Edge Says He Had To Be Talked Into Doing Money in the Bank Ladder Match

In an interview with WWE’s The Bump (via Fightful), Edge spoke about his participation in the first Money in the Bank ladder match at Wrestlemania 21 and revealed he had to be talked into doing it. He eventually won the match and went on to cash-in on John Cena to become the new WWE Champion.

He said: “I wish I could say that I had this vision of how it would become its own PPV, and no, not at all. As a matter of fact, when they first told me that I’d be in this thing called the Money in the Bank match, I said, ‘Another ladder match? I don’t want to be the ladder match guy. I want to do more than that. I want a straight wrestling match where I can just get in there and go.’ I actually said, ‘Don’t put me in it. I’ll find my way on WrestleMania another way and if I’m not on this year I’ll make sure I’m on next year, but I’m tired of ladder matches. I don’t want to get pigeonholed for that.’ That was not very bright thinking. So finally, and this sounds so stupid, but I had to be talked into participating in the match. It wasn’t until about eight months in, holding this briefcase, carrying it with me on every plane because I had to take that thing everywhere — That’s when I started to realize. When I came out at New Year’s Revolution and I heard the crowd, that’s when I went, ‘Oh man, this is something, this is something very cool.’ Then to be involved in the next five year’s worth of cash-ins or — Either it was I cashed-in or it was cashed-in on me. Or I was in the match where it was cashed-in. It’s so amazing to sit back and think I was a huge part of Money in the Bank, which is now a PPV, and TLC, which is now a PPV. That’s really cool. That’s the kind of thing when you first get into this, but when you’re thinking of getting out of it you go, ‘Okay, hopefully, I gave back to this industry and I made it better while I was here. Hopefully.’ That should be the goal. I try and help talent along the way, try and push people, whatever it is. Even if those are the only two things that I am part of leaving behind, because there was plenty of talent involved in it, then it’s mission accomplished.“