BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I went into Money In The Bank with mild expectations. Nothing on the card stood out at me like it was going to blow my mind, but there was a lot of potential out there. There were some good matches put together, but nothing spectacular on paper. The problem is just my lack of overall enthusiasm for the WWE. I’ve realized recently that I really don’t have a “current favorite wrestler” anymore. My favorite “of all time” has consistently been Shawn Michaels since I can remember. I’d have to put Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, and even Randy Orton high on my list. There just isn’t someone or anything that makes the WWE a “Must See” for me right now. There is a strong undercard, but the tone and pacing of the product is just really mundane. I cringe more than I smile. After a while, it’s just not fun anymore. But this show has TWO Money In The Bank ladder matches. That’s enough to force me to be curious about the PPV. The rest would just be icing on the cake.
The opening Money In The Bank match kind of stole the show. It’s hard to imagine new and innovative spots in a ladder match. So many cool things have already been done, attempted, and replicated in these matches that the well always seems dry. Then a match like this happens and your mind is blown. I honestly figured Wade Barrett was going to win with the outside chance of Fandango taking the surprise win. What I didn’t expect was Cody Rhodes having a career making night and face turn while Damien Sandow final gets his due. I was thrilled to see Sandow win the briefcase. I’ll be like everyone else though and just assume he’ll cash in and lose. I hope I’m wrong about that, but regardless it’s a cool time for both dudes.
Curtis Axel is boring. Using his dad’s awesome gimmick and moves, having Paul Heyman speak for him, and getting a huge push off the bat is doing NOTHING for him. I know they’re waiting for him to come out of his shell, but I don’t see it. Meanwhile, The Miz was this month’s victim of the over-pushed legacy. AJ beat Kaitlyn again. I like both performers, but this feud is losing steam. Storylines over body issues are always lame, especially when the “out of shape” diva is in better shape than 99.99% of the viewing audience. You called the hot pretty girl ugly and fat? Oh noooo! The world is going to crumble around us! Rebook Wrestlemania 30 because this IS the main event we’ve been waiting for. Yeesh.
Jericho tried his best to make Ryback look good. The problem here is that Ryback is still sloppy as hell and looks like he gets lost in there. There were plenty of very obvious points where Ryback missed his spot or didn’t take Jericho’s offense properly. He’s going to seriously hurt someone in there someday if this keeps up. I love the lengths his character has gone and I like his character development, but his ring work is still crap. The roll up pin came out of nowhere. Jericho is doing great at making young guys look better and I think he really likes the school boy finish. Good on him for both. I figured this would be over so Jericho could go rock out in a city near you but apparently there is something left to this one.
The Alberto Del Rio/Dolph Ziggler match was outstanding. The crowd ate up everything Ziggler did while hating on Del Rio. It was a fun match and told a great story. Like everyone I wanted Dolph to win, but I predicted Del Rio would keep his belt. He did thanks to AJ’s dumb interference. The ending was cheap, but if it means we get to see these two go at it one more time in a stipulation match of some sorts then I’m all for it. We’re still owed a Dolph Ziggler ladder match. Cena and Henry was passable for what it was. John Cena getting the win should surprise no one. I like Mark Henry, but I have no interest in John Cena at this stage in his character and career.
The closing Money In The Bank match was great. I’m not sure if it was “better” than the first match, but it was fun none the less. A few things about this match stood out to me. Everyone took their ladder bumps, but CM Punk was just kind of there. He didn’t do anything really cool or notable. It was like he was there to soley push his storyline and brought nothing special to the match. RVD came back for some awesomeness, Daniel Bryan did his thing, and Randy Orton ended up winning. I expected Orton to win and he did so cool for me, I guess. One thing that came to mind while watching this was RVD vs. Dolph Ziggler happening someday. I probably blacked out for a few minutes imagining that dream match. Luckily I think it was during the Sheamus and Christian spots. Christian stood out in the match as the guy in the match no one gave a shit about. The proof is in the times he climbed the ladder. No one cared at all. Sheamus is getting super stale and boring. His face mannerisms are forced and the crowd is starting to turn on him.
Overall, this show was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. The card wasn’t perfect, but the two ladder matches and the Del Rio/Ziggler match really stood out. This was one of those Pay Per Views that’ll set up what the WWE is going to be doing for the rest of the summer and a bit beyond. My fandom isn’t revitalized or anything, but I’ll live to watch another day. They can’t have ladder matches every show so the life-support of a fading fan continues.
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