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For over twelve years now, the honour of being called Mr Money in the Bank is something that’s been passed around several different mid carders and main eventers, with varying degrees of success. Some have used it to springboard into relevancy, meanwhile, others crumbled under the pressure of bad booking and high expectations.
It’s a vicious cycle that seems to throw up a variety of different results, and in this instance, we’d like to talk about those who didn’t quite live up to the billing when it came to their actual cash-in. Over the years, we’ve seen the likes of Rollins and Ziggler shock the world with their tremendous title winning efforts, but on the opposite end of the scale, we’ve had some cash-ins that were best left to the imagination.
It’s a shame that we even have to make a list like this because MITB is something that should be impossible to screw up. Still, they’ve managed it several times, and with this year’s edition of the event right around the corner, the smart money suggests they’re going to do it again.
With that being said here are the five most disappointing MITB cash-ins.
#1 Jack Swagger
The All-American Jack Swagger was tipped for greatness during the early days of his WWE career, with his in-ring talent masking over the fact that he didn’t really have too much of a personality to speak of. Still, that didn’t stop the company from slapping the MITB briefcase on him – and the cash-in itself was even worse.
After failing to cash-in on John Cena shortly after Mania, Swagger ended up defeating Chris Jericho to capture the World Heavyweight Championship.
He hadn’t really earned it, there was no build up, and his eventual reign disappeared into the darkness after a string of mediocre performances.
#2 Damien Sandow
Damien Sandow was, arguably, one of the most fascinating characters the main roster had seen in years. The Intellectual Saviour of the Masses quickly became a fan favourite, but despite his overwhelming popularity, a lot of fans were still surprised when the company decided to put the WHC MITB briefcase on him.
Needless to say, his booking from that point onwards was poor at best, which eventually led to his title match for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Sandow challenged the seemingly unstoppable John Cena, and from the moment that Big Match John picked up the victory it was like an air of relevance left Damien Sandow’s body and never returned.
Shame.
#3 John Cena
When John Cena won Money in the Bank, the majority of the WWE Universe let out an audible groan. Nobody was quite sure as to what direction they were going in, but all they knew was that having Cena win the briefcase was a move that nobody wanted to see. Still, we’re confident they didn’t think the cash-in would be as bad as it was.
Cena faced off against CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Raw 1000, in a match that was subpar in comparison to their many classic bouts. The ending of the contest saw Big Show attack Cena, causing the disqualification and making John the first man to cash-in the briefcase and fail to win the title.
Did they highlight this vital fact in the weeks and months to follow? Barely.
#4 Sheamus
Why Sheamus why?
When Sheamus returned as a heel just after WrestleMania 31, the wrestling world couldn’t have been happier. They’d finally got what they wanted in the form of The Celtic Warrior turning into a bad ass once again, however, things didn’t really pan out too well and the crowd weren’t exactly as receptive to him as many would’ve expected.
Then, for an inexplicable reason, Sheamus won the Money in the Bank ladder match and successfully cashed-in on Roman Reigns at Survivor Series.
It was a move that a lot of people could, unfortunately, see coming, and it felt like a cheap way out of a situation in which WWE should’ve just gone with a Reigns heel turn.
#5 Alberto Del Rio
Alberto Del Rio started off life in WWE like a house on fire, instantly establishing himself as one of the top heels on SmackDown. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to maintain that momentum and throughout the majority of 2011, he faded into the background after initially challenging for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 27.
But things started to look up after Alberto won the MITB ladder match, with many wondering whether he’d finally live up to his potential. The answer was no, and his cash-in was done as a weak way of ruining the Summer of Punk angle.
Nobody wanted to see him as champion, and his reigns as champion were utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
