1. Money In The Bank is quickly turning into a new age version of the Royal Rumble and that’s really saying something. There was a time when the Royal Rumble was won by a man who was on the verge of superstardom & the Rumble win cemented their spot at WrestleMania along with probably the WWE Championship. Now the Royal Rumble is typically won by a main-eventer that needs a reason to challenge for the championship and therefore they win the 30 man battle royal. Money In The Bank still has that mystique & uncertainty that the Rumble has lost. So many different people could win either of the ladder matches that it’s quite possible that numerous careers can be made or relaunched with this one PPV.
2. It’s baffling to me that the WWE Tag Team Championship match is taking place on the “Kickoff Show”. The Shield has arguably been the hottest act in the last 5 years and 2 months after winning the tag team championships they are already pushed down to the YouTube pre-show? Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and the Usos went out to the ring with a chip on their shoulder and they set the bar damn high for the rest of the night. It’s been awhile since the Usos were really given a second chance to prove themselves on a big stage and they definitely did it tonight. Them together with The Shield, Antonio Cesaro & Jack Swagger and The Wyatt Family should be able to build a strong base for a tag team division.
3. I think Wade Barrett has set the record for the amount of different theme songs used within a WWE career spanning only 3 years.
4. So much happened in the World Heavyweight Championship MitB match, I know I’m going to miss something important in this article. I don’t think anyone had a bad performance in this match. Dean Ambrose surprised me with some of his more athletic moves, especially the skinning the cat to the top of the ladder. We all know how strong Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger are but Cody Rhodes’ muscle buster to Cesaro onto a ladder might have been the most impressive show of strength from him in his career. Of course this was all a part of building Rhodes during this match as a strong babyface the crowd wanted to see win, only for Damien Sandow to steal the briefcase. I don’t think Sandow was on ANYONE’S radar as a potential winner of this match & I’ll be extremely interested to see how they build up this character into one that is main event worthy.
5. Curtis Axel and The Miz had a better Intercontinental Title match than most people probably expected to see. Once we saw the creative (but confusing) ejection of Paul Heyman, we saw two mid-card guys work their butts off in front of a very partisan crowd. And can I just say that the Philadelphia crowd should be damn proud of themselves. That’s how a wrestling crowd should enjoy a wrestling show. It’s time to do away with the crowds that are constantly trying to get themselves over instead of the guys in the ring. Back to the match though, it was pretty much everything I expected from two guys at this talent level. Good near falls and submissions & although I hate the fact that people are kicking out of the Perfect Plex, I understand the need to establish another finisher for Axel since the Plex did so much damage to his father’s neck over the years.
6. AJ versus Kaitlyn was everything a Divas’ match can be in today’s WWE. While I was surprised we didn’t see more of a temper out of Kaitlyn or a bit more of a loose cannon character from AJ when she couldn’t beat Kaitlyn, the match was solid and ended cleanly with a submission by the better wrestler. AJ Lee is easily the best Diva on the roster today. The problem is, where does she go from here?
7. Chris Jericho got the best match out of Ryback to date. The monster looked vulnerable but in the end actually outwrestled the wrestler in the match. It was a great little twist and a piece of the Ryback character we haven’t seen yet. Just imagine if this program took place on the road to WrestleMania as it was originally supposed to. Ryback might still be looked at as a threat compared to being seen as a character who desperately needs to be rebuilt.
8. Dolph Ziggler did absolutely everything in his power to steal the show tonight and looked like he was having the time of his life doing it. Thankfully the Philly crowd took to Ziggler how we all expected them to and we were treated to a stellar match between an upstart babyface & the man who turned his back on the fans. It’s rare when you have a babyface who is cockier than the heel he’s facing but hey, it worked for Shawn Michaels for a few decades! I’ll be curious to hear how AJ tries to play off this obvious screwjob and how long the breakup between AJ & Ziggler takes.
9. If anyone expected anything more out of John Cena and Mark Henry, then you’re delusional. Yes Mark Henry had a career resurgence after 15 years of toiling away in the mid-card and won the World Heavyweight Championship but even that was 2 years ago. Mark Henry has shown us all he has in the tank and Cena’s been showing us the same “big man match” for years. Sure, John Cena can pull off a gem every now and then when his opponent is in a different class (CM Punk, Edge, Shawn Michaels) but when it comes down to a match against a guy like Henry, it’s “A-B-C” until the “1-2-3” with “Super-Cena” retaining the WWE Championship once again.
10. Was it just me or did anyone else notice how much Sheamus was featured in the main event? The almost 300 pound Irishman was taking bumps off the ladder, into the ladder and eventually through the ladder! Considering the names and talent in the ring, I was really surprised with how much he was put in the spotlight. Awesome to see Daniel Bryan frenzied offense in the middle of this match. It’s been a few weeks since we were treated to his flurry of offense and it felt fresh and exciting again. I was utterly baffled by the interference of Curtis Axel. Listen, it’s no secret at all that I’m an Axel fan but he had no business in this main event. I know he was used to set up the whole Paul Heyman turn on Punk & we might even get a few good matches out of Axel & Bryan as a result but he looked completely out of place with the talent that was around ringside. The Heyman angle could have played out perfectly fine without involving Axel and I’m just not sure it was the right choice. As for Randy Orton, I’m not surprised at all. I mentioned in our predictions that Orton has been quietly inserting himself into the back of our minds and gaining momentum week after week. I still see Daniel Bryan earning a one-on-one match against Cena for the WWE title at SummerSlam and then maybe a Randy Orton cash in on a spent Bryan, finally turning Orton heel and putting the WWE Championship on him.
