Match #1: Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match
We open up the PPV with a video package about CM Punk, which of course was just about on everyone's mind going into this PPV. I know EVERYONE wants me to talk about that particular match, but we have five other matches to talk about first. I really enjoyed this matchup and it was an appropriate way to open up a PPV, with some fast paced and edge of your seat action. Justin Gabriel, Daniel Bryan, and Sin Cara were doing a lot of the high risk moves in the early going of this contest. There was also some pretty brutal spots as well. Sheamus Powerbombed Sin through a ladder on the outside of the ring. They had the medics take Sin away on a stretcher. I thought that Sin was taking away because the match was set to end, but this match ended up going for another 15 minutes. I thought it was very interesting for Sin to be taking away so early and hope this was a legit injury. You can never tell in ladder matches if the injury was real or kayfabe, but I guess we will find out soon. I personally think it was done to write him off the match, but who really knows? I like the little tribute to the Road Warriors when Kane, Sheamus, and Bryan did the Doomsday Device since they were in Chicago. Booker T keeps up with his flip flopping by saying Sheamus was his pick, but he would change it like 2-3 times during this match. Booker is more out of control than a kid on a suger high. There was a brief moment where Wade Barrett, Heath Slater and Gabriel were working together, which is resemblance of their Nexus/Corre days. Wade tried to take the easy road by telling the two guys to stand there and let him climb the ladder, but that alliance would die when they both attacked Wade. Gabriel also did a 450 Splash off one of the turnbuckles that had a ladder up in one of the corners like a table. There was just a lot of devastation to go around. People might argue with me on this one, but I personally found the SD MITB Ladder Match to be the better ladder match of the night, but it was for the right reasons. Kane also Chokeslammed Sheamus through a ladder. Again, this was a pretty brutal match and might be one of my favorite MITB ladder matches, but I would have to look back at some of the other ones to judge carefully. The finish comes when Bryan, Wade, and Cody Rhodes are fighting off the ladder and somehow Danielson fights them both off and wins the briefcase. This was one hell of a shocking moment. I did say during my Rundown that a win like this for Bryan would definitely elevate him and this shows the WWE hasn't forgotten about him and wants to keep him on everyone's mind. It was also a very interesting choice. Danielson was completely over with the Chicago crowd and were rooting for him from the beginning. They also seemed pretty high on Sheamus as well. Anyway, it will definitely be interesting to see what happens over on SD now that Danielson is holding onto the briefcase. Of course, this also brings up the argument if Danielson will be the first MITB winner to fail at getting the world title. At the moment, I don't think Danielson is ready for a world title. I think they need to really showcase Danielson from now until the cash in to really get himself over, but tonight was a good way to get him back on track. Superb match to open up what could be one hell of a roller coaster ride.
Quick Update: I am aware of Sin Cara's 30 day wellness policy violation that was reported as soon as I posted this. At this time, I don't have much to discuss with this matter and might talk about it later in the week, but maybe not. Thank you.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
A quick backstage scene of Vince arriving in a limo trying to restart contract negotiations with Punk one last time. Make of this moment whatever you will....
Match #2: Kelly Kelly vs Brie Bella for the Divas Championship
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8436244732111617157
Ok, this wasn't a good match, but were you really expecting one? I think it was ok for what is was worth, but I think that is because they didn't play with the fan service that much tonight. Kelly wins when she hits the Infamassour. I thought it was interesting when they showed the SummerSlam video package and Punk was NOT in the video. I think the only way I would start getting interested in a divas match is if Princess Peach and Princess Zelda were fighting each other. Hmmm......
Winner via pinfall and still Divas Champ: Kelly Kelly
Match #3: Big Show vs Mark Henry
Not a great match, but again. Were you really expecting this to be a wrestling match classic? This was your basic giant vs giant match. I think in terms of two giants fighting in a wrestling ring, this wasn't that bad. I am not saying this was great, but it was ok for what it was worth. You can tell the Chicago crowd didn't give two s**** about this match since they booed both guys. I really felt both guys tried to bring something new to the table. In fact, Henry did a half Boston Crab, so you have to give both guys credit for trying. The finish comes when Henry hits WSS twice and does a couple of Irish Whip Body Slams and pins Show cleanly. I personally hoped they would go down this direction because Henry is just a lot more interesting than Show at the moment. I really like how this Henry push is coming along and maybe this might be the push that we remember Henry when his career is over. After the match, Henry grabs a chair and puts it around Show's leg and does that second rope Body Slam on Show's leg. Of course, Show is selling the hell out of this injury and for a second time tonight, we see the medical staff make their way towards the ring and carry Show out of the arena. Again, I think this is a nice touch with Henry's character and he might be working towards a world title if he keeps this up. What was funny here is while Show is being helped, the crowd is chanting "CM Punk". I think it was pretty clear what the crowd wanted to see tonight.
Winner via pinfall: Mark Henry
We are backstage where Vince and John Laurinaitis are backstage trying to figure out what to do next. John Matthews walks in and ask if Punk has signed a new contract. Vince says no and claims he offered Punk the best contract possible and it still wasn't a go. He also calls Punk the biggest ingrate he has ever met. Vince also flips out at John Cena and claims this was all Cena's fault. He ends the scene by saying if Cena loses, then God have mercy of Cena's soul. Man, I really can't wait for that matchup, and I think you feel the same way as well. We still have two other matches to get through, so hold on.
Match #4: Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match
This was still a good MITB match, but I felt the SD one was better. Kofi Kingston was sporting black and yellow colors. I thought that was interesting since those are Punk's colors. It probably means nothing, but who knows? Every competitor brought a ladder with them to the ring. I found it a little funny when R-Truth came out and picked the smallest ladder. The crowd seemed to like him and the Miz tonight. Chicago loving the Miz? I have to admit I didn't see that one coming. Rey Mysterio got a lot of boos tonight. I guess they haven't forgotten about WM 22 in which Rey won the WHC Championship? The match begins and everyone targets Alberto Del Rio because of Del Rio's attack on Raw last week. I found it somewhat amusing when all the wrestlers were fighting each other for one ladder and it was a ladder that nobody would have been able to reach to get the briefcase. Seriously, I don't even think Mario with the giant mushroom would have reached that. There was a spot where Evan Bourne did Air Bourne off one of the ladders and hit just about everyone. There was a moment where Miz fell off a ladder and he was clinching his knee. He had to be helped to the back. Man, either a lot of injuries or worked injuries going around tonight. Then again, who said a ladder match was safe? I could have sworn that King called Michael Cole "amazing" on commentary when Cole was pointing out trending words over on Twitter while MITB was in progress. It almost brings up shades of the King/Cole feud and how it probably should have never happened. There was practically an orgy on top of the ladder as everyone was up there trying to grab the briefcase as everyone would fall off a ladder one by one. Miz would show up at this spot and tried to steal a victory, but Jack Swagger denies him. Crowd was hot when Miz ran out there. Alex Riley didn't seem to be much of a factor for most of this matchup. He did a few things, but nothing that really grabbed my attention. Swagger and Kofi had a pretty bad fall during one of the spots. Again, I think just about the entire roster got some scars after tonight. The finish comes when Rey and Del Rio are dueling on top of the ladder. Del Rio manages to rip off Rey's mask, throws it into the audience (I think after the match I saw the fan who caught Rey's mask on camera. Did anyone else catch that?), and climbs to grab the briefcase. This was still a pretty good match to check out. There was a couple of botchy moments in there, but I think we can excuse a few of them with how the show was coming across. Del Rio winning made the most sense since He is about the next one to get the world title.....or will he? Hmm...
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
There was a quick backstage interview with Del Rio talking about how he shouldn't have had to compete in tonight's match because he won the #1 Contenders match a few weeks ago during the CM Punk suspension. Del Rio adds he proved how good he is and he will become WWE Champion. How many of you think Del Rio would make another appearance tonight? Hmm....
Match #5: Randy Orton vs Christian for the WHC
To start off this match, Christian pushes a chair next to Orton to tempt him to use it, but Orton eventually throws it away. Once again, Orton and Christian put together an entertaining match. Not as great as their match at OtL, but this was a worthy edition into the rivalry. The crowd seemed to like both guys. The finish comes when Christian spits in Orton's face (and I think it went into his mouth....ewww) and Orton goes insane. He eventually kicks Christian in the happy sack and this calls for the bell. Remember, if Orton got DQed, he would lose the title. Yeah, so we just had Christian win the WHC via DQ. I was honestly surprised by this because it is common in pro wrestling to NOT go down this route. If you have been watching wrestling a long time, you know they add these "if a DQ or countout happens, you drop the gold" stipulations all the time and it usually ends with the face defying the odds and winning the match in a clean fashion. It is interesting to see them NOT go down the obvious route and try something different. Then again, Danielson winning MITB was a shocker, so why not add another one? As you would have figured, Orton lost it after the match. As with PPV tradition, it's time for the Spanish Announce Table to bit the dust...kinda. Orton hits RKO on Christian on top of the table, but it doesn't break. As Orton is walking away, he does another RKO and again it doesn't break. Apparently, the WWE actually put some money into the Spanish table or it has been taking steroids to somehow not break. There was a "break the table" chant from the audience. I like how King is blaming Christian for using a cheap trick to win, but Cole is right since it was Orton's fault because he lost his cool. I understand the announcers are supposed to stick up for the faces or heels depending on their character, but you would think they would think of a better argument at times? This pretty much guarantees the Christian/Orton rivalry in continuing. I said the only way this feud can continue is if a title change happened tonight and I am glad to see it. I have to say I am liking SD as of right now. Christian is champ, Orton is completely off the deep in and Bryan is holding MITB. Hopefully, this will be a series of interesting events in store for SD.
Winner via DQ and NEW WHC: Christian
Match #6: John Cena vs CM Punk for the WWE Championship
Hmm....Punk is wearing a NEW Punk T-shirt and it appears it is already on sale based on a number of Chicago fans wearing the shirt. Hmmm? Ok, I REALLY need to stop doing that. There was still about 50 minutes still to go with the PPV, so they definitely had something in store for this matchup. The entrances did eat up a decent amount of time since Punk was given a lot of time to soak in all of the applause. Punk was extremely over with the crowd, but it was expected since it was his hometown. Cena came out and I have never seen Cena get this much boos since his match against RVD at ECW One Night Stand all of those years ago. Honestly, what can I say about this match? If you saw this match, there are literally tons of adjectives you can say. This was just plain incredible. It has been a while since I have seen a live crowd get so invested into a wrestling match. The crowd was almost on their feet for the majority of this match and I was up in anticipation as well because my heart was racing during this match. Of course, King is trying to make Punk look like the bad guy while on commentary and jerk off that Cena cock, but I have to think a lot of people were fully supporting Punk regardless of what the announce team was saying. Punk and Cena went the extra mile and then some to make sure this was one of the most talked about matches in pro wrestling history. I was impressed by both guys tonight. It is amazing how much people like to bash Cena in saying he is a sh**** wrestler and how he does the same old s***. Well, he pulled out a few new moves and some moves I haven't seen him do in a while. Cena really showed that he CAN wrestle and the reason you see the "Five Moves of Doom" is because WWE books him to do so. Yeah, I guess everyone forgot about his debut match against Kurt Angle all of those years ago in how he knows what he is doing in the squared circle? Punk was also amazing in the ring as well and he managed to pull off a couple of moves I haven't seen him do in a while. You can tell both guys left it all in the ring because both guys looked extremely exhausted and broken down. I saw both guys limping at one point. I can respect the hell out of a wrestler when they are banged up and STILL want to give the audience more. As I have said in the past, I am not much of a Cena fan, but I do respect him. I think Cena gained a lot of respect from fans who dislike him with his performance tonight. I also felt Cole may have done some foreshadowing when he mentioned the Montreal Screwjob. I haven't talked about this in some of my reviews, but I have also thought of this being played out tonight as well. I liked how Punk countered the Five Knuckle Shuffle because I have been screaming for years for somebody to counter that stupid move. Of course, it isn't a Cena match is there isn't a feminine "Let's go Cena" chant going around. I like how seconds after this chant, King said how there is no Cena fans tonight. I guess King forgot to look in the audience since you can see the Cena signs and T-shirts? King and Booker tried to say how towards the end that Cena was getting more cheers, but I honestly felt this audience wasn't swaying away from their hometown hero. Yeah, they tried to make it a Rocky 4 deal when the Russian audience turned on Ivan Drago and were cheering for Rocky. I didn't feel that was the case, but I figure that's is what Vince is telling his announce team to say. The ending to this match was just amazing. Cena countered the GTS and locked in the STF. He even dragged Punk to the middle of the ring, which usually means the match is over. Punk however shows his cunning by reversing it into the Anaconda Vice. By the way, someone needs to SHOW Cole what the Anaconda Vice is because he still has no idea what it is. Cena hits AA, but a two count. Cena is stunned and he eventually hits a second one, but still a two count. These ending moments were just epic and almost made you have a heart attack as you were watching this. Anyway, the finish comes when Vince and Laurinaitis show up and he tells his "Yes Man" to ring the bell. Cena sees this and tackles Johnny Ace and tells Vince he doesn't want the match to end like this. Cena gets back in the ring, only to walk into a GTS and Punk has pinned Cena in a clean fashion and we have a NEW WWE Champion. The Chicago crowd is freakin going ape s*** as Punk is hoisting up the bling bling gold. Vince quickly runs over to a headset and tells them to cut off the Punk music and orders Del Rio to get in the ring. After a while, Punk realizes what Vince is plotting and once Del Rio has gotten in the ring, Punk immediately attacks him and gets out of the ring. The referee never rang the bell, so the match never happened. Punk grabs the title and runs through the audience. The show ends with Punk celebrating with the Chicago crowd as Vince looks like he is trying to pass a kidney stone.
Winner via pinfall and NEW WWE Champion: CM Punk
Woah....that was one HELL of a roller coaster ride. And you know what the fun part is? The ride isn't even over yet as it feels like we may have only started. I really love this ending because this is the ultimate cliffhanger. Punk has won the title and it appears he is no longer a WWE employee. Of course, we have to assume that Punk has either signed another contract or his ending date of the contract isn't until later. Either way, I like this ending. There is still a bunch of different routes they can take with an angle like this. We are to believe that Cena is "fired" from the WWE. It could be that those reports of Cena being banged up and injured were true. Vince wants to make sure he protects his WM main event and for that to happen, he needs to make sure Cena is ready to go and not going into the match hurt or else it will disappoint fans and ruin buyrates. Maybe they give Cena some rest and maybe they can roll with Punk for a while? I think Punk is playing the ultimate tweener role and it reminds me a lot of Stone Cold Steve Austin. In fact, is Punk/Vince the new Austin/Vince? I would like to think so. Still, Punk isn't totally ripping off Austin and has his own way of playing the character in the only way Punk knows how. It's like Punk has his variation on how a great tweener can be played. This is a great ending to MITB because we have a lot of questions as wrestling fans that want to be answered and I would like to think tomorrow night's Raw will be one of the higher rated shows out there and people will definitely be tuning in. Will Punk make an appearance tomorrow? Will Del Rio be able to succeed in cashing in MITB against Punk if he shows up or will he fail? Will Vince actually follow through with firing Cena? Will WWE ice cream bars make a comeback? This ending is very unpredictable. As a long time wrestling fan, I feel pro wrestling is at its best when it is unpredictable and brings forth excellent wrestling matches and amazing storylines. I would almost like to think this Punk storyline is only the start of things to come and I am glad the WWE made this decision. There is a couple of different ways this can all play out, but you cannot deny it spiking your curiosity level. This even puts a lot more interest in the Cena character because he failed to win the match. He also has himself to blame because he took his eye off the ball that allowed for Punk to win the match. Again, it will be interesting to see where Cena goes from here. I also liked the fact that Punk got the clean victory and in a way, he looked like Cena tonight since Cena is usually the guy who defies the odds. Tonight, it was Punk who defied the odds and continues to keep the wrestling world buzzing. I would like to think Punk has proven the world that he IS a main event star. As far as the match Cena and Punk put together, it will be one of those matches that will be talked about for ages. This might be the best wrestling match I have seen all year. Yep, even better than Undertaker vs Triple H earlier in the year at WM. I also liked how the audience really got into this match. I have always felt what makes a great wrestling match stand out is how invested or interested the audience is. The audience never let up and this really became a classic moment. Props to both Punk and Cena to delivering one hell of a 30+ minute wrestling clinic and I almost can't wait for the rematch. I almost have to think the WWE Title design will be changed by Punk to suit his taste. Does anyone else sense that will happen as well?
Overall Impression:
Honestly, what else can I say about this event? This PPV will blow your balls off because it was that awesome. This is hands down the best PPV I have seen all year. This is one of those PPVs that will be talked about for years to come since a lot of change happened in one night. We had two world titles switch hands. We also saw Danielson and Del Rio walking out with MITB briefcases. We saw great match after great match. The diva match wasn't good, but it was expected. The ladder matches were outstanding, Christian/Orton was an interesting twist with their current storyline, Henry taking down Show was watchable, and Match of the Night definitely goes to Punk and Cena. This type of PPV ranks up there with a WM quality, it's that good. There is a lot to look forward to after tonight's event. How do Punk and Christian begin their world title reigns? There is a lot of investment to see what Raw does this upcoming week, but SD looks pretty interesting as well. This PPV made sure there is a lot of interest for both shows in the next couple of weeks. This PPV is totally worth the price and I would even say it is worth purchasing on replay. This is definitely one of those PPVs you need to get on DVD when it's available. I have not seen a storyline that has gotten so much attention like the Punk storyline in years and he continues to prove that he IS a main event star and he IS one of the biggest wrestling stars out there. I think Paul Heyman said it best in how he is a CM Punk guy when he was referring to the promo that shook the wrestling world a few weeks back. Even if things take a drastic turn with this storyline, I think its pretty clear that tonight's MITB PPV will be the cornerstone and one of those moments we will be talking about in the future when we remember great wrestling moments. If I have to grade this PPV on a scale of 1-10 and 5 being average. Hmm....f*** it. I am totally going to give it this score because I think its worth it. I am giving this a 10 out of 10, meaning it was perfect. This is the highest rating I have ever given a PPV, and I think it deserves it. I know a lot of people will argue against that, but this was one of the best and biggest PPVs I have seen in a long time and I haven't been so interested to see what happens in the WWE after tonight. In fact, where the hell is Doc Brown with that Delorean so we can jump into the future and be watching Raw right now? Come on, you have to admit Punk walking out with the title was a pretty big surprise? If you disliked this PPV, you seriously need to get that TNA cock out of you or revoke your wrestling fan card because you just don't know good wrestling when you see it. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review and tonight's show. Remember, you can also find me on blogger/blogspot in case your interested. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time and I am a CM Punk guy.
WrestlingNerd's Official Money in the Bank Score: 10 out of 10
WrestlingNerd's Favorite Match of the Night: CM Punk vs John Cena
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