Csonka’s Top 10 WWE Money in the Bank Matches

WELCOME back one and all to the world of pro wrestling, it never ends, and there is always something to talk about! This weekend is the big WWE MITB PPV, and with that being the case, I will countdown my top 10 money in the bank matches. Feel free to stare you favorite, top 3, to 5 or whatever in the comments section and lets have a good time! Thanks for stopping by and supporting the column and the site.

10. Ric Flair vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Matt Hardy vs. Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley WrestleMania 22 · April 2, 2006 [***¾]: This was a very good and enjoyable match, but not great. The MITB deal was something I didn’t think would come off as well as it did, and once it did they were behind it. This match was so odd because of who was involved, but that was also part of the match’s charm I believe. Shelton once again did some amazing things, as I believe that the was part GAZELLE! He did a variation of last year’s run of the ladder spot that cemented him as a favorite among many people, as well as spring boarding into the ring onto the ladder with ease. RVD and Hardy did their parts as you would expect, Finlay was the tough bastard and Flair was Flair. The crowd was very into him, and when they ran the injury spot the crowd seemed very concerned. When he did return, the crowd popped huge and Finlay had the greatest look on his face, like “you motherfucker, how DARE you come back” and then they brawled to the crowds delight. Lashley looked out of his element, as I am sure this was his first ladder match, but his part was ok. In the end, RVD, Shelton and Hardy brawled and RVD kicked their ladder sending them to the floor, in which Hardy took a scary bump. RVD got the huge win, breaking the “glass ceiling” as he promised to the crowd’s delight.

9. Jeff Hardy vs. King Booker vs. Finlay vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge WrestleMania 23 · April 1, 2007 [***¾]: This was the opener of WrestleMania 23. I mean look at it; you have 8-men, Sharmell, Hornswoggle and a bunch of ladders all out there. The potential for clusterfuck was definitely there. But thankfully the magic of WrestleMania seemed to compel these men and we got a damn fine match. The match started with the crazy brawl, and then in something I don’t think anyone saw coming, Finlay hit the top rope and did the big dive onto the other 7-men, that were on the floor. Tremendous. You’ll never see that again probably, unless it is another WrestleMania. They did some comedy with King Booker pulling out the stepladder and then killing people with it, good stuff. Punk did the Terry Funk spinning ladder spot, not very well, but he did it and I popped because, that spot rules. Edge then delivered a SPEAR buffet and got the big ladder, but that backfired on him and Matt Hardy had him on the floor and then slammed him on a ladder that was on the apron and barrier. He then talked his brother into dropping the seated senton onto Edge, and he did and about killed Edge while breaking the ladder in half. SICK. Orton would get RKO bonanza, Matt and King Booker had a fun spot where Booker was about to win, but Matt threatened Sharmell and the King went to her aid! And then we went to the end of the match. Finlay hits the CELTIC CROSS on Matt, on the ladder and looked poised to climb. But he was too banged up to do so and Hornswoggle came from under the ring to help out Finlay. And you know, this WORKED big time because the crowd popped, so it is all good. He climbed the ladder and Kennedy returned to stop him. Hornswoggle had some “short rights” for Kennedy, but that just pissed off Kennedy who then got revenge for the “Leprechaun Bomb” on Smackdown and delivered a Kamikaze Roll from the ladder on Hornswoggle, about killing the little man. Kennedy then battled with Punk, and in the end tossed a ladder in his face and made the climb to win the Money in the Bank. Damn fine stuff here. Unfortunately for Kennedy, injury would cost him the case shortly after this.

8. Chris Jericho vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. John Morrison vs. Carlito vs. CM Punk vs. MVP vs. Mr. Kennedy WrestleMania XXIV · March 30, 2008 [***¾]: I went into this match with high hopes; Jericho had a lot of ladder match experience, Shelton had a good amount of experience from past MITB matches, Kennedy was in the previous year’s match, Morrison has worked ladder matches and a lot of these guys like Shelton and Morrison are such great athletes that some major shit would have to go wrong for this match to suck. They did some innovative spots, Shelton about died and in the end I was pleased with the match. Also the Matt Hardy run in came off great; Punk was definitely a surprise winner at the time, but I think that it was a cool move. They obviously made the call to elevate someone with the win, Jericho didn’t need it, and with the drive towards kids really ramping up at the time, Punk felt like a good choice for the simple fact of his straight edge lifestyle. In the end we got a fun as hell match with some memorable spots and a surprise winner, I like it.

7. CM Punk vs. Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. Finlay vs. Christian vs. Kane vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Mark Henry WrestleMania 25 · April 5, 2009 [***¾]: This was the opening match of WrestleMania 25. Overall this was a very good match as everyone not only played their roles well, but also delivered memorable spots. Kane and Henry did a good job n their power roles, and their brief stand off spots and teases of the ladder stuff was excellent. Shelton Benjamin shined once again with some INSANE spots as he was out there to impress, that’s to be sure. Kofi did well for himself, with cool spots and showing that he can deliver on a bigger stage. Christian was over like mad, and the crowd so wanted him to win the match, which was proven at the end when the crowd was cheering frantically when he almost won, and then BOO’D Punk when he got control. There was a lot of talk at the time that the match lost its meaning because they couldn’t come up with anything new anymore. But this match was fresh, creative and full of non-stop action. The guys worked hard to make this feel like a new match as they worked in some new and creative spots, as well as threw away all regard for their bodies. While there were missteps, botches if you will, shit happens, and if it was too clean, it can look too choreographed, and people would have complained about that, the fact that it looked too fake. In it’s imperfection, it actually worked for me. CM Punk wins his second MITB.

6. Randy Orton vs. John Morrison vs. Evan Bourne vs. Mark Henry vs. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Miz vs. Ted DiBiase Money in the Bank · July 18, 2010 [****]: The first thing I noticed while watching this match was how much fun Evan Bourne was in WWE. I also remembered how great Edge was as a heel and working in these environments. I love John Morrison in matches like this, but unlike Bourne or Edge, I don’t feel like I miss him. Mark Henry, while some hate him in these matches, provides a great amount of physicality and is the perfect base. He also seems to have no issue selling at the right time for the guys and I feel fits in. While not big on “crazy spots,” they had a hot crowd and focused on some wacky ladder construction during parts of the match. It’s the little things that end up setting these matches apart, especially when you can watch them back-to-back-to-back. This was the big win for the Miz, which not only led to a WWE Title victory, but also a main event run that scored him a WM main event. I am glad, after what seemed like a long time of him missing on most angles, that he is with Maryse and killing it in the gimmick and having some great matches again.

5. Kane vs. Sin Cara vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater Money in the Bank · July 17, 2011 [****]: So here we have the 9th ever MITB match, and there were a lot of questions heading into this one, and that was because six of the eight men involved had never worked the match before. The good news is that it all worked out very well, and this was another success as far as match quality goes. Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater really worked hard early, and got things off to a good start. This is also the match where Sheamus destroys Cara with a powerbomb through the ladder and Cara was stretchered out. This was because Cara failed a wellness test, but I actually loved the booking of that. MITB is a brutal match with guys “going all out” for a title shot. The occasional worked injury adds to the mystique of the match in a way. Being that this was in Chicago, the booking of the Doomsday Device spot was a sweet addition to things, which the Chicago crowd appreciated. This was the big MITB win for Daniel Bryan, which as we all know, led to pretty good things.

4. CM Punk vs. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Christian vs. Rob Van Dam Money in the Bank · July 14, 2013 [****]: Opening moments were fun, as the crowd was chanting for RVD as the competitors circled. The five then decided to beat down RVD and toss him to the floor in mid “RVD” pose. Much like the opener did with Cody Rhodes, they did a spot where Sheamus hit a bunch of his signature stuff and looked to climb. I always like when guys get those short but dominant runs during a match like this. Ina contrast to the opening ladder match, which seemed well laid out with really good execution, this came off as harder hitting, but also a bit sloppy and reckless at times. While not a tag match, we essentially got the “Daniel Bryan Hot Tag,” where he went fucking insane with kicks, the suicide dive, shotgun dropkicks and sending Sheamus off the top and through a ladder (which looked NASTY as he tried to post on his hand and could have an arm injury) that was bridged between the ring and announce table. Bryan looked to have things locked up, but then Curtis Axel hit the ring and took him out. CM Punk, who did not approve of this, gave him a GTS on the floor. Heyman appeared and admonished Axel for his actions, and then screwed Punk as he climbed by hitting him with a ladder several times. Punk got busted open from that. And that all led to Randy Orton winning the match and the MITB Title shot. I liked the way that they furthered the Punk vs. Heyman angle, and as for the match, I felt that it ended up being a very good match, much like the opener. It had story, a different vibe, everyone had a chance to look good and if it could have been tightened up, could have been even better.

3. Cody Rhodes vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Wade Barrett vs. Damien Sandow vs. Jack Swagger vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Fandango Money in the Bank · July 14, 2013 [****]: While not the “all star match,” I had high hopes for this one. Over the last few years the lesser of MITB and Chamber matches have ended up delivering well. Also, I like a lot of the guys involved and want to see them do well. And as many thought and I mentioned, these guys put on a tremendous opener. They used a ton of classic spots that many expected, and a lot of them came off smoother than usual, so much credit to everyone involved. The booking of this had me believing that this was THE NIGHT for Cody Rhodes. He had a hot segment where he laid out fools with his finish, he got busted open; he then fought off the Shield (with help from the Usos), and then sent Ambrose off the ladder, seemingly onto everyone on the floor. He climbed and right as he was about to win, Sandow appeared from nowhere and tossed him to the mat and snagged the briefcase, ending their friendship and earning the MITB Title shot. This was a very good match with a hot crowd. Sandow was an interesting choice, and I had high hopes for him and the feud with Cody. And we all know how that ended…

2. Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a WWE Championship Contract: Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Seth Rollins Money in the Bank June 6, 2014 [****¼]: I loved the start as Ambrose and Rollins brawled right away and went to the floor; they are the focus of this match and it made sense. They did a ton with those two, making me want to see a singles match even more. They did a spot where Ambrose had to leave the match to due “popping his shoulder” out. He demanded they pop it back in, but he was taken to the back. I was hoping he’d go Martin Riggs and slam it off the post to pop it back in. Ziggler had an awesome run where he ran wild, wiping everyone out until Rollins took him out. Rollins appeared to be on the way to win, Ambrose returned and beat the shit out of Rollins with a chair. Ambrose had it won, but Kane appeared and stopped him with a chokeslam and tombstone. This allowed Rollins to win. They really did a lot of wild shit in this match. But the booking felt lazy in regards to the finish. I feel Kane’s job in 2014 is to ruin everything fun in wrestling. I was really enjoying things here, but this was an example of the booking taking away from the hard work of the guys in the ring. Yes, in theory it makes sense for Kane to help because of the Authority angle, I was so sick of matches being awesome and then having that completely flat ending because the booking. Tremendous effort from all six men, RVD was motivated, Kofi had the good spots and tease which the crowd bought, same for Ziggler, Swagger was a great power/base guy for the match and Ambrose and Rollins were rightfully spotlighted and delivered. The crowd was spectacular for those guys; this was heading towards something really special before the finish.

1. Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Christian vs. Kane WrestleMania 21 · April 3, 2005 [****½]: Awesome match. I do wish that it would have been a little longer, but what can you do. Everyone worked hard and played their parts to perfection I feel. Kane was slightly limited, but I enjoyed what he brought to the match. The head butt form the ladder was sweet and seeing his stitches busted open after that added that feeling of going all out. Christian was his normal bump machine and the fall to the floor and “ladder” Conchairto with Edge was all kinds of kick ass. To me the star of the match was Shelton Benjamin. He really stepped up on the biggest stage and proved that he belongs. The Exploder off the ladder on Edge was sick, and the running up the ladder to clothesline Jericho looked to be something out of a video game. The match was balls to the wall for 16+-minutes and was a great addition to the card, and succeeded as a new concept for WWE; I was not disappointed. Edge wins the first edition, leading to great things for him and proving that the concept had legs. After the rewatch, nothing changed; the first was the best. The first match has the advantage of being a product of the time, when the WWE wasn’t afraid of blood and concussion wasn’t a potential multi-million dollar threat. But also the disadvantage of setting the stage, which they did very well here.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”