How WWE Money in the Bank has gone from one of the most loved to overrated events in recent years
WWE have made some questionable decisions with the MITB winners in recent years
Money in the Bank is one of the most favorite events of WWE which has a wide range of fan base throughout the world. Over the years, WWE has booked the event with more exciting matches and has showcased some of the extraordinary matches. However in recent times the premium live event has become one of the normal shows and lacked attention among fans. Here are some of the instances and a brief view on how Money in the Bank has gone from one of the most loved events to of no use in recent years.
How was Money in the Bank in the past?
Money in the Bank has been a traditional match at WrestleMania before 2010. Due to a great response among fans, WWE promoted it as a special event in 2010 by separating it from WrestleMania. In 2010 and 2011, WWE conducted two separate Money in the Bank matches for Raw and SmackDown as a part of brand split. Where the Raw superstars compete in the Money in the Bank match for WWE Championship contract and SmackDown superstars compete for World Heavyweight Championship contract. In 2013, the brand split was called off as the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship was unified into one as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship thereby returning one MITB contract match back.
In 2016 the brand split happened again, and sticked to one Money in the Bank Ladder Match for both the brands. However, WWE introduced Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match for the first time in 2017. The MITB used to be a career changing moment for multiple superstars, where the mid-carders were promoted to the top card stars. The cashing-in was done on the major two-titles of the company anytime, anywhere by teasing the champions for months.
How did the MITB become worse?
Although the Money in the Bank has helped multiple superstars on the mid-card to promote as the face of the company in the past, it has gotten worse in the recent years. The MITB match in recent times seems like it is losing its power by poor bookings, lack of high risk talents, poor storylines, unsuccessful cash-ins, etc.
The MITB used to be filled with stars and the event has been a perfect platform to showcase their talents. WWE has promoted superstars like Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, Edge and others to the top card and even as the face of the company using the MITB contract. However, in recent times it is burying its own talent by poor match bookings, mid-card championship cash-ins, immediate cash-ins, etc.
WWE had also scripted some of the poor winners of MITB contracts such as Otis, Austin Theory, Liv Morgan, Asuka, etc. When Otis was not ready for a top card star, WWE made him the MITB winner in 2020 but transferred the briefcase to The Miz, where The Miz was also stripped off in a week.
Austin Theory seems to be too young to win the MITB contract who was buried with poor storylines and was forced to cash-in on the United States Championship and lost. Asuka won the Money in the Bank Match in 2020, but wasn’t able to cash-in as Becky Lynch granted her championship to Asuka without a match. Liv Morgan was given a push to the top card in 2022 by making her win the MITB, but was stripped of the championship from her within months.
The poor bookings and unplanned narratives has hindered the career of the superstars and also the expectation of fans towards the contract match. It is speculated that WWE has booked this year’s Money in the Bank abroad to earn back the importance of the event. However, WWE has to book the matches with a clear plan and use it in the right way to carry the legacy of the Money in the Bank matches to the future.
So what are your thoughts on this year’s Money in the Bank event at London, United Kingdom?