Money In The Bank may be the best gimmick WWE has ever come up with. It's a shortcut to the main event for rising stars. It also creates some unforgettable moments. Here's a fun little exercise to rank the cash-ins. It's interesting how certain names keep coming up in the history of MITB.
13. Daniel Bryan d. Mark Henry (Smackdown! - November 25, 2011): Tough to decide if I should include, but hey - the bell rang. This is the "Dusty Finish" of MITB cash-ins. Bryan pins an unconscious Henry, after he'd been knocked out by the Big Show. But hold on a second playa! Teddy Long races to the ring to reveal that Henry was "not medically cleared to compete". Thus, no match. Buzzkill.
12. Daniel Bryan d. Big Show (TLC - December 18, 2011): This gets a slight edge because it actually stuck, but the script from less than a month prior is virtually unchanged. Again, Bryan pins an unconscious man. You or I could do this. Bryan does celebrate with great gusto, making a point to rub his victory in the face of a shocked and bewildered Michael Cole. Bryan was just scratching the surface of what he'd become as champion and beyond.
11. CM Punk d. Jeff Hardy (Extreme Rules - June 7, 2009): This one is a little awkward because of the fact that CM Punk had yet to fully commit himself to side of evil. Jeff Hardy shows us one of the classic MITB cash-in details, as he struggles to his feet so the referee can ring the bell to start the match. He even kicks out of the Go 2 Sleep before Punk puts him away. The best from these two was still to come.
10. Jack Swagger d. Chris Jericho (Smackdown! - April 2, 2010): Another theme we see repeated in the history of MITB. The evil champion gets beat down by his previous challenger, leaving him vulnerable to the cash-in. Except this one... takes... forever. This must be the only moment in wrestling history when a referee wasn't waiting right behind the curtain to run out. I'm guessing the on-call ref was in the restroom.This was less than a week after WrestleMania XXVI. Edge still had some sore feelings over his title match loss to Jericho, and the beatdown led to Jack Swagger's cash-in victory. Swagger's reaction is unique. He doesn't jump around celebrating. He plays it cool.
9. Kane d. Rey Mysterio (Money In The Bank - July 18, 2010): The first same-night cash-in. A lot of misdirection on this one. Rey Mysterio defended the title against Jack Swagger, who put a beatdown on Mysterio after the match. Kane comes out to apparently run off Swagger, only to return a moment later to cash in the MITB briefcase on Rey. Kane wastes Rey in spectacular fashion. A big-time win for Kane, and the start of a solid title reign.
8. Alberto Del Rio d. CM Punk (SummerSlam - August 14, 2011): A real gut punch during Summer of Punk II. Punk had just survived a champion vs. "champion" match against John Cena, but his celebration was cut short by the shocking return of Kevin Nash. Alberto Del Rio's cash-in was quick and to the point. Triple H was special guest referee for the Cena/Punk match, and portrays a lovely blend of confusion and incompetance. WWE was really bringing it on PPV at this time.
7. Edge d. Undertaker (Smackdown! - May 8, 2007): Pittsburgh's late, great Mellon Arena gets its MITB moment. Edge had pinned Mr. Kennedy to win the MITB briefcase on Raw just days earlier. The cash-in came after Mark Henry had left the Undertaker a bloody mess. The Deadman still had a little left, but it was just a matter of time for Edge. Bonus points to Edge for returning to the ring after the cash-in title victory to beat down Taker some more. This is the birth of the "Ultimate Opportunist".
6. The Miz d. Randy Orton (Raw - November 22, 2010): Feel free to double check my hasty research, but I'm pretty sure this is the longest non-"Fair Warning" cash-in. Randy Orton was injured by Nexus before a match against Wade Barrett. Somehow, he survived to beat Barrett. Then, came The Miz with his MITB briefcase. It wasn't looking good for Miz, but eventually he was able to exploit Orton's injury and win the title. There are classic MITB cash-in themes here: Wounded, but courageous champion. First-time title winner. Miz trying to act tough.
5. John Cena d. CM Punk (DQ) (Raw 1,000 - July 23, 2012): John Cena becomes the first superstar to cash in his Money In The Bank contract and not win the title. He wins by disqualification when the Big Show interferes. Then, the fun really starts. Punk is great here as the conflicted champion trying to decide if he'll stop Show's assault on Cena. In the end, The Rock pushes him over th edge, and CM Punk ends the night as the last man standing on the 1,000th episode of Raw.
4. Rob Van Dam d. John Cena (ECW One Night Stand - June 11, 2006): The first "Fair Warning" cash-in. Rob Van Dam wins the WWE Championship, and gives the new ECW Championship world title status. This was the launch of WWE's ECW brand. Of course, Edge gets involved because back then you just couldn't have a Money In The Bank angle without him.
3. Edge d. John Cena (New Year's Revolution - January 8, 2008): The original is probably still considered the best by many fans. Edge sat on the MITB briefcase for nearly a year before finally cashing in against a bloody John Cena after an Elimination Chamber match. Vince McMahon introduces Edge, which is an odd exception to the way cash-ins normally play out. A couple of spears by Edge and he's a world champion for the first time in his career. This was a great template for MITB.
2. CM Punk d. Edge (Raw - June 30, 2008): I said Money In The Bank is probably WWE's best gimmick ever. The annual draft is a close second, and they both came together on this night. Raw was temporarily without a world champion after Night Of Champions, but Batista helped change that. He got his retribution after being "robbed" of the World Heavyweight Championship the night before. Edge takes a world class beating, and Punk strolls in to win the title.
1. Dolph Ziggler d. Alberto Del Rio (Raw, April 9, 2013): You can say this only gets the top spot because it's fresh in all our minds, but after looking at the history of MITB there's little doubt in my mind that this is the best cash-in of them all. The intensity of crowd makes this extra special, but the match is great on its own merit. The back and forth between Ziggler and Del Rio had the handful of people who were still in their seats on the edge. The rest were on an incredible, albeit brief, roller coaster of emotion. All the classic MITB elements are here. Del Rio is courageous. Ziggler is clever and gets his long-awaited title win.
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