Quote:
Originally Posted by Vito Cruz
Thinking of MITB, I wonder how many unique cash-in scenarios they have left. Off the top of my head:
-Wrestler competes in a title match without cashing in, loses, cashes in after and wins title
-Wrestler competes in a title match without cashing in, wins title, loses the title at some point only to cash in and get it right back
-Wrestler gets injured/fired only to do a surprise return to cash in
-Wrestler cashes in backstage, taking the "any time, any place" rule even more literally
-Wrestler announces in advance that they'll main event WrestleMania and they actually stick to it unlike Kennedy/Bryan. This of course means yet another multi-man WM main event with the champion and Rumble winner but whatever
I don't see most of these actually being feasible/good but it's fun to think about.
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I'm with you on most of them not being worth doing. Money in the Bank is a golden opportunity, and many of those scenarios leave the wrestler in a vulnerable position when they cash in.
I've always liked the idea of the Money in the Bank Winner making a big deal out of the Royal Rumble. If their goal is to headline WrestleMania, then bumping off the variable of the Royal Rumble by actually
being the Rumble Winner makes sense. Still, those are two crowning achievements to put on one guy within the space of a year, so it might make more sense to have the MITB Winner fall short in the Rumble.
I don't mind the idea of the Money in the Bank Winner just going on holiday after the win the title shot. Provided that they don't get out of ring shape and won't get rusty -- which a top star really shouldn't. That way the cash-in gets the added benefit of being a return of a major star too.
We haven't see a heel arrogantly cash-in ahead of time. Every heel that wins the briefcase seems to opportunistically cash the title shot in. This makes total sense, but in a roundabout way, so does an arrogant heel that thinks they have the babyface so sussed out that they telegraph their shot by quite a margin. Seth Rollins could have actually done this given the stuff Jon Stewart said to him. This is also the only way a guy should lose his cash-in match, in my opinion. Even then, I don't really see the need to have them lose. But I guess they
could and become obsessed afterwards -- like how Sandow should have been. Could even be the start to a face turn.
I don't think they've ever had the cash-in happen on a guy who was taking time off -- like they run an injury angle with it. Imagine if Seth Rollins cashed in on someone like Randy Orton, put him on the shelf and took his title. The face spends months stewing at home and when they return -- hot rematch on an actually established champion.
They haven't had someone hold the briefcase so long it came close to expiring. The tension there could be quite good. If they leave it to the very last second, you have that sort of drama -- but you also have the potential for a double-cash-in when that year's winner cashes in right after the previous winner does.
They've never had the winner cash-in on another title. People might think that ridiculous, but if the IC and US Titles are meant to mean enough to headline shows, then someone who desperately wants to win one could use the briefcase for a shot. Often they say the shot is for a "championship match." The guy would need to be able to promo well enough to explain why he would want to be either the IC or US Champion more than the World Champion at that point in time, but it is doable.
I remember going wild and posting a scenario where Bray Wyatt won the Money in the Bank briefcase but passed it on to someone. We had no clue who that person would be, until it was revealed that AJ Lee had been handed the briefcase by Wyatt. She'd cash in and become the first-ever female WWE Champion. Her manipulative nature drove her towards Wyatt, and the two sort of rule as king and queen of the WWE for a while. Wyatt is the sort of character that could convince you that there are other goals beyond being the WWE World Champion.
Someone like Wyatt could also convince you that he has
no intention of cashing in. He can talk about how the title shot leads to corruption or something. Men fight and claw each other in one of the most dangerous matches for the wealth -- greed fuels them. But Bray Wyatt ain't greedy, man (evil laugh). Then he could either cash in like a true heel, or he could let it expire -- or pass it on to one of his followers.
The winner could get injured and with his career in doubt, relinquishes the briefcase. Does he give it to the highest bidder? Does he relinquish it to a love interest to utilize for the Divas Title, or as suggested with AJ, to become the first-ever female WWE Champion? Imagine if a female did win the Ladder Match? The drama of having a woman holding the briefcase for a shot at
any title whenever she want could be a buzz-getter for the company. But how do you have a woman win the Ladder Match without interacting with the males? Under a mask? Does she cry equality? Lucha Underground have managed to do intergender matches with some success. I hear the USA Network is not high on it, but it's not like it's unheard of.
We've also never had one-half of a tag team win it, I don't believe. Imagine if, say, Cesaro won the briefcase. Would Tyson Kidd expect him to use it for a Tag Team Title shot? If Cesaro cashed in for the World Title, would Kidd help Cesaro out or turn on his friend and partner out of jealousy? It'd be the Edge & Christian 2001 King of the Ring device.