Here are my thoughts on last night's show:
I did not watch the Youtube pre-show, but I heard the tag team match was great. I will have to check that out sometime this week and get back to you.
Winners and STILL Tag Team Champions: Kofi Kingston and R-Truth
Predictions: 1 for 1
Match 1:: World Heavyweight Championship Money In The Bank Ladder match: Intercontinental Champion Christian vs. United States Champion Santino Marella vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Sin Cara vs. Damien Sandow vs. Tensai vs. Tyson Kidd
Heading into the PPV, this match appeared to have the most potential to earn Match of the Night honors. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. Tyson Kidd delivered the match's only real memorable spot and Tensai kicked the living shit out of everything that moved (most notably Sin Cara, which made me weep with joy) and I'm hard pressed to find any of the rest of the action compelling. Seriously though, who the hell cares!?
DOLPH ZIGGLER WON MONEY IN THE BANK!!!!!
There are few moments in the history of pro wrestling that literally made me jump out of my seat and scream like Kratos from God of War. This was one of those moments. It was pure joy to see someone so deserving, finally get their shot at the title. It's a rare find nowadays. Championship belts are often given out the minute someone catches fire and stripped away just as quickly. That being the case, it's very special to watch someone bust their ass for years, making everyone else look better than they really are only to take a backseat to everyone else. Ziggler now joins the fine company of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, who've all endured similar struggles. As is always the mission in these PPVs, a new top tier superstar was made tonight and I could not be happier with the results.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Predictions: 2 for 2
Match Rating: ***
Shown: The definition of long overdue
Post match, we have the return of The Miz. I marked out pretty badly for this one and even more so when he announced he would be entering the WWE Championship ladder match later on this evening. Have to say that his new look makes it much easier to take him seriously. Good to see that his necessary time off apparently lit a fire under his ass and it will only make the thinning WWE main event scene better off.
Match 2:: World Heavyweight Championship match: Sheamus(c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
As is usual with Sheamus' matches, this was a pretty intense and very physical battle. Del Rio looked as if he could walk away with the title on a couple occasions, but they never sold me fully enough to get me out of my seat for any two counts or to make me even care whether or not the Mexican Aristocrat actually won here. I think the live audience shared my sentiments as they were firmly behind Sheamus, but not completely enthralled with the match. That being said, I did enjoy the action and they set a pretty good pace. I left satisfied with it, but that's the best compliment I could give this one. A passable world title match at best.
Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Sheamus
Predictions: 3 for 3
Match Rating: ***
The Great White pummels his way to another successful title defense
Match 3:: Tag Team match: Primo & Epico w/Rosa Mendes vs. The Primetime Players
This was a nice surprise. I still find it a bit odd that the PP were passed over for their title shot, but this match was pretty entertaining. The entire division has seen it's ups and downs as of late, but I believe they took a couple steps forward in the build to the inevitable title match at Summerslam tonight. From beginning to end, I enjoyed the work done here. The action was fast paced, Rosa Mendes was hot as hell, AW was a hell of a lot of fun to watch and the post match interaction between the champs and the #1 contenders put things back on track. Good work.
Winners: The Primetime Players
Match Rating: ***
I wonder if Titus O'neil knew he'd have his head shoved up someone's ass when he woke up Sunday morning
Match 4:: No Disqualification match for the WWE Championship: CM Punk(c) vs. Daniel Bryan w/special referee AJ
Yet another spectacular match from Bryan and Punk. The best part about their rivalry, has been their ability to take anything the WWE throws at them and turn in a near five star match every time. I'm fully convinced they could throw these two in a "loser can no longer wear kickpads" match and they'll still find a way to tear down the house. This match was truly something special and the magic in the air whenever these two work is always something to behold. They took the fight all over the arena, used tables, chairs and kendo sticks, and beat the living crap out of each other with all of the above. I was worried that AJ would overshadow the match and thankfully, I was wrong. She played her role perfectly, mostly staying out of the way and just letting Punk and Bryan be Punk and Bryan. The result? Another Match of the Year contender and easily the best match of the night.
Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM Punk
Predictions: 4 for 4
Match Rating: ****1/2
Bryan and Punk continue to set the standard for what a modern day "WWE style" match should be
Match 5:: Two on One Handicap match: Ryback vs. Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins
Ryback has been on quite the win streak and for once, Reks and Hawkins provide some sort of challenge for the wrecking machine. Unfortunately, that only seemed to piss him off more. They get destroyed rather quickly here as the Ryback Rampage Tour continues.
Winner: Ryback
Match Rating: *3/4
Hopefully the impact of this clothesline will help Reks remember that he isn't Tarzan
Match 6:: Six Diva Tag Team match: WWE Divas Champion Layla, Kaitlyn & Tamina Snuka vs. Beth Phoenix, Natalya & Eve Torres
This match was just terrible and only served to showcase the lack of depth in the current divas division. The only positive for me was to see Kaitlyn make her PPV debut and I'm not sure if I'd say it was a particularly memorable one, but she looked pretty damn good in this match. Oh, and her wrestling wasn't half bad either.
Winners: Layla, Kaitlyn and Tamina Snuka
Match Rating: *
Shown: Kaitlyn, still confused as to if she actually competed tonight
IT'S NOW TIME FOR OUR MAIN EVENT
Match 7:: WWE Championship Money In The Bank Ladder match: John Cena vs. Chris Jericho vs. Big Show vs. Kane vs. The Miz
This match was in many ways, better than the opening ladder match, but I still have a few gripes with it. I'm not much of a fan of Cena winning here only because he didn't need to win in order to challenge for the title. If you're John Cena, the face of the company, all you have to do is ask and you will receive. They could have gave the win here to Big Show and he could have inserted himself in the inevitable Cena/Punk match and it could have also continued the bad blood between he and Cena. I would have found that ending much more acceptable. The Jerichoholic in me was rooting for Chris to grab the briefcase, but we all knew that wasn't going to happen either. That's fine by me, but I wish they could have teased it a bit more. Those are my minor complaints. My MAJOR complaint is the fact that this match went on last. It makes absolutely no sense to have a ladder match where the winner receives a WWE title shot, come AFTER the actual WWE Championship match. It only serves to degrade the champion and the belt itself. Luckily, Punk gave such a gutsy performance that he still comes out looking like the top dog. All these factors aside, the action itself was solid and the storytelling, top-notch. I particularly found Big Show's performance to be a show in itself (no pun intended). Not a bad closer, but Punk/Bryan was just impossibly hard to follow.
Winner: John Cena
Predictions: 5 for 5
Match Rating: ***1/4
Internet?......What Internet?
Final Thoughts
This PPV continued the tradition of memorable and star making MITB matches mixed in with the classic title bouts of it's predecessors. I don't think it lived up to last year's masterpiece, but that was to be expected. I do however, think this event should now be listed amongst the "Big Four" WWE events of the year, as the MITB ladder match arguably rivals the Royal Rumble as a career changing and impactful event. The predictability of the main event and a couple of other matches hurt the score a bit, but the overall action was good enough to make me feel as if it was worth shelling out my $50. Another solid show by the WWE. Cheers.
Overall PPV Score: 7.5/10
PPV Awards
Match of the Night: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan
Performers of the Night: CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and AJ
Moment of the Night: Dolph Ziggler wins MITB
Segment of the Night: Daniel Bryan's terrific backstage promo
Surprise of the Night: The return of The Miz
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