So WWE puts The Shield and Usos on a pre-show on free internet (more of an insult for Shield, this is a promotion for Usos) and the only people forced to pay is WWE. One of the better tag team matches in recent memory that was easily PPV caliber that caused a stir in the crowd before the show started. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say WWE did that on purpose.
Fluke Winner Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Damien Sandow vs Cody Rhodes vs Dean Ambrose vs Jack Swagger vs Antonio Cesaro vs Wade Barrett vs Fandango
Enjoyable match, I thought. Pretty much everybody got their big chance to shine that stick out in my mind (maybe except for Swags, doesn’t anyone remember if he did anything at all?) and it all led to a surprising win by Sandow. I’m incredibly biased towards Sandow even though I’m willing to admit the jury seems to still be out on his ring works. I thought Cody was impressive through most of the match and I’m glad it seems like WWE actually has something for him to do that also justifies why he and Sandow were treading in Rhodes Scholars for so long. Color me optimistic…what color would that be?
Intercontinental Championship
Curtis Axel(c) vs Miz
Is Axel going to settle on a finisher anytime soon? He could pull off the Perfect Plex if everyone would stop kicking out of it. He may have a finisher and I just haven’t noticed because my attention turns to just about anything else during his matches. I think Miz had one brief moment on Smackdown last week where he looked pretty decent. That didn’t seem to transition over to MitB.
Divas Championship
AJ(c) vs Kaitlyn
I can honestly say that the Divas match wasn’t the bathroom break match and hasn’t been since AJ/Kaitlyn started their program. That’s a big win for the Divas (or at least these 2 women) and now WWE needs to build around these two instead of pushing a semi-scripted reality show featuring Divas that hardly wrestle.
Ryback vs Chris Jericho
Remember when WWE pushed Ryback to the moon at the end of 2012 and was insanely over with most of the crowd but threw it out to turn him heel against Cena? I’m thinking WWE is regretting that decision now that they’re turning a bunch of wrestlers face that are struggling to get over (looking at you, Miz). God bless Jericho for constantly being willing to put people over. Also, Ryback winning with a roll-up doesn’t exactly scream “unstoppable monster.” Although, maybe their rebuilding Ryback as a heel monster and I’ve suspected that Ryback will be the one that puts Jericho on the shelf to go tour with that ear-murdering band.
World Heavyweight Championship
Alberto Del Rio(c) vs Dolph Ziggler
I didn’t care for the Del Rio/Ziggler angle because I found Del Rio to simply be the same heel he was before (a boring one) but I can’t deny how great these two are in the ring together. Another compelling match from them both that I enjoyed and the AJ ending gives Ziggler a way out of a championship feud while still building as a face.
WWE Championship Match
John Cena(c) vs Mark Henry
It’s hard to be disappointed by a match that I had very low expectations of to start with. Yes we all enjoyed the fake retirement speech and anticipated the rest of the build between Cena and Henry (which was the truly disappointing aspect) but we all knew what to expect in the actual match. A John Cena and Mark Henry match is a Michael Bay movie, it’s got a lot of boom but it does nothing to appeal to those that understand how storytelling and the technicality of it all works. The worst thing about this match is that it ended with an STF. Just how people get angry about Rock finishing a match with the People’s Elbow is how I feel about Cena winning by submission. It’s just bad and even Mark Henry deserves better. Thank the great and mighty Cthulhu that this match didn’t close out the show.
All-Star Money in the Bank Match
CM Punk vs Randy Orton vs Sheamus vs Christian vs Rob Van Dam vs Daniel Bryan
Just like the first MitB match of the night, everyone got their big moment to shine but with seemingly more intensity and more on the proverbial line. The injury list from this match alone tells the entire story because I believe everybody ended up on the list except for maybe Daniel Bryan and possibly Orton. I hate Sheamus just as much as a lot of people but even I have to give him credit for the bumps that he took because that picture of his thigh was rough. Sure, that was mostly due to him screwing up falling off a ladder but still, respect the pain. Rob Van Dam looked really good and well worth the hype for this match. Daniel Bryan was, well, Daniel Bryan and easily showed he deserves his own place among the top card (and getting the well-deserved title shot at Summer Slam). Not exactly thrilled about Orton winning but all the arrows have been pointing to it and it gives him something to give a crap about so I’m game for that. Moment of the night probably goes to Paul turning on Punk and leading to what is, hopefully, the big summer story for this year.
MitB is easily turning into one of the most reliable PPVs on the yearly schedule, not just for the actual contract matches but the card as a whole (usually). Summer Slam has been horrid lately so I suggest WWE move their emphasis to MitB as the 2nd biggest show of the year. Although if they did that, WWE would force it too much and turn it into the beast that is Summer Slam currently. What a dilemma.
We’ve got a great Classy Ring Attire (follow us on twitter @CRAttire and tell your friends) podcast coming to you guys later in the week but until then, you can check out last week’s here.
Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do twice,
Chris
The Answer: “The magic book of assumptions.” I haven’t read it but I’m sure it’s horrible.
