What is up wrestling fans, I am back once more for the PPV Rundown. Today, we rundown WWE Money in the Bank. That's right, CM Punk is so awesome that I am releasing this two days early. If you have been checking out my reviews of the past few episodes of Raw, you will know that this has been one of the biggest hyped main events in a long time and can literally be a company changing day. And it is all because of what CM Punk has brought to the table for over the last month. The way I do things here on the Rundown is I will talk about every matchup on the card and then I will break it down into who should win, who creative will pick, and I will finally throw in my pick but my pick doesn't mean anything. Alright, let's begin.
Kelly Kelly vs Brie Bella for the Divas Championship
Now, I know most people generally want me to talk about the MITB ladder matches and the WWE Championship match, but we should at least be fair and talk about the other matches as well. Overall, the hype for this matchup hasn't be done very well. Then again, what diva match is these days? I am personally not very impressed with Kelly's title reign. I am aware it's still in the early stages, but most champions by now would have made a bigger impression. I personally would have gone with Beth Phoenix or Natalya to lead the division since they are the most complete divas. I just find Kelly too boring and her in ring style is just being reduced to a side show since she feels the need to do the stink face. If your a WWE diva and your move is the stink face, your the fan service diva. I am also not too fond of the Bella Twins because they are very generic heels. I said this in a previous post, but I actually find the diva division better on SD than I do on Raw. I guess it is because they actually have new faces over there and seem to be showing them off (at least outside of Natalya, but that is a different discussion for another day). Now, I am aware that the diva match is generally the bathroom break match, but it can still be a match that makes you care. I advised to use this match as a way to grab snacks or bust out the NES.
Who should win:
Personally, I don't like either of these choices and I almost don't care as to who wins.
Who creative will pick:
Kelly just won the title and I imagine they would at least make her win this time around. I may not be fond of her, but the creative staff seems to be behind her (....that's what she said).
My final pick:
I almost feel embarrassed to make a pick here......I pick Kelly since she just won the title and I imagine they want to keep going with her. Kelly, you ought to thank Kharma for getting pregnant because I imagine your title reign would have never happened if she was still around.
Big Show vs Mark Henry
To my surprise, the buildup to this match has actually been done pretty well. Reckon I am not that interested in this match, but I have to at least give WWE points for trying. The story here is Show beat the crap out of Henry. Ever since that day, Henry has had a mean streak and is destroying things left and right. It has gotten to the point where Henry is actually taking Show down on numerous occasions and for the first time in quite a while, Show has met his equal in terms of strength and size. Henry looks like the more dominate one going into this match because Henry has taken out Show a few times and has beaten guys like Kane while Show only has tossing around Drew McIntyre to his credit. Also, why did they move Show to Raw if they seem to be using him more on SD? I think it has to do with the fact Great Khali is there and WWE wants to hold true to the World's Largest Athlete gimmick, but does anyone really care if Show and Khali are on the same show? Anyway, it will be a showcase of punches, clotheslines, and power moves. Just what you want on a Sunday evening....hey, at least there is a couple of ladder matches to make you forget about this, right? You could always bust out the NES for this one if you wanted to.
Who should win:
I kinda like how Henry is coming along while I don't really care for Show all that much. Monster heels are always better than giant faces, so I want to see the heel win.
Who creative will pick:
I would imagine this being the blow off feud. I know the feud just started, but rivalries like this don't tend to last very long. Show just "put over" Alberto Del Rio (if THAT is what you want to call it) and I don't think creative will give Show that roll once more.
My final pick:
I would rather see Henry win since I like the buildup on his character, but I just feel they will give this to Show because he is the good guy.
Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match
The best way to break down this matchup is to talk about every individual in the competition, but first a history lesson. To people who don't know what a MITB match is, I will explain it. A MITB ladder match is a match designed for the wrestlers/superstars to climb a ladder and grab the briefcase. If you get the briefcase, you win the match. Inside this briefcase is a contract (It would be hilarious if one of these days the briefcase opened up and it revealed there was nothing inside. Come on, I couldn't have been the only one to think about this?) that guarantees the winner a title match at any moment possible. Over the last few years, the MITB concept has been used to cash it in on a weaken champion and congratulations, your instant heel champion is born. Everyone who has won MITB has become champion, and RVD was the only one to NOT use the cheap trick to beat a broken down man to win the title. Some MITB winners have had decent title reigns while a few have had it rough (Mr. Kennedy won MITB, but lost the briefcase because of injury and Jack Swagger wasn't even ready and it became a Bomb-omb). Ok, so I think I have explained this concept for people who are in the dark about it (....even though I would imagine anyone reading this knows a thing or two about pro wrestling), now let's move on. In this matchup, we have Wade Barrett, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, Sin Cara, Cody Rhodes, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, and Kane. With matchups like this, I like to look at every competitor and see which one has the greatest odds of winning. Right off the bat, I think we have to say Slater has no shot of winning this match. In fact, Slater being in the match is kinda odd since they have Ezekiel Jackson and Ted DiBiase sitting on the sidelines. WWE also likes to add guys to add a high spot, and Slater doesn't really add that, which makes him being in this matchup even more perplexing. Maybe they just wanted to give both members of the tag team a break? Gabriel also doesn't have much of a shot of winning this matchup and is there to add a high spot. Sin is still in the early stages of his WWE career and while a MITB win would elevate him, he is not ready for something like that and should start off slow. Like Gabriel, Sin is in this matchup to add a high spot or two. Kane is in this matchup for star appeal and doesn't have much of a shot of winning as well because he has no buildup towards this. Yes, I am aware he won last year's SD MITB, but he had momentum going into that while that is not the case this year. Bryan is still in the early stages and while a MITB win would help him get over, he is not ready for that type of win. That just leaves us with Barrett, Sheamus, and Rhodes. I think all three guys have the best odds of winning this match. WWE seems primed on Rhodes since they keep giving him the screen time and he is generally winning his matches. Not to mention his win would spark a Rhodes/Orton feud, which is something we really haven't seen yet and I am all for seeing new rivalries. Barrett has seen his stock drop big within the last six months. A win like this can quickly get him back in the swing of things. I honestly feel they are miss using Barrett because he was one of the bigger heels when he was leading the Nexus and dealing with John Cena. Honestly, I have no idea why his stock has fallen so fast since it seemed the WWE was behind the guy. Sheamus has had the most buildup to get the win for this match. He is actually getting in the face of Orton, which might indicate Sheamus will end up getting the win. Still, Sheamus vs Orton is another matchup we have already seen before and not sure how well it will go a second time. SD has become a little stale at the moment and I think a Barrett or Rhodes win would spark the interest level. As for Sheamus winning, not really sure about that since the feud has been done before. Then again, these briefcases don't have to be cashed in right away and they could just wait for this one.
Who should win:
I would rather see Rhodes or Barrett get the win, but I am not completely against Sheamus winning it either.
Who creative will pick:
I would imagine creative still up in the air on this one. Still, they have given Sheamus the most buildup to the world title and I would think they would go with him.
My final pick:
I am going to be different and pick Rhodes to win this match. Even though the Emperor gimmick is kinda lame, Rhodes is still making the character at least somewhat interesting. But those paper bags are quite ridiculous.
Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match
This is the same concept as the previous match, but this one has different competitors involved. In this matchup, we have Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio, Miz, R-Truth, Alex Riley, Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, and Kofi Kingston. Time to break it down like the last match. Bourne has no shot of winning since he is involved to add a high spot or two. If Kofi was being built better, he would have a chance. However, that isn't the case and is just here for star power and a high spot. Swagger was a failed experiment when he won MITB last year and has done nothing to deserve another chance. Mysterio's role with the company has changed since he is putting people over and is in this match to add another face and star power. Riley is the darkhorse in this match. He has had some decent buildup going into this match and it would be something to see one of the young guys win this matchup. While him winning the matchup would do a lot for Riley, he isn't ready to go after the world title and they would be rushing him. I feel with the way Riley is coming along, he can be one of the major playmakers for the future of the WWE, but he is still new and thus he shouldn't be rushed. I would like to see what Riley can do with a midcard title before going after the big prize, but it would be interesting to see if they went down the route of him winning this match. That leaves us with Miz, Truth and Del Rio. Miz won last years MITB and him winning again would show the WWE has every intention of keeping the Miz as a main eventer. His stock has dropped a bit since he lost the title, and this win would get him back on track. Truth just had a title match....in which it ended with him getting water splashed in the face. Thus proving how water bottles are the ultimate weapon in professional wrestling. Yeah, I know it is silly, but it does add to his whole conspiracy thing. Then again, I think Truth losing this match would add more to his conspiracy deal. Del Rio seems to be the guy the WWE wants to push, but they keep delaying him. I have said in the past that while I like what Del Rio brings to the table, I feel he is just drawing generic heat at the moment. Look back at some of Del Rio's past segments? Again, just generic heat and doesn't seem to bring a tremendous amount of heat or a big crowd reaction like a Punk or Cena. Then again, Del Rio cashing in the briefcase on a fan favorite will give him a lot of heat and maybe he can roll with that? Foreshadowing? Maybe or maybe not, but that is one way to go about.
Who should win:
Del Rio winning makes the most sense. If done properly, Riley winning could be a good move, but it would depend on how WWE uses him for the time being. The contract states you have a year, so why not roll with it for Riley if you do it right? Still, I think Del Rio is the safer pick.
Who creative will pick:
I think creative wants to give this one to Del Rio and really see what he can do in the prime time.
My final pick:
Everything seems to be leaning towards Del Rio, so I am going to have to pick Del Rio. Time to see what Mexican JBL can do....
Randy Orton vs Christian for the WHC
The story with this rivalry is Christian felt he got a raw deal by having to lose the title so suddenly (and rightfully so, he has an argument) to Orton. Since then, Christian has gotten the case of sour grapes and is almost obsessed with beating Orton. He has also made a heel turn during this time. At first, I thought when Christian started to undergo his heel turn that Christian would get the title back for a while until it eventually went back to Orton (I know most fans would like to see Christian get a lengthy title reign, but WWE seems primed on making Orton the top guy on SD, so it's just something your gonna have to accept...). However, the longer this rivalry keeps going, the more likely it seems Orton is set to never lose this title. As most people who check out my reviews on a weekly basis know, I am not the biggest fan of Orton. I just find him to be boring because he basically has no personality and it's still puzzling how the audience jumps the 180 and completely cheers for anything Orton does. I get it. He is supposed to the the modern day Stone Cold Steve Austin, but Austin's charisma and moxie is what made the character convincing and real. Orton just seems like he is trying too hard to act like an anti-hero and it feels phoned in. To me, he still acts like a heel or an asshole when he threatens to send people to the hospital and acts like every superstar he faces killed his puppy as a child. Hey, it would explain why he is so angry all the time. If you look at a guy like Punk, I think he said it best earlier in the week. He admits to being a bad guy, but his mic skills, charisma, and just the way he acts at times is what makes him seem real. Again, I don't see this from Orton because whenever he cuts a promo, I feel like I want to take a nap. Seriously, speaking really slowly doesn't make you tough, it just makes me look like your trying to remember your lines. There is a chance this matchup can happen again at SS (no, not Summer Fest....Jeremy Piven was probably one of the worst things to ever grace a wrestling ring. Cue the David Arquette debacle), but the only way that happens is if Orton actually drops the title here. At the moment, it doesn't really seem like it can happen. They might as well change it from SD to Randy Orton vs the world.
Who should win:
I would really like to see Christian get the belt since it might actually make SD worthwhile. Has anyone notice SD basically doing the same thing for the last month? Seriously, there is always a Sin match, something between Danielson, Rhodes and DiBiase, and the show ends with an RKO. Talk about an overused cliche.
Who creative will pick:
Creative staff is still in full support of Orton, so they will go with him.
My final pick:
Even though Orton pisses me off, I have to pick him. Then again, I kinda hope I am wrong with this one that way we can see something different on SD.
John Cena vs CM Punk for the WWE Championship
Now we have come into the matchup that has gotten a lot of talk. First, a quick update on how this all started. When Punk became the #1 Contender, he quickly revealed to the world that his contract is up after the MITB PPV and plans to leave the WWE with the title. In the real world, Punk was telling the truth because his contract was either coming to an end or it was set to end very soon. During this time, Punk has gone on to deliver promo after promo in how the WWE has mistreated him and how he feels he is the best complete wrestler in the world. It was captivating in how Punk was delivering one hell of a worked shoot. To keep the storyline interesting, the WWE suspended Punk. This lead to a confrontation between Vince McMahon and Cena. Vince revealed he suspended Punk because he couldn't bare the thought of losing the most important title in the WWE. Even though Cena was verbally abused by Punk, he still went to bat for him and felt Punk earned the opportunity to become champ and he should get his match. Vince would eventually cave and give Cena his match and reinstate Punk. However, the stipulation stats if Punk leaves Chicago the WWE Champion, Cena is fired from the WWE. While off in the real world, there have been reports of Punk still in negotiations with the WWE to sign another deal, but these are always up for debate. As of this moment, we have no idea if Punk has signed another contract, if he plans on taking a leave of absence, or he is flat out leaving the WWE and jump ships to another promotion. The buildup to this match has been very well done and is a shoe in for Rivalry of the Year because it has been played well from all corners. Even though Vince and Cena had a hand in making this storyline the talk of the wrestling world, it is Punk who is clearly stealing the show and is getting everyone excited for something they haven't seen in quite a while. I think Punk wouldn't really consider going to another promotion, but if he did it would probably be ROH, and TNA is an afterthought. ROH has a tv deal on the way and are set to be making their tv debut within the year, and a guy like Punk can take them to the top. Punk has abused TNA for their creative direction and how they don't use talent correctly. Plus, Punk has had issues with the Hardys and even Hulk Hogan, so it just seems Punk would never consider going to TNA. Then again...can you blame him? There are a few possibilities they can go with a serve like this, but it would piss off a lot of people if WWE ended up going the predictable route and having Cena win. The way you have built up this match, you have to let Punk win no matter what because anything short of Punk NOT becoming the WWE Champion on that night will be an utter disappointment to what was one of the best worked shoots in wrestling history. Since this is MITB and there are two guys who can crash the Punk party, most indications show that what will happen is Punk beats Cena, but the MITB winner will cash it in on Punk and become the instant heel and forever bad guy of Chicago. The early candidate for this would be Del Rio. I said earlier that Del Rio is drawing basic heat, but cashing it in on Punk would definitely give him a ton of heat. Because of this stipulation, Cena would keep his job because Punk technically didn't leave Chicago with the title and everything goes back to normal. This seems like the biggest possible outcome at the moment because we still think Punk has NOT signed a new deal and this is the easiest way of setting up future events. Well, Punk and Vince could be talking as of right now and might be able to get a deal worked out in time to make sure Punk remains with the company. Either that or Punk has signed a deal this whole time and this is his and the WWE's way of throwing a middle finger to all of those websites of IWC members who think they are the smartest wrestling fans in the world. I said a while back what the WWE should try and do is have Vince help Punk defeat Cena and become the champ. Cena would get "fired" while Punk goes on a world title crusade. Keep in mind in how the storyline is being played out, Vince would have every reason to fire Cena because if Cena hadn't opened his mouth this past week, Punk would have "signed" the contract and Vince wouldn't have to worry about losing his championship. What it can boil down to is Vince selling his soul to Punk so he can protect his creation or Vince siding with Punk at the last second because Cena was the one who put his WWE Championship in jeopardy. It could later be revealed by Punk that this entire "contract/no contract" deal was just a set up from the beginning to get rid of Cena and ultimately make him the star of the show. He would eventually kick Vince to the curb because he doesn't need him anymore. Punk would then go on and become the biggest heel in the WWE with the title around his waist and completely doing away with all challengers. At somepoint, Vince buckles down and decides to give Cena his job back because he realizes Punk has gotten out of control and Cena is the only one to stop him. If they did a swerve like this, it would totally get people interested in the product. It is a longshot and it will probably never happen, but it would be one hell of a roller coaster ride if I say so myself. Punk is really the kind of guy who is not only a person with a passion for the business, he clearly shows his emotions as a fan of pro wrestling. Why else would he be wearing a Colt Cabana T-shirt in the WWE? Not to mention paying tribute by wearing the Macho Man Randy Savage's original colors a few months back. I really bought when Punk says he cares too much about the business, especially if ice cream comes into play. I think Punk has gained a lot of respect from seasoned and casual wrestling fans with his words over the past couple of weeks because you can really buy what he is saying. What makes a good worked shoot is the emotion by the one cutting the promo. This is why Punk's worked shoots will be better than any of the worked shoots TNA does because they just look too fake in TNA while Punk's words almost seem real and I think they are at times. I also wonder if Colt Cabana will play a roll in this match? Cabana himself has stated he would be attendance for the MITB PPV. So, will Colt help out his fellow friend or will he betray him to help Cena and maybe reveal in kayfabe that Vince told him to screw Punk to gain a WWE contract? Well....I don't know about that, but there is a chance it could happen. There is also the possibility that Punk is committed to the WWE, but he simply needs a 4-6 month break because he is tired and the schedule is taking his toll on the guy. Keep in mind that Punk holds true to being Straight Edge, so he doesn't take any pain relievers in case he takes a bad bump and relies on the old school way of heeling. He could be physically and psychologically drained and needs a break. Even though it would only be a few months, it would be kinda sad to see him leave.....even if it was for a short amount of time. I think Punk truly wants to be the best in the world in the WWE and I don't think he would go to another promotion. The TNA fanboys can keep dreaming that they will get Punk in October/November, but it isn't very likely. Either way, the buildup to this match has been very well done and it could lead to one of the biggest moments in pro wrestling, but it can also be shades of disappointment. I think what should happen is Punk actually gets the CLEAN win over Cena and doesn't win with cheating or shenanigans. That would really show how much the WWE is trying to clinge to Punk since Cena never loses cleanly these days. Plus, it might do wonders for Cena's character to maybe realize something about himself. One of my biggest gripes about Cena is he has been doing the same character for over the last 6-7 years now. It has gotten to the point where it has become stale and I just want to see the guy take a new direction with his character and not do the same old same old. I don't like Cena that much, but I have grown to respect the guy. Still, his character needs a slight change and you can do this with this storyline. It doesn't mean you have to turn him heel (I know, the IWC has been calling for a Cena heel turn since the birth of the Nintendo Wii), but add something new to this face character and make him better than before. I know the kiddies and Cena fans like having Cena win all the time and defy the odds, but we need to get away with that for a moment because Punk has proved that this is HIS time to shine. He is the underdog in this rivalry and it is always a great story when the underdog wins. Truth be told, I can talk about this angle and all the characters involved for another hour, but I think we need to move on. If you want to find out what else I had to say about Punk, please check out my last three Raw reviews and hopefully I got a lot of the major points I wanted to discuss about this storyline.
Who should win:
Punk should win, no question about it.
Who creative will pick:
Let's be honest here. If we knew the answer to that question, this storyline wouldn't have been hyped up this well. It all depends if Punk resigns another contract or not.
My final pick:
I gotta go with the guy who has looked awesome throughout this entire segment and go with CM Punk to win. Keep in mind, just because he wins, it DOESN'T mean he will leave Chicago as the champ.
That is going to do it for the MITB Rundown. Overall, this PPV has a good head of steam going into this event and it is roughly because of the WWE Championship storyline, but there are some other matches that we should be paying attention to as well. I like to refer to this PPV as WrestleMania 27 1/2 since the card has been built up like a WM. Either that or Punk in the Bank? Anyway, this should be an interesting show and it will be interesting what happens and the PPV and what new storylines or questions we are left asking after the evening has concluded. Tell me what YOU will think will happen at the PPV and what you thought of my rundown. Also, you can find me on blogger/blogspot. I will see you guys and girls at the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time and I am still waiting for my ice cream bar....ICE CREAM!!!
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