1. Edge- I predicted the cash-in. The truth is, I tried predicting every PPV that Edge was going to cash in and he never did, but that didn't stop me from expecting it at the end when Cena won the Chamber. When Edge came out, I marked out, but I was expecting to mark out. Especially considering Cena won the Chamber with about 10 minutes to spare on the PPV...
2. Rob Van Dam- With ECW coming back, it was obvious that RVD was going to cash in at One Night Stand. Not only were the dirtsheets reporting it, but it was just obvious to any fan with common sense. It was a fantastic way to do it and I wish more people would do it this way.
3. Edge- Mr. Kennedy was injured for only 3 weeks. There was no reason why he couldn't have left and came back all with the briefcase still in hand. When Edge beat Kennedy for the case I knew it meant that they wanted a title switch happen now. It was obviously not going to be on Raw considering the pushes of Randy and Cena were still in full-speed so going to SD was a logical choice. The dirtsheets were reporting Taker was injured and it just made so much sense. I told a friend of mine right when Edge won the case that Edge is going to SD. I didn't know it would be exactly the night after, but it didn't surprise me much.
4- CM Punk- Raw was left without a champion, and Edge randomly came to Raw just to tell the audience he won't ever defend his title there? Really? I thought it couldn't be more obvious, but then Batista attacks him. Don't get me wrong, this was my FAVORITE CASH-IN as I've always been a huge Punk fan, but I was expecting Punk to do this all the way. It was still a great moment though.
5- CM Punk- The dirtsheets spoiled this for me. The rumors of Punk turning heel were in full-motion and Punk also said in an interview he'd be feuding with Jeff Hardy during the year. After Punk beat Umaga that night, it was the decisive victory he needed to be pushed as a main eventer. Again, when Punk came out, I marked out, but I wasn't surprised one bit.
6- Jack Swagger- Not only was this the most surprising winner, it was also the most surprising cash-in. Who really thought Swagger was going to cash-in on Jericho? I also think this was the worst cash-in ever. No build-up, no hype, nothing, it was Jack the Jobber coming out and pinning Jericho after a spear. We were then supposed to believe Jack was a top star. He has the potential to be, but his push failed because it wasn't really a push, it was a skyrocket up his ass that never went anywhere.
7- Kane- I really thought Cody would be taking it, but Kane was my #2 guy. But after he won, I knew he would cash in soon. I didn't think he would cash in the same night. But when Kane came out to help Rey fend off Swagger, it was obvious Kane was going to cash-in. Essentially, the idea that he would cash in that night was surprising, but it was obvious he was going to after coming out to help Rey so the surprise lost its luster.
8- The Miz- After Swagger, this was definitely the worst cash in ever. Alex Riley came out that night and said The Miz was having an anxiety attack and couldn't compete? And then The Nexus came out to beat up Orton? What a happy coincidence for The Miz to cash-in later that night... I wanted him to cash in during a TLC match at TLC, hit the competitors with chairs, climb up the ladder and take the title. Instead, we got this anti-climatic cash-in that felt like a cheap rip-off all the others.
9- Alberto Del Rio- The third worst cash-in on this list. This also surprised no one obviously. The worst part is that in storyline, Del Rio had no idea Kevin Nash would attack Punk which means this was just another happy coincidence like The Miz's. Those two cash-ins are pretty terrible, along with Jack Swagger's. It also lead to a terrible Del Rio push that went nowhere because they waited too long to pull the trigger on his title run.
10- Daniel Bryan- The best cash-ins are the ones that make sense. Edge knew Cena would be downright destroyed after his Chamber and he also knew Taker and Batista were going to have a grueling Steel Cage match. Punk didn't care wether Edge or Jeff left that ladder match as World Champion because he knew he was going to cash in on which ever. Kane didn't wait for anyone to assault Rey, he did the assault himself and cashed-in. And RVD wanted to steal the WWE title at ECW's biggest PPV so he had to cash-in. These made sense.
Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio and The Miz's cash-ins not only were senseless, but they were downright boring. The champs got beat up and the contenders cashed in. It was unoriginal and just dumb booking from WWE's part. Why was Swagger even on SD? He knew Jericho was going to get beat up by Edge? And even if he did, it was still very hard to believe he was world title material after jobbing for the past few months. And The Miz needed something more epic, not some random Raw cash-in after a beatdown. Sure, Punk did it before him, but when Punk did it, it made sense. Raw was without champion and Edge was on Raw, and I firmly believe that even if Batista didn't beat up Edge, Punk would have tried to cash in anyway.
Hopefully, Daniel Bryan tries to be a little more creative with his cash-in. There are so many ways WWE can use the briefcase creatively. Why not cash in on a vacant title and automatically be declared champion? Why not cash in DURING a match and pin the champ? Why not cash in DURING a Ladder match and take the title off the hook? Why not cash in at a house show? At the Superbowl? WWE needs to up their game with the briefcase, because the "cash-in after a beatdown" method has become way too stale. Let's hope Daniel comes through and brings some creativity to this gimmick.
