10 Things WWE Wants You to Forget About Money in The Bank

source// wwe.com

Money in the Bank is typically one of the stronger shows in WWE's line-up. The multi-man ladder match is always a spectacle to behold, and in the Pay-Per-View's six-year history, each show has had two ladder matches. Even though this year's event is currently slated to be the first Money in the Bank PPV with just one, the Seth Rollins versus Roman Reigns and AJ Styles versus John Cena matches make it a possible contender for show of the year.

Still, Money in the Bank is a WWE show, which means that there will always be some questionable booking decisions. We all expect Kevin Owens to win the briefcase, but what if WWE tries to swerve the fans and puts it on Alberto Del Rio? After last year's fiasco with Sheamus, it wouldn't be without precedent. There's also the matter of the main event - no matter how good it is, a Reigns win will leave fans as disappointed as they were after the Styles match at Extreme Rules.

In the history of the show, there have been a ton of questionable decisions, things that look strange in hindsight, and flat out nonsense. There have also been some great moments that, for one reason or another, haven't aged well.

Here are 10 things WWE wants you to forget about the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View.

10. Rollins And Reigns Can't Get On The Show (2013)

Heading into Money in the Bank 2013, the three members of The Shield were all holding gold - Dean Ambrose was the United States Champion, while now-mortal enemies Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns were the WWE Tag Team Champions.

Ambrose made it to the main card in the last-ever World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank match, but Reigns and Rollins - currently the top babyface and heel in WWE - ended up bumped to the pre-show. They took on Reigns's current allies, The Usos, in an excellent tag team contest. The Shield picked up the victory when Roman Reigns hit a massive Spear.

WWE Pay-Per-Views are often packed, so sometimes some very good matches end up getting bumped off of the card proper. Still, given how pushed Rollins and (especially) Reigns are right now, it's more than a little bit funny that the future WWE World Heavyweight Champions weren't considered worthy of Money in the Bank - especially since Curtis Axel versus The Miz got PPV time.

9. The MITB Match Was Better Than The World Title Match (2014)

Even though the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship were unified in 2013, 2014's Money in the Bank PPV still had two ladder matches - one for the briefcase, and one for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Daniel Bryan had to vacate.

Both were star-studded affairs. The title match was an eight-way bout featuring John Cena, Kane, Roman Reigns, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, and Sheamus, while the MITB match was a six-way featuring Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Rob Van Dam, and Jack Swagger.

Even though WWE typically tries to make sure that its main events are the most memorable matches on its shows, at Money in the Bank 2014, the so-called "undercard" workers completely outdid the guys who went on last. Not only was there an ongoing storyline between Rollins (who had recently turned his back on The Shield) and Ambrose, but Kingston went above and beyond, making the match a classic.

While the main event (which saw John Cena win his 15th and most recent world title) was also good, there was no question as to which match was better.

8. Bryan And Punk Played Second Fiddle To AJ (2012)

Even though Daniel Bryan was out of the World Heavyweight Title picture following his loss to Sheamus at Extreme Rules, the company knew they had something special in the star and wanted to prolong his main event run. He became the number one contender to CM Punk's WWE Championship, and the two had one of the best matches of the year at Over the Limit.

Two months later at Money in the Bank, Punk and Bryan would lock horns again. This time, AJ Lee - who had been dumped by Bryan and then developed an infatuation with Punk - would be the guest referee, and the match would be held under no disqualification rules.

Those bells and whistles ended up overshadowing the match. It was very good, of course - Punk and Bryan aren't capable of anything less - but what fans hoped would be the blowoff between two of the world's best wrestlers turned into the AJ Lee show. She showed favoritism to babyface Punk, making for a weird match dynamic. Punk ultimately won, but the whole thing was just a bit disappointing.

7. A Curtis Axel Run-In In The Main Event (2013)

Money in the Bank 2013's main event was a ladder match for the WWE Championship briefcase, and only former world champions were invited. That meant that the match boasted an impressive lineup, featuring Randy Orton, Rob Van Dam, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Christian, and CM Punk.

Punk was in a strange position - he came back from a brief absence one month earlier as a babyface, but was still being managed by Paul Heyman. That led to tensions with Heyman's other client, Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel. Punk and Axel found themselves at odds, while Heyman tried to play peacemaker.

During this match, Paul Heyman infamously turned on CM Punk, slamming a ladder on his head and bloodying him. That led to the very good Punk-Brock Lesnar feud, then the not-so-good Punk-Ryback feud. Still, Heyman's opening salvo was memorable.

Less memorable was the fact that Axel ran in on the match - the main event of the show, remember - to attack Punk before the Heyman turn. Given Axel's position on the card now, it's a bit embarrassing that he once did a run-in on a Pay-Per-View main event.

6. "Anybody But You" (2015)

Heading into the 2015 Money in the Bank ladder match, Roman Reigns looked like a favorite to win. Despite issues with popularity that had kept him from becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 31, Reigns was still being protected and readied for a title run.

Still, the Money in the Bank briefcase is always better suited for heels, and Reigns winning was likely too obvious for the company. Even so, there's a host of possibilities for each Money in the Bank match, and WWE had a whole list of choices.

Instead, the company decided to give Sheamus - a stale talent despite a recent heel turn - the briefcase. Fans were disappointed that the company didn't use the match to create a new star, and even as far as old stars go, Sheamus was pretty far down the pecking order.

Also bad was the way the company decided to have Reigns lose. In a ladder match, the losers don't really have to do a job - they can just be off camera when the winner retrieves the prize. In this match, WWE had to hammer home that Reigns should have been the winner.

He climbed the ladder and was ready to grab the briefcase, but Bray Wyatt appeared and pushed the ladder over. That made the match nothing more than another part of Reigns's push, and kick-started what felt like an interminable feud between the two men.

5. The Kane Mutiny (2010)

ust like Sheamus in 2015, Kane was past his expiration date in 2010. Still, he won the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank match, defeating Matt Hardy, Christian, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, and The Big Show to win the briefcase. When it came to getting fans to care about Kane, this was too little, 12 years too late.

WWE wasn't done, though - if nothing else, the company gets an "A" for effort. Later than evening, World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio defended his title successfully against former champ Jack Swagger. Swagger attacked Mysterio after the match, but Kane - then a babyface - ran him off... only to cash in his briefcase and pin Rey for the title.

Kane became the only man to cash in his Money in the Bank contract the evening he won it, meaning that he scored two of the most important victories of his career on the same show. All things considered, it seems like WWE could have found someone better to push in 2010.

4. You Call That A Finish? - Part I (2013)

Dolph Ziggler's Money in the Bank cash-in and subsequent World Heavyweight Championship win over Alberto Del Rio was met with crowd elation. Dolph looked to finally be on his way to superstardom, but an errant kick from Jack Swagger gave him a concussion and put him on the shelf for six weeks. Dolph returned at Payback 2013 and lost the belt back to Del Rio in a match that led to a double turn for the competitors.

Dolph got his rematch at Money in the Bank 2013, and the newly-established babyface was riding a wave of fan support. The two men had a very good match, with Del Rio trying to hit headshots on Dolph to put him down and the defiant "Showoff" staying in the match.

Unfortunately, all of Dolph's fighting spirit didn't get him anywhere. After the challenger blocked a knee strike from the champ, AJ Lee - then Dolph's girlfriend - got in the ring and hit Del Rio with the World Heavyweight Title. That drew a disqualification, infuriating Dolph and the crowd. Even though the finish played in to Dolph and AJ splitting up on Raw, it was still a horrendously lame way to end "The Showoff's" flirtation with the gold.

3. You Call That A Finish? - Part II (2015)

Maybe it's the fact that the Money in the Bank match itself always has a decisive winner than allows WWE's creative team to think they can get away with some exceedingly bad finishes in title matches on the show. Or maybe it's just ineptitude.

By Money in the Bank 2015, Seth Rollins was WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and he was already proving to be one of the worst-booked WWE Champions ever. After a terrible finish at Elimination Chamber 2015 where Dean Ambrose seemingly won the title from Rollins only to have it changed to a disqualification, a ladder rematch between the two was signed for Money in the Bank.

Ambrose and Rollins proceeded to have an excellent main event which, at nearly 36 minutes, was one of the longest singles matches in WWE PPV history. Both men fought around the ringside area, using tables, chairs, and even the barricade to their advantage.

Finally, they managed to fight their way up the ladder. Both men grabbed the title belt and pulled it down, falling to the match as they held it. When they collided with the ring, Ambrose lost his grip, giving Rollins one of the flukiest wins for a world champion in recent memory. At that point, it was painfully obvious WWE didn't want to push Rollins as a serious champion, and would rather have him look like a boob en route to remaining champion.

2. Layla Vs. Summer Rae (2014)

By mid-2014, Fandango was already past the point of no return as far as his portrayal, but that didn't stop WWE from trotting him out for one of the worst storylines of the year. Fandango replaced his first valet, Summer Rae, with former Divas' Champion Layla, but Summer returned to make it clear that she wouldn't take the slight without putting up a fight.

That led to a match between the two women at Money in the Bank 2014, with Fandango as guest referee. It was absolutely horribly, and in a fact that will probably shock anyone who saw it, was only three minutes long. It felt like an absolute eternity.

The whole point of conflict heading into the match was that Fandango still had feelings for Summer, despite having ditched her. Summer knew this and was willing to exploit it, so what happened? After a few minutes of "action," Layla kicked Summer, covered her, and Fandango made the pin. There was no payoff to the storyline, and certainly nothing worthwhile about the match. We'd all be better off forgetting this one.

1. The Best Show In Company History... Thanks To CM Punk (2011)

Everyone has a favorite WWE show, whether it's WrestleMania X-Seven, SummerSlam 2002, or even WrestleMania 31. Still, even if your particular choice is something different, it's hard to make an argument against Money in the Bank 2011.

The two Money in the Bank matches - won by Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio - were both excellent, and match between Christian and Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship was also pretty great. Still, the highlight of the show was a main-event match pitting CM Punk against WWE Champion John Cena.

Punk had challenged Cena to a title match while confirming that his contract with WWE was coming to an end, thereby indicating that he wanted to take the title and leave the company with it. Cena agreed, knowing the pressure that was on him. They proceeded to have one of the best matches in WWE history, with Punk scoring a win in front of a rabid Chicago crowd and leaving with the title. In terms of ring action and drama taken together, it's WWE's best event ever.

Of course, Punk would leave the company under some very acrimonious circumstances in early 2014, and since then, he's been persona non grata. The company has been loath to use him in clip packages or advertising and infamously, a shot of a poster with Punk on it at WWE headquarters had a yellow Post-It note stuck over the former champion's face. The company would rather pretend he doesn't exist.

Money in the Bank is an innovative match that often makes for a great Pay-Per-View, but for as long as it exists, the specter of CM Punk will loom large over the entire affair.