We are almost upon the next pay-per-view on the WWE’s annual calendar and it promises to be one hell of an exciting show. This Sunday, Smackdown Live presents WWE Money in the Bank 2017 from the hometown of Randy Orton, St Louis, Missouri.
As we get ready for what is hopefully an adrenaline filled pay-per-view with not just one, but two Money in the Bank Ladder matches – the traditional Men’s edition as well as the inaugural Women’s Money in the Bank – expectations are high.
While the Men’s match is definitely going to be given a significant amount of time for the competitors to show off their skills, there are some fears that the Women’s edition could be one of the shortest Money in the Bank Ladder matches in the history of the match.
With that in mind, we have decided to take a trip down memory lane to see which of the other Golden Briefcase matches concluded in record time. So, without any further ado, here is our list of the five shortest Money in the Bank Ladder matches of all-time:
#5 Money in the Bank Ladder match at Wrestlemania 21 – 15 minutes 17 seconds
Coming in at Number 5 on the list is the first ever Money in the Bank Ladder match which was held at Wrestlemania 21 way back in 2005. The participants in the historic match were Edge, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, and Christian.
Since this was the first edition of the match and it was taking place on The Grandest Stage of Them All, it is quite understandable that the company decided to give it an average match time of 15 minutes and 17 seconds.
While that might seem like extremely little today, it was the perfect amount of time for an unknown match back in 2005. With Edge coming out of it as the winner and his eventual cash-in against John Cena, the match solidified its place in WWE’s plans for the future.
#4 Money in the Bank Ladder match at Wrestlemania 24 – 15 minutes 12 seconds
Our second entry comes three years after the first Money in the Bank Ladder match. This time, at Wrestlemania 24, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), Carlito, John Morrison, and Mr Kennedy all took part in a match that lasted five seconds less than the inaugural edition of the famed match.
CM Punk picked up the first of his two Money in the Bank victories in the 2008 edition of the match and it was one that was filled to the brim with talent. It’s a shame, though, that even three years after the initial match and having increased the number of competitors to 7, this match was restricted to just 15 minutes and 12 seconds.
What makes this even more baffling is that the Wrestlemania 23 edition of the match had 8 participants and went on for over 19 minutes. Talk about a step backwards. But, this proved to be a trend as we’ll see in the next entry on our list.
#3 Money in the Bank Ladder match at Wrestlemania 25 – 14 minutes 32 seconds
Now we come to the Wrestlemania 25 edition of the Money in the Bank Ladder match and this proved to be worse than the Wrestlemania 24 edition despite boasting an extra participant on the match card. It clocked in at a sad little 14 minutes and 32 seconds.
The match itself was quite forgotten ever in the wake of CM Punk’s excellent second cash-in against Jeff Hardy following his second victory in the multi-man ladder match, making him the most successful competitor in the history of Money in the Bank.
He defeated Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, Finlay, MVP, Kofi Kingston, and Mark Henry and it became quite clear that the Money in the Bank Ladder match deserved more than a mid-card spot at Wrestlemania. Which leads us nicely to our next point...
#2 Money in the Bank Ladder match at Wrestlemania 26 – 13 minutes 44 seconds
The final Money in the Bank Ladder match to be held at Wrestlemania – at the 2010 edition of the Showcase of the Immortals in this case – proved to be the second shortest of its kind but it can be easily forgiven considering that it was the first of three Money in the Bank Ladder matches of 2010.
It was won by Jack Swagger in just 13 minutes and 44 seconds as he defeated Shelton Benjamin, Christian, Kane, Matt Hardy, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, MVP and Dolph Ziggler to embark on his ill-fated push to the top of the WWE.
#1 Money in the Bank Ladder match at Wrestlemania 22 – 12 minutes 14 seconds
And, finally to the shortest ever Money in the Bank Ladder match ever – the second edition of the historic match which was held at Wrestlemania 22. Rob Van Dam won the contest in just 12 minutes and 14 seconds but it wasn’t that bad all things considered.
He prevailed against the likes of Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Finlay, Bobby Lashley, and even the legendary Ric Flair – who made his first and only appearance in a Money in the Bank Ladder match.
RVD also became the first man to announce when he would be cashing in his contract as he challenged – and successfully defeated – John Cena at ECW One Night Stand.
