WWE Money in the Bank Review - July 17, 2011

An awesome opening from SmackDown's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, as I was pleasantly surprised it was exciting as it was despite the lack of star power. Everyone involved was given a chance to shine, especially the spots involving Justin Gabriel, Sheamus, and Sin Cara. The finish was not only shocking , but a great, emotional win. Giving Daniel Bryan the briefcase got the crowd pumping, as he certainly deserves it.

Obviously, the Divas Championship was lackluster, but at least they both tried. The fact of the matter is that neither of them can work, so new contenders are needed, such as Phoenix, Kim, or Natayla. Nonetheless, at least the placement was a good buffer following the exciting MITB match.

I didn't expect much from Big Show and Mark Henry, but I was again surprised how they lived up to the hype on their on-going feud. It was given good time that included some decent wrestling, that ended with the perfect finish with Henry going over clean. This win gives Henry the monster heel effect, especially since Show will be "sidelined" for six to eight weeks.

Although it didn't quite live up to the SmackDown version, the RAW Money in the Bank match was solid for the most part. Its action was unorganized, but each Superstar involved had a brief moment. I found it humorous the Chicago crowd cheered Miz on his way back and booed Mysterio as he was about to win, and the Del Rio finish was interesting in removing Mysterio's mask. His victory was predictable, but it certifies his rightful place among the main event players.


After seeing three previous matches between Randy Orton and Christian, it's grown to the point where their solid matches have become redundant and repetitive. It didn't quite live up to their previous bouts, and the disqualification finish was a little awkward for Orton knowing he'd lose the title. The contest was never able to really kick off until the near falls, but at least they gave the fans what they wanted with the two RKOs on the after the match. I'm glad they were smart enough to finally put the belt back on Christian, putting Orton in chase mode.

Coming to the climax of the evening, the WWE Championship match was simply excellent and perfect in more ways than one. In a thirty minute wrestling classic, that's the best we've seen from Cena in a very long time, and being put in the ring with a natural such as CM Punk made the match even more suspenseful. The McMahon attempt at the recreation of the Montreal Screwjob was excellently executed, with a very well-done finish. The crowd was absolutely the perfect atmosphere, and added to the excitement of the overall match. I enjoyed the swerve of Del Rio failing to cash in his briefcase only to have Punk run off with the title, leaving a great cliffhanger for the following RAW. I consider this a strong candidate in the running for Match of the Year.

Overall, this is one of the best pay-per-views I've witnessed in a long, long time. The card was strong all around, with some surprising twists and the right people going over. It's about time WWE started to listen what the fans wanted, with an excellent Chicago all right long.