Since its debut at WrestleMania 21 the “Money in the Bank” Ladder Match has been a fan favorite. With the next chapter about to be written at Money in the Bank 2016, Throwback Thursday on WrestlingDVDNetwork.com takes a look back at a few of the best and most memorable MITB matches to date with the help of, you guessed it, the WWE Network.
This list will focus exclusively on the 16 traditional MITB matches to have taken place on PPV between 2005 and 2015 – it will not feature any of the four non-traditional MITB challenge matches involving Edge, Mr. Kennedy, or Dolph Ziggler (twice).
— “6-Man Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Heavyweight Championship Contract” (WATCH – 26:40)
Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Christian w/Tomko vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Kane
WWE WrestleMania 21 • April 3, 2005
This was, and remains to be, an incredible match. No one knew what to expect when the concept was first announced by Chris Jericho (1:01:16) on the February 28, 2005 edition of RAW. This was the first multi-man “Ladder Match” in WWE history not centered around tag teams. Shelton Benjamin is the star of the match, whose high-risk spots still amaze 11 years later, though, to be fair, there are no duds. Everyone does their job, even Tomko, and no one looks out of place, including Kane.
— “6-Man Inter-Promotional Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Title Contract of the Winner’s Brand” (WATCH – 21:57)
Matt Hardy (SmackDown) vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin (RAW) vs. Finlay (SmackDown) vs. Rob Van Dam (RAW) vs. Bobby Lashley (SmackDown) vs. “Nature Boy” Ric Flair (RAW)
WWE WrestleMania 22 ? April 2, 2006
The second MITB match, the first of the “modern” MITB matches, brought the fans in Chicago to their feet and nearly stole the show. It was this match that proved the gimmick could be an integral part of WrestleMania and the WWE. With more storylines than a daytime soap opera, this MITB was exciting, intriguing, and inventive, and stands out as one of the very best in match history, even with the shorter run time.
— “7-Man Inter-Promotional Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Title Contract of the Winner’s Choosing” (WATCH – 21:07)
WWE Tag Team Champion John Morrison (ECW) vs. Carlito (RAW) vs. Shelton Benjamin (ECW) vs. CM Punk (ECW) vs. Mr. Kennedy (RAW) vs. WWE United States Champion “M.V.P” Montel Vontavious Porter (SmackDown) vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho (RAW)
WWE WrestleMania XXIV • March 30, 2008
The fourth MITB match was the most anticipated yet, and viewed by many as a pick-’em. Though this match was criticized at the time for being too spot driven, its successors have validated its worth. With too many incredible spots to mention, and with one of the greatest line-ups of any MITB match, this MITB match has stood the test of time as a true classic, setting the bar ever higher for future MITB events.
— “8-Man Inter-Promotional Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Title Contract of the Winner’s Choosing” (WATCH – 6:50)
CM Punk (RAW) vs. Mark Henry (ECW) w/Tony Atlas vs. WWE United States Champion “MVP” Montel Vontavious Porter (SmackDown) vs. Finaly (SmackDown) w/Hornswoggle vs. Shelton Benjamin (SmackDown) vs. Kofi Kingston (RAW) vs. Christian (ECW) vs. Kane (RAW)
WWE WrestleMania XXV • April 5, 2009
The 2009 MITB, like all things WrestleMania XXV, was overshadowed by the Undertaker/HBK thriller later in the show. However, the match may have been the best MITB to that point. A sort of throwback to the ladder matches of the “Attitude Era”, the 2009 MITB match delivered a jaw-dropping, fast-paced war that wowed the crowd and kicked the “Show of Shows” off in grand fashion.
— “SmackDown 8-Man Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Heavyweight Championship Contract” (WATCH – 2:35)
WWE Intercontinental Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Christian vs. “Dashing” Cody Rhodes vs. Matt Hardy vs. Drew McIntrye vs. Kane vs. The Big Show
WWE Money in the Bank 2010 • July 18, 2010
16 weeks after the final WrestleMania MITB match, WWE debuted the Money in the Bank PPV, giving each brand their own match. Unlike previous MITB matches, which relied heavily on frantic high-spots, this particular MITB (the longest to date at 26:18) worked on a more psychological level, proving that it could be every bit as cerebral as a traditional wrestling match.
— “8-Man Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Heavyweight Championship Contract” (WATCH – 3:16)
Dolph Ziggler w/Vickie Guerrero vs. WWE United States Champion Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Sin Cara vs. Tensai vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Christian
WWE Money in the Bank 2012 • July 15, 2012
Though the main event MITB match, featuring John Cena, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho, was the talk of WWE, it was this match that delivered the unpredictable and unrelenting moments that MITB had become famous (and infamous) for. In a WrestleMania quality MITB, Dolph Ziggler, in his third MITB match, finally got the break so many fans had been clamoring for.
— “6-Man Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship Contract” (WATCH – 51:37)
Seth Rollins vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Jack Swagger w/Zeb Colter vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Dean Ambrose
WWE Money in the Bank 2014 • June 29, 2014
The main story going into this one was the on-going war between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, former teammates in The Shield, but it certainly wasn’t all this match was about. This was another MITB that utilized psychology brilliantly to tell a unique, thrilling story in which everyone had a chance to shine. Seth Rollins’ win (with a little help from a certain “Big Red Machine”) propelled “The Architect” from mid-card stand-out to “The Future of the WWE” overnight.
Final Thoughts
In little over 11 years the “Money in the Bank” Ladder Match has reshaped and redefined how stars are made in WWE. Arguably the 21st century “King of the Ring”, MITB winners (with rare exceptions) have all risen to enormous heights, winning numerous World titles. After this Sunday, one more name will join the list, and more history will be made.
That’s it for TBT this week – thanks for reading! Are you already subscribed to the WWE Network? Then go relive these exciting MITB matches and let us know what you think of them below.
Don’t forget to watch Money in the Bank 2016 this Sunday on the WWE Network. And speaking of the Network, drop by our friends at WWENetworkNews.com doing great work as always.
Until next week, see ya at ringside!
Watch all of this, Money in the Bank 2016, and loads more on the WWE Network for only $9.99. Your first month is completely FREE! Click here to subscribe to the WWE Network.
The 2005 and 2008 will always be my favourite Money in the Bank matches
It still makes me laugh out loud, when WWE “forgets” its own history: “…welcome to the GREATEST and BEST MITB event in history…” – ehmmm.. year 2011… hell, even 2010 was way better..
but sure.. the Las Vegas event is by far the best that WWE has presented this year.
I couldn’t agree more. They make Tony Schiavone look like a saint sometimes. In reality, for me anyways, only the three marquee matches paid off. The tag team title match had its moments, for sure, but the rest of the card was… not good, let’s just say. The actual MITB match was incredible, though. Not the best ever, but in the top three or four for sure. There was really no need to go 3.5 hours with it either, if you ask me. Rusev/Titus could have been cut and I doubt anyone would have noticed until later. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Hope I didn’t bore you. Take care!
I was refering to the intro to the event, where the speaker welcomed us to the Greatest MITB event of all time.. safe to say, none of the events as of lately..or in the future will ever be candidates to become Best event of all time.. closest they ever got was with MITB 2011 and Extreme Rules 2012, imo.
And Brock.. you really never is a bore. -lol-
Partly agree. Was it the greatest MITB PPV? No. When they build the MITB PPV again next year, they’ll say that’s the greatest one ever just like they do for every Summerslam, every Royal Rumble, every WM. It’s just hype. Nothing serious. This year’s MITB, Cena vs AJ, Reigns vs Rollins all delivered. Ambrose winning MITB was logical. Jericho didn’t need the win. They don;t have enough confidence i Cesaro to have him in a title match so had he won, he would have lost like Sandow when he cashed in. Zayn or KO could have won. But considering the last RAW before MITB where Ambrose hosted The Ambrose Asylum with Reigns and Rollins, it just seemed like he was set to win. Reigns vs Rollins was great, Third great PPV match in a row for Reigns. His opponents helped him make it that way with the first two being AJ Styles followed by a similar style in Rollins, who won, but then lost the WWE Title to Ambrose. And now we have a 3-way for Battleground involving all 3 Shield members, which I thought would happen at Summerslam. WWE already had Ambrose vs Rollins, Ambrose vs Reigns and Reigns vs Rollins at PPV’s. So after Battleground, where do they go? I hope Ambrose doesn’t lose the gold and hope we don’t get another Shield vs Shield singles match at Summerslam as we need a break from that. Cena vs AJ was great I enjoyed it. I see why AJ had help to win. It tells me that the rivalry isn’t over. Now since The Club got involved, I can see the next Cena/AJ match being a 6 man with The Club vs Cena and two partners he could find. I think a young team like New Day or Enzo and Cass would benefit from being in the same match with the veterans in Gallows, AJ and Cena.
As for MITB in general:
My favorite MITB matches are WM21 from 2005 and WM24 from 2008. The rest had their moments. My least favorite was the one that had Big Show and Mark Henry. Nothing against them. But they don’t fit in ladder matches because it’s one of the most predictable things ever because with their size, how can they win? On top of that, they’re veterans who don’t need to win. If they couldn’t find another name to fill up the 6th or 7th spot, then they should have just left it alone and not fill up that spot. WM26 just had too many in there and Swagger, while he’s a good talent, I don’t think he should have won.
I do think WWE should get rid of themed PPV’s because they all involve some kind f extreme environment and WWE promotes their Extreme Rules PPV as the one night WWE goes extreme. MITB ladder, TLC, even Chairs matches are extreme and fit the Extreme Rules PPV and so it should be done there only. If WWE want to keep up their themed PPV’s, center one around tag teams where a tag team title match closes the show and another on the women’s division where a women’s match, preferably a title match closes the show, or with the brand split coming up, center one themed ppv on inter-brand where RAW talent vs SD talent are the marquee matches. O hell, bring back KOTR as a ppv and give the tournament winner the boost that Austin and HHH got where the win catapulted them, unlike Regal, Sheamus and Wade Barrett whose wins were wasted.
Sorry. Left another point out. Continuing with the general MITB topic….
Great concept in 2005. But it’s been the same one all these years and it’s stale now. To freshen it up, I think:
1. Cash-ins should NOT be at WM. It was great for Rollins, great reaction bc it wasn’t expected. But the downside was it interrupted, ruined and stole the closing WM match. It shoudn’t bc the World Title match at WM is just too prestigious. It’s one of the top billed WM matches, one of the longest built matches on the show. It either closes WM or is close to it. The fact that they had Rollins do it tells me WWE did not have faith in Reigns vs Lesnar closing WM so they added a third, unexpected element to it which was Rollins cashing in. It’s bad enough the industry is losing all its lost art that made it what it was. Managers, true differences between a face and a heel, in ring psychology, etc are replaced by everyone doing the same thing (heels not where their own merch just like faces do and because talent don’t know psychology, they substitute with high risk that gets a pop, but further shortens an already short shelf life that is a wrestling career.) But now WWE are replacing their own traditions with a significant one being having Rollins cash in during a WM World Title closer. If they’re gonna continue with allowing a cash in to be at any time, then during a World Title match especially at WM should be the exception. They could tweak what Cena did. Cena announced he was cashing in on Punk and they closed RAW 1,000 with that match. The tweak would be Mr. MITB saying he’ll cash in tonight, next week, etc, without specifying when, like “Next week on RAW, I’m cashin in!.” That’s it. It pretty much means we’ll know on what show the cash in’s happening. We just won’t know when during the show.
But I prefer if they made what Cena did the norm….announce your a cash in a week prior. It makes it an actual match where the champ has a fighting chance rather than look weak prior to losing the gold.
LOL where’d my comment go??!!!
I’m just as confused as you are. I was coming in to respond to some of the comments, and they were gone. It seems a few of the articles’ comments were wiped out. I did see you posted a comment, though, along with a few others. All I can say is thank you for reading and taking the time to comment. Sorry for the inconvenience. Maybe we’ll have better luck next time. Thanks again.
Yeah, we had a few catastrophic issues over the past few days. We did manage to get the site running again and save the posts but the last week of comments were lost. Soz folks.