They say that the third time’s the charm. Would that be the case for an event that’s previous two efforts were nothing short of excellent? We’ll find out this Sunday as the Money in the Bank PPV reaches it’s third edition. Like most expected, this year’s event doesn’t have nearly the same amount of anticipation going in as last year’s event. Truth be told, neither did the 2010 edition, either, and look how that turned out. I’m getting off track. I’m here to predict some matches.
WWE Championship
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan
*AJ is the Special Referee*
Many have complained that the WWE has squandered Punk and Bryan’s talents by including them in such a sappy storyline. A love triangle involving the two best wrestlers in the world? It’s the question on many people’s minds. While I don’t like the storyline per se (not much of a fan of love triangles), I honestly could care less. The fact of the matter is Punk and Bryan are once again competing for the WWE Championship on a WWE PPV. At the very least, they have a storyline this time, unlike their Over the Limit bout.
Also unlike their Over the Limit bout is the unpredictability going into this match. I was next to certain that Punk would walk out of OTL with the WWE title still intact. Here, I’m not so sure. Not only does the WWE still seem invested in Bryan, it’s possible they could have Big Show win the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match and cash in on Daniel to get revenge. It’s also possible that Cena could win and they’d rather do Cena/Bryan at Summerslam instead of having another Punk/Cena match. That or they could have Punk retain and set up another match with Cena.
As you’ll notice, I completely forgot to bring up AJ. She plays a pivotal role in this storyline (and the match, considering she’s the ref). Certainly she’ll have to play into the storyline, even if Cena clashes against either man. Considering WWE’s attention span, I could see them having her screw either Punk or Bryan, then have Cena call her a Hoeski and completely erase her from TV. I don’t want this to happen, but I don’t have much faith in WWE to see it not occurring.
Though there’s a part of me that sees Bryan walking out with the gold, I see it as more of a possibility for them to have Punk and Cena clash again at Summerslam. Therefore, Punk retains.
Winner: CM Punk
World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
I don’t even want to write my predictions for this match. Not because I don’t care about it. More so because I’m afraid that, by the time Sunday strolls around, ADR will once again be unable to compete or someone will be randomly thrown into the mix to once again, robbing us of this one on one contest. If the match actually does take place, it better be a masterpiece considering how long we’ve been waiting.
The only way I see Del Rio walking out with the gold is if the WWE plans on pushing Orton back into the main event scene immediately upon his return (which would be a bit asinine; he should flounder in the midcard to further learn his lesson). Though they could easily have Sheamus and Orton clash, they may be more comfortable having him face ADR.
After writing that, I still don’t see that being a possibility. They’ve shown incredible faith in Sheamus and would likely view Orton/Sheamus as a marquee match. They have faith in ADR as well, but may be more hesitant to push him considering his frequent injuries. They’d be wiser to let him take an easier schedule after this.
Winner: Sheamus
WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match
John Cena vs. Kane vs. Big Show vs. Chris Jericho
Just like last year, I’ll look at each participant’s chances, then come to my decision.
John Cena: The odds on favorite to win. The WWE has been pushing his odds against winning due to this being his first time competing in this match. We all know how much they love to make the underdog win, even if he’s the farthest thing from an underdog at this point. That and rumors are stirring that he’ll clash again with CM Punk (as I mentioned earlier), as well as The Rock coming back on the following Raw to challenge the WWE Champion. Cena could cash in on Punk or Bryan, then accept Rock’s challenge and have a rematch at Summerslam.
Kane: He as about as much of a chance winning as my upcoming Movienalia book does of cracking the New York Times best seller list.
Big Show: Considering his recent monster push (what is this, his billionth one?), he has a good chance of winning. If he does, I see him cashing on Bryan (who will have just defeated Punk). There’s no other option in my mind.
Chris Jericho: Not a safe bet, but he has a good chance. He could reignite his feud with Punk or hold on to the briefcase for awhile and feud with Cena again further down the road. I’d argue that he doesn’t need the briefcase in order to do so, but none of these men do.
Weighing the options, Cena seems like the smartest bet.
Winner: John Cena
World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Christian vs. Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Tensai vs. Sin Cara
Christian: Doesn’t need the briefcase, but would be nice to see him have it. That may be the only way WWE would put him back in the World title picture. Who knows? Maybe Orton will win the gold again down the road, only for Christian to cash in on him.
Santino Marella: One of two wild cards in this match. He’s over enough that him winning would garner a huge reaction. He could also be one of the first men to cash in and lose. The more I think about it, the less of a wild card he is. He may not be the odds on favorite, but his chances of winning aren’t too low.
Cody Rhodes: One of two odds on favorites to win the match. I was certain he’d win the past two years, only to come up short. Will the third time be the charm (there’s that question again)?
Dolph Ziggler: The other odds on favorite to win. He’s been flirting with the main event scene constantly, only to come up short of winning the title. This would be his ticket to winning the World title and hopefully holding it longer than eighteen minutes.
Damien Sandow: Some could call him a wild card, but I just find him to be filler. A nice way to get him further noticed, but he has a snowball’s chance in hell of actually winning.
Tyson Kidd: This is the other wild card in my opinion. While one could argue my regards on Sandow would fit Kidd, Damien has at least had a recent push. Tyson has come out of nowhere. Though that doesn’t mean a surefire victory, it does point to a great showing and possible mini-push (even if it’s just in the midcard title scene). Many have called him this year’s Daniel Bryan (who won last year to everybody’s surprise) and I think that’s fitting.
Tensai: He has a better chance than Damien Sandow, but the fact that the WWE has considered him a flop makes me weary of his chances. Maybe there’s a reason they put him in the match though.
Sin Cara: Out of everybody competing in this match, he’s my last pick to win. Yes, I can see Sandow winning the briefcase before him. Sin Cara’s massive push has deflated since last year. The only reason I believe he’s in this year’s match is to be a spot monkey.
After weighing the options, Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler are the front runners to win. Yet, I can’t shake this feeling the WWE is going to surprise us with a wild card. In that case, I’ll choose Santino over Tyson, simply due to his fan base.
Winner: Santino Marella