Photo credits: WWE
Over the course of the past ten years since its inception at WrestleMania 21, the Money In The Bank Ladder Match has become one of the most anticipated matches of the year, with the winner getting a chance to face the champion at any time he wishes over the course of the next twelve months.
We have seen some cash-ins that turn into great rivalries and others that are so unexpected that you can’t help but cheer with joy when it finally comes around. Not only does the Money In The Bank match have some of the most exciting moments of the year, but it also creates an unending sense of paranoia for whoever the champion is at that moment.
This Sunday will hold the 16th Money In The Bank match, featuring seasoned veterans of the match like Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton and Kane, with the latter participating in a record breaking seventh Money In The Bank match (he was previously tied with Christian on six.) This match will feature three past winners — Kane in 2010, Ziggler in 2012 and Orton in 2013 — but will also feature two newcomers to the match in the form of Roman Reigns and Neville.
Out of the fifteen Money In The Bank winners, only two have gone on to fail with their cash-in attempt, those two being Damien Sandow and John Cena. CM Punk is the only man to win the contest twice and he did so in back to back attempts.
This list will feature the top five Money In The Bank matches and why they are viewed so highly in the eyes of wrestling fans worldwide. Obviously not every match can be a five star one, but many of these matches feature such death defying stunts that they are watched with jaws on the ground and end with unanimous cheers and applause from the crowd.
5 – RAW Money In The Bank 2013
ENTRANTS: Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Christian, RVD, Randy Orton and CM Punk
WWE learned from their mistakes with the 2012 RAW Money In The Bank Ladder Match as this time it didn’t have to only be former WWE champions in their “All-Star” competition. Holding it for only former world champions meant that superstars like Daniel Bryan and Christian could enter the fray, which made it so much more interesting than the likes of The Miz and The Big Show.
This match had a returning Rob Van Dam in Philly of all places, so the crowd was as raucous as you would expect it to be. RVD even had some flurries and while nobody expected him to win in a match that featured so many top level superstars, it was nice to see him up to his old exploits, making Daniel Bryan feel what ‘Rolling Thunder’ against a ladder feels like as well as hitting a ‘Five Star Frog Splash’ from the top of the ladder.
In front of a packed out crowd, it looked like fan favourites Daniel Bryan and CM Punk would both have their chances to win, but each was ruined by an interfering Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman, setting up a SummerSlam blockbuster match between CM Punk and Brock Lesnar.
However, once Randy Orton pulled RVD off the ladder and RKO’d him in mid air, the match was all over. With everybody strewn all over the floor, ‘The Viper’ even had a chance to look around to make sure nobody was coming to stop him before unhooking the briefcase and becoming the new “Mr. Money In The Bank.”
HOLY S*** Moment: Would probably have to be the mid-air RKO by Orton. As there were no high fliers apart from RVD (emphasis on the high there), the theatrics were limited in this match.
CASHED IN: At SummerSlam 2013. A rejoicing Daniel Bryan was turned on by special referee Triple H and Orton came out to pin Bryan and become the new face of the WWE.
4 – Money In The Bank 2014
ENTRANTS: Seth Rollins, RVD, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston and Dean Ambrose
This match was booked shortly after Seth Rollins had betrayed his Shield brethren to join The Authority, so the rivalry between himself and Dean Ambrose was a fierce one at that point. With three past winners in this match in RVD, Swagger and Ziggler, along with the high flying Kofi Kingston, this was always going to be one of the better MITB matches out of the choices.
Rollins had made his choice to include Ambrose in the match so he could ‘keep and eye on him’, but that backfired for the most part, with Ambrose being a constant thorn in Rollins’ side throughout the match.
Underdogs Kofi Kingston and Jack Swagger had strong starts to the match, with Kofi reaching for the briefcase first. As is always the case with these matches, a lot of the action spills to the outside and this was no different. At one point with Kofi ready to pinch the win, Ambrose ran into the ring to push the ladder over, but Kofi wasn’t ready to take the fall just yet. In true Kingston fashion, he managed to jump from the ladder to the ropes to take everybody else out with him – a truly great moment for the accomplished veteran, but they are nothing new to him.
Ladders were littered around the ring and were used a lot throughout the course of the match. Kofi performed his patented ‘Boom Drop’ while Jack Swagger was lying prone on the ladder, Dean Ambrose performed a very impressive double underhook suplex on Rollins against a ladder while it was propped up in the corner and Dolph Ziggler gave his ‘Zig Zag’ finisher to Kofi Kingston against a ladder that was on the floor in an effort that hurt both competitors.
However the most impressive feats with ladders came from the top of them — in a short sequence, Swagger managed to powerbomb RVD from the top of a bigger ladder than you would usually find, and straight after that, Ambrose took out Rollins with a superplex that almost shattered the ring.
A while into the match, Ambrose pushed Rollins off the ladder but had injured his shoulder previously, with the doctors forcing him to the back. As Rollins was about to win later in the evening, Ambrose returned to an ovation from the crowd and displaced Rollins at the top of the ladder, leaving the prize just above his finger tips; that was until Kane entered. A chokeslam and a tombstone piledriver later, Ambrose was wiped out, leaving just Rollins in the ring, who duly obliged and took his spot as “The future of the WWE.”
HOLY S*** Moment: While the powerbomb and superplex from the top of the ladder were impressive, there was a moment later in the match where Kofi performed a back drop on Rollins from the top of the ladder, onto another ladder that was propped up between aforementioned ladder and the ring ropes. The clatter of Rollins’ body against the steel, the way both the ladder and his body bounced and fell left the crowd with open jaws.
CASHED IN: At WrestleMania 31, during the Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar match for the first time ever at the Grandaddy Of Them All.
3 – WrestleMania 22
ENTRANTS: RVD, Shelton Benjamin, Bobby Lashley, Finlay, Matt Hardy and Ric Flair.
As you can expect, Flair is the oldest ever participant in a Money In The Bank ladder match. This showed during the course of the match, but he still managed to take a superplex off the top of a ladder at 57 years old. You ask your dad to do that and see what his reaction would be.
Even so, at just over fifteen minutes, this is one of the shortest MITB matches there is, but the pace was set at fast and furious. The likes on an in prime RVD, an athletically gifted Shelton Benjamin and risky Matt Hardy was always going to be fun to watch.
However while the match itself was good, there was less spots than are usually expected in a match of this calibre. The pace was so fast that anybody, apart from maybe Flair, had a chance of winning; even the ‘Nature Boy’ managed to get to the top of the ladder a couple of times and sure, it ended badly, but that’s what you expect when the ring isn’t completely clear of foes.
At the end of the day though, once the two ladders were set up in the middle of the ring and it was just Hardy and Benjamin on one, with RVD on the other, all RVD had to do was give the other one a little nudge to send the other two superstars crashing to the floor, leaving him clutching the contract.
HOLY S*** Moment: It would probably have to be at the start of the match where Shelton Benjamin uses a ladder that was propped up against the ropes to run out and give everybody a flying senton.
CASHED IN: At ECW One Night Stand against John Cena in front of a raucous ECW crowd. RVD beat John Cena to become the new WWE Champion.
2 – WrestleMania 24
ENTRANTS: John Morrison, Carlito, Shelton Benjamin, CM Punk, Mr. Kennedy, MVP and Chris Jericho.
Before it had it’s own PPV, Money In The Bank used to be featured on the biggest night of the year – WrestleMania and even though nobody cashed it in on the same night during this time, it was still as eagerly anticipated as the main event.
Also, this was at a time where Money In The Bank was used to push mid-card talent to the top level of the business and that shows in the line up for this match; only Chris Jericho was a former World Champion, compared to later ones that feature the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton.
Either way, this match is on the list due to the sheer amount of spots it had — within the first few minutes John Morrison found himself at the top of the ropes with a ladder while everybody else was on the floor, and who wouldn’t moonsault on to everyone from this position? I know I would.
Then you have Shelton Benjamin performing a sunset flip powerbomb on Mr. Kennedy, who simultaneously superplexes John Morrison from the top of their ladder.
Chris Jericho at one point even put Morrison into the Walls Of Jericho at the top of the ladder. Don’t ask how he did it, but it was awesome. A few moments later, Carlito managed to position himself right behind Jericho on a ladder and give him a backstabber for all the trouble he had caused.
Everybody in this contest had their chance of winning the briefcase, but nobody was closer than MVP, who had his hands on the case before a returning Matt Hardy ran in and gave him a Twist Of Fate from the top of the ladder for when MVP injured Hardy and cost him five months of his career.
In the end, it was Punk and Jericho at the top of the ladder, and it looked like Jericho had gained the upper hand before Punk pulled Jericho’s leg through the ladder step and hooked him up. Jericho was left helpless and Punk took his chance to win the first of his two MITB matches.
HOLY S*** Moment: Another Shelton Benjamin special here — it was when Shelton Benjamin was pushed off a ladder and fell outside of the ring, crashing through another ladder that had been conveniently propped up between the ring and the barrier.
CASHED IN: On Monday Night Raw. Edge had come to say that the fans would never see a world championship defended on RAW as both himself and Triple H were exclusive to SmackDown. A Batista assault later, and Punk saw his chance to cash in on Edge, giving him the Go To Sleep and winning his first World Heavyweight Championship.
1 – WrestleMania 21
ENTRANTS: Chris Jericho, Christian, Kane, Shelton Benjamin, He Who Shall Not Be Named and Edge
The inaugural ball. This is where it all started and it’s remained at the top of the mountain ever since.
In the storyline, the match was invented by Chris Jericho (no, really), so he was obviously a huge part of the first match alongside a slew of other top level competitors. This match featured three former world champions and two future world champions, alongside the Gold Standard, who should have been a world champion if athletic ability was all that counted in this business.
The match started with people flying everywhere and the likes of Benjamin, Kane and Jericho all diving outside onto their rivals. To set the standard for every other MITB match, the ladders were quickly introduced and were used by everyone to destroy anyone in sight.
After a while, Kane managed to get to the top of the ladder before [REDACTED] put him in a Crippler Crossface. After freeing himself, Kane took [REDACTED]’s arm and proceeded to slam it in between the ladder several times.
Benjamin started what would become a legendary MITB career by giving Edge a T-Bone suplex from the ladder. This would go to set the standard and every year Benjamin would perform stunt after stunt.
Despite being a veteran of the ladder and TLC matches, Christian rarely had luck in the six Money In The Bank matches he featured in. This was no different. Christian rarely featured in the match, and when he did, the was getting pushed from the ladder to the floor, or feeling some kind of pain.
Once the dust had settled though, Edge was the one holding the briefcase in his hands and would continue to do so for 286 days – the longest ever stretch between winning and cashing in.
HOLY S*** Moment: From the top of the ladder [REDACTED] performed his patented diving headbutt on Kane, busting himself open.
CASHED IN: At New Years Revolution. John Cena had just endured an Elimination Chamber match, and managed to retain his title before Mr. McMahon came out with Edge in tow who told the world he was cashing in his shot at Cena, who could barely stand.
