that ended Sin Cara's night and will likely see him out 'injured' for the next month as a cover for him failing a wellness policy.
The match featured some more big spots like Sheamus hoisting Bryan onto his shoulders and Kane hitting a clothesline for a Doomsday Device. Justin Gabriel hit an awesome 450 splash from a ladder nestling on the top rope. After some more action on the ladders, Kane chokeslammed Sheamus onto a ladder which was a sick looking spot, wrestling is fake but they do really take some bumps.
Daniel Bryan won the match after battling with Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett on the ladder, knocking Rhodes off and hitting Barrett with a kick to the head. I didn't expect Bryan to win, it was an excellent start to the PPV and had everything you could wish for in a ladder match, the surprise winner was the icing on the cake.
2. Kelly Kelly (with Eve Torres) vs Brie Bella (with Nikki Bella) for the WWE Divas Championship
I didn't really watch this match attentively, to me divas matches are throwaway, they are usually dire and reserved for a piss or refreshment break. The standard in the women’s division is terrible. Kelly Kelly hit her finisher to retain her WWE Divas Championship.
3. Mark Henry vs The Bigshow
I was expecting this match to be a short affair and in all honesty not even start. I was anticipating Henry putting a beat down on Show before he had chance to get in the ring. The match was decent for two big men, the best of the action occurred outside the ring where Henry knobbled Show using a dropkick on the ring steps sending them into Show's knee. He worked on the knee in the ring putting Show into a single leg crab. After the break of the hold Show had some offence until Henry countered a chokeslam and hit a World's Strongest Slam for a two count. He hit another and finished off Show with two splashes.
After the match Henry got a chair from ringside and placed Shows foot in it. Henry then performed a splash from the second rope and hit in on the chair. Show sold an injured foot as if it was broken. A good finish to the match which puts Henry over a monster heel. I would like them to keep him going and make him a credible monster destroying everything and everyone in his path, it is a shame he has been under-used thus far.
4. Raw's Money In The Bank match featuring Alberto Del Rio, Alex Riley, Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, The Miz and Rey Mysterio
To start the match off all the entrants grabbed a latter and went for Del Rio, after he hit the outside of the ring they all threw their ladders onto him, an throwaway comedic start to the match. Like the first match the start of this one way a bit of a spot-fest with both Rey and Kofi hitting moves on guys from the corner and Evan Bourne hitting an Airbourne onto everyone. Miz and Bourne were on a ladder which Del Rio toppled sending Bourne and eventually Miz to the canvas. It did look one hell of a bump for the Miz who sold a knee injury and got helped away by the trainers at ringside, that was the end of his night or was it???
Soon everyone was in the ring on ladders and one by one battled and toppled and low and behold who hobbles down the ramp but The Miz, I did think that it was his for the taking but his chance came to nothing. After a battle between Kofi, Swagger and Rey, in which Rey powerbomed Swagger off the ladder it was left to Rey to scale the ladder much to the chagrin of the heel friend;y fans who let out a great hail of boos. Del Rio scaled the ladder as well and fought with Rey on top until he snatched his mask off and threw Rey onto another ladder, both ladders toppled. Del Rio reset his and scaled it to pick up the win.
It was a great ladder match but to me I found the Smackdown one more enthralling, I did thoroughly enjoy it though and as I expected Alberto Del Rio picked up the victory.
5. Randy Orton vs Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship
The stipulation for this match was that if Randy Orton got disqualified the title could change hands automatically. To start the match Christian brought in a chair and goaded Orton to hit him with it, which Orton didn't do and tossed the chair to the outside. After giving a shot to each other Orton controlled the offence trying on three occasions to hit an RKO, on which the third time Christian reversed to hit the Killswitch and picked up a near fall. Christian then went for a spear which Orton leaped over and hit a neckbreaker followed by a DDT. Orton was then gearing up fir an RKO and Christian backed off into the corner. As Orton approached him Christian SPAT in his face. Orton exploded and unloaded punch after punch on Christian and followed it up with a punt to the testicles which resulted in his immediate disqualification and hand Christian the championship,
After the match Orton went mad and absolutely battered Christian and set him up for an RKO on the Spanish announce table, which didn't break, they must make it out of sturdier wood these days. He left the ring side area onto return and once more try for an RKO on the table and once again it didn't break. Damn, they looked stiff and brutal. The fans clamoured for one more.
The match was enjoyable and had a good rhythm to it,I expected Christian to pick up the win somehow but never in a million years expected him to spit in Orton's face, it was toe curling to see again in the replays. It kind of soured the moment but I guess it was necessary. This match left more questions than answers like who is the heel? Orton flipped and went berserk and really got the crowd into him.
6. CM Punk v John Cena for the WWE Championship
This IS the match we all waited for, the build up has been immense, the most excited I have been for a match in many a year. The home crowd were on fire for their boy CM Punk, he came out to a rapturous welcome and he milked every cheer. John Cena came out to the most hostile crowd I have ever heard, he came to fight. There was none of the Cena playing to the children in the audience. At times he was Rocky-esque swinging his fists to the turnbuckle pads,. You could sense this was going to be a special match and by God it was that and more.
I feel a review of the match from prowrestling.net can do it more justice than me, so here you are:
Cena and Punk actually had a scaled back series of mat wrestling. Cena went for the AA. Punk escaped and went for the GTS. Cena escaped and they stared each other down. This is not what I expected from Cena.
Punk worked a headlock in the middle of the ring and another competing chant broke out. Punk ran to the corner and ran up. He tried for a twisting cross body but went short. Cena tried to catch him and Punk landed with his ribs on Cena's knee. Punk took a moment to catch his breath while Cena sold the knee on the apron. Punk finally went over and tried to suplex Cena into the ring, but Cena suplexed him to the floor instead.
Cena rolled Punk into the middle of the ring and they traded blows. Cena reversed a whip and hooked an inside cradle that was called an abdominal stretch. Punk escaped and they traded finisher lifts. Punk went for the high knee in the corner and missed. Cena went for the five knuckle shuffle, but Punk kicked him in the head. Cena came right back and finally hit it much to the displeasure of the Chicago crowd.
Cena lifted for the AA and Punk flipped all the way through. He messed up and landed on his ass, but popped up and hit several kicks. He hit the high knee in the on the ropes. He hit a second one and it was as stiff as any move I have ever seen. He hit the bulldog and followed with a springboard clothesline for two.
Cena came back and tried for the AA again but Punk slid out and lifted for GTS. Cena grabbed the leg and reversed into a STF in a very cool move. Punk muscled out and reversed into an Anaconda Vice. Cena made the ropes and hit the AA for a near fall. Cena hit the top rope leg drop and the AA again for a great near fall at the half hour mark.
Cena took Punk to the top and started for an AA. Punk fought him off and hit a Frankensteiner. Punk hit the knee in the corner and followed with a GTS to the stomach that spilled Cena to the floor. Punk looked discouraged and went to the floor and rolled Cena in the ring. Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis walked out and stared at Punk. Punk stared at them and then jumped in the ring.
Cena hooked the STF on the delay and Vince called for the bell. Johnny Ace ran to get the bell rang and Cena slid out and dropped him. Cena said, "Not like this," to McMahon. He slid back in the ring and Punk hit the GTS for the pinfall victory to a great pop.
What a match, it was the match we all expected and the outcome we all hoped for. Match of the year YES, match of the new millennium PERHAPS. A thirty minute match that had it all, an electric crowd, excellent wrestling, storytelling and the result everyone wanted. I have never been so pumped for a main event in all my life. This match sums up my love of wrestling. I am proud to admit to the World, I am a f wrestling fan and I am a fan of CM Punk. Take a bow Sir, you deserve it.
What a PPV Money In The Bank was from start to finish. It promised and it didn't just deliver, it raised the bar. WWE deserves credit for the best build up and event since Summerslam 1998. This is how Wrestlemania XXVII should have been. The first surprise of Daniel Bryan winning the Smackdown MITB set the tone for the rest of the night. The night was made special thanks to the partisan crowd, who reacted to the right spots and set the atmosphere for an unforgettable night. I do hope this is the dawn of a new era in the WWE and that it slowly breaks away from PG and they get CM Punk to re-sign and make him the face of WWE. He can take the mantle of Stone Cold and the possibilities are endless.
I am eagerly looking forward to WWE Raw tonight and seeing what happens next, this promises to be the most exciting time in wrestling or many years. I witnessed history last night. Thank you WWE.
