Saturday 2 July 2011

WWE Money in the Bank 2011: Could This Be the PPV of the Year? By Richard Ciancioso


Unless you have been hiding under a rock recently, you have seen the classic CM Punk worked shoot promo from Monday Night Raw this past week. It was pure genius by Punk and the WWE to let Punk go out there and just talk about whatever was on his mind.
This promo has made the excitement for the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view on July 17th more then any PPV I have seen in a very long time. It looks like it is going to be not only the PPV of the year, but maybe the best PPV in a very, very long time.
There have been five matches officially announced as of today and there is a reason to watch every single one of them. I am going to go over each match, analyze and predict them, and then, tell you what I think would be the best thing to happen.
The first match we're going to go over is the Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella Divas title match. Now I know the IWC is in an uproar that Kelly Kelly has the Divas title and someone more "deserving" like Natalysa or Beth Phoneix does not have it. I think it's time for everyone to get a dose of reality.
Kelly Kelly was in Maxim's Top 100. She is the most marketable woman on the roster. She is young, attractive and is not a complete botchamania in the ring. Why wouldn't the WWE put their title on her so they can market her and get her name out there even more. The young girls' want to be her, and the teenage and older guys want to look at her.
I love the Bella's heel turn that they have done recently and it was smart to put the title on them when they started it, but I am almost positive the WWE has Kelly Kelly come out on top of this match. It would make no sense for them to take the title off of her to soon. The only thing I can see happening is that Beth Phoenix gets frustrated for not getting a title shot and turns heel by costing Kelly Kelly this match.
Winner: Kelly Kelly

The next match we are going to talk about is the SmackDown Money in the Bank match. The participants are Cody Rhodes, Kane, Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel. I believe there is a good mix of power guys and high flyers in this match to make it extremely exciting.
The addition of Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel is a smart move by the WWE. They are going to be able to make the match very exciting. They are also going to be trying to make sure Wade Barrett does not get the briefcase as well, so this should be a compelling storyline within the match.
To me it almost seems a given that Cody Rhodes is going to win this match. There is a slight chance that someone like Wade Barrett could win the match, and I wouldn't mind that in the slightest. I believe Wade Barrett needs a push like the briefcase would give him after the WWE botched the Nexus angle. Sheamus does not need the briefcase to be in the main event title picture, so it makes no sense for him to win the match.
The rest of the guys have no chance of winning. Kane won it last year and is on his way to retiring, Sin Cara is not even close to main event level ready yet, Slater and Gabriel are there for spots and Daniel Bryan is not as good as people think he is. I do not want to hear how he would make a great Money in the Bank winner and would make a great world champion. He has his place in this match I agree. He can work a great match and make sure he does not screw anything up. But he is not a future world champion, he cant draw money.
Winner: Cody Rhodes

The other Money in the Bank match is for the Raw brand, and it features wrestlers Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, Alex Riley, Jack Swagger, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, R Truth and Evan Bourne.
This match to me is going to be the more interesting Money in the Bank match out of the two at this show. You have the Miz-Riley feud, R Truth and his conspiracy theory and Alberto Del Rio's destiny. I am looking forward to this match more then the SmackDown one for sure.
With the Miz winning last year's Money in the Bank match and his feud with Alex Riley still ongoing, it almost seems like there is no chance that he will win it again this year. I tend to agree with that assumption as I believe that Riley has a better chance if winning it then Miz does. I do not think that Riley is ready for a world title push yet though, and I hope the WWE builds him up slow and continues his feud with the Miz. It will get him more time to connect with the audience and more experience in high profile feuds.

R Truth has a decent shot to win this match as well, but I think the WWE will continue his conspiracy theory character and have him come really close to winning but come up short in the end. This will let him have a high profile in the match and continue his main event push at the same time.
In my opinion Swagger, Mysterio, Kingston and Bourne have no shot at winning the briefcase. Swagger won it at Mania two years ago, and his push to the main event did not work out that well, so I don't think they will have him win it for a second time. Mysterio doesn't need the briefcase because he can be in the main event scene without it and doesn't need the push from it.
As far as Kingston and Bourne go, they are in the match for their high-flying moves and spots. Many people think Bourne should be in the main event, but he just doesn't have the mic skills or connection with the crowd that a main event player should have.
Alberto Del Rio is the guy that should win the briefcase for Raw. He won the Royal Rumble and was pushed to the moon. He had displayed the perfect blend of charisma, in-ring ability and mic skills to be a huge name in the WWE. He has already been in high-profile feuds with Edge and Rey Mysterio, so he has a great track record.
Now it is his time to shine. He has already had a great ladder match with Christian so he is not new to this type of match. I can see Del Rio snatching the briefcase from someone like R Truth's grasp and claiming it. This would help R Truths conspiracy theory character a lot.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio

Now we move onto the World Heavyweight Championship match pitting the champion Randy Orton against "The Ultimate Complainer" Christian. Christian has had numerous opportunities recently to defeat Randy Orton for the championship but has come up short every time. The most recent time he had his foot under the rope when the ref counted to three. Since that match, he has complained that he should get another rematch because he was screwed.
I love Christian more then most people. He is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. He has also had a great feud with Randy Orton recently that has given us some of the best matches of the year. But this has to be the last time these guys have a match, no matter who comes out on top.
I think that somehow Christian is going to pull this one off. He will find someway to beat Randy Orton by interference or by doing something illegal himself. Either way, I see Captain Charisma coming out on top in this one.
One thing I can see happening is that Christian will beat Orton for the title by some illegal means. He is celebrating in the ring, and then, Orton performs the RKO on Christian and leaves him laying there. Orton then leaves, and you see Cody Rhodes walk down to the ring with a smug look on his face. He then performs Crossroads on Christian to become the NEW World Heavyweight Champion.
Winner: Christian (possible cash in by Rhodes)

Here is the match everyone has been waiting for. Ever since the classic worked shoot promo on Monday Night Raw last week, fans have been waiting for this match to happen. No one knows what is going to happen, and everyone has their opinions on what the result will be. All I know is that it is one of the most anticipated matches in a very, very long time.
When this match was first announced, everyone thought that Cena was going to win for sure and that Punk was just going to leave the company and that was that. Now, there is a semblance of doubt in every fan's mind on what is going to happen whether they admit it or not. Will Punk win and walk out as Champion? Will Cena then be fired? Will Cena just crush Punk, and that is that? Those are the questions that Punk's promo has brought to the forefront in this match.
This match is in Punk's hometown of Chicago, so you know the fans will be booing Cena and cheering Punk loudly. There is not telling what could happen. Screw job angles, run ins and everything under the sun have been discussed by fans this week on what is going to happen, and that is the beauty of it. No one knows. This is what makes wrestling so entertaining, when the line between reality and fiction is blurred.
I personally think the WWE is going to pull somewhat of a swerve on all of us and have Punk walk out champion. Now what happens after that is up to the imagination of all the wrestling fans out there.
But at least for the first time in a while, I can honestly say that I am anticipating one of the best PPV's that I have seen in a while. Now sit back, grab a damn beer, and in a few weeks' time, enjoy one of the most anticipated PPV's in a long, long time.
Winner: CM Punk

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