The concept of MITB.

[TheOrtonRevolution]

Gratz on the Miz becoming WWE Champ. I was sort of getting tired of waiting for him to cash it in. Probably the longest time we've waited for the cashing in for a while. Anyway, to be honest, I'm getting tired of the "cashing in when the champion is at his weakest" pattern. Anyone else? I know it's supposed to be "Anytime, Anyplace", but we've had like what, 6 times, already occurring. I wouldn't mind if they would cash it in at a pay-per-view or at Wrestlemania (like Mr. Kennedy would've done) for a time or two. It's just getting way too predictable (ironic, I know).

 

[KettleFace]

Personally I don't agree. I love the concept of MITB, and anticipation that follows as to when the holder is going to cash in their contract. I love it. You say it's predictable, but as you said, ironically it's not. That's the beauty of it, and long may it continue IMO .

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The concept of MITB is that it adds a degree of unpredictability in a day when pulling off a major surprise in pro wrestling is extremely difficult.

When The Miz cashed in the MITB briefcase last night, I don't think anyone was legitimately expecting it. The WWE had steered the focus of the audience toward anything and everything else last night but The Miz. For instance, when Alex Riley came out to face Ezekiel Jackson in the KOTR qualifying match instead of The Miz, we all never gave it much thought. We'd seen Miz substitute Riley for himself before so that's all we thought would happen. In the Orton/Barrett match, we were all focused on the ongoing situation with Barrett, Orton & John Cena. That's all anyone was thinking about and when Miz's music hit, everyone was just caught completely off guard.

I very much like the fact that Miz held onto the MITB contract for a while. It broke the pattern of cashing it in quickly and it was used to further build up The Miz and the WWE didn't ram it down our throats week in and week out. There were only a couple of times in which Miz teased cashing it in and both times really caught people by surprise. I think the WWE did a fantastic job with this and the MITB ppv is definitely one concept ppv I want to see stick around.

 

[koolaidx]

I love the concept of MITB. What a great swerve to Raw last night. I got on WZ last night before I watched Raw and read NEW WWE CHAMPION. I was bummed that it was ruined for me until I actually watched in on my dvr. Thinking it would be Barrett, once he lost I knew it would be Miz and even knowing the ending already it was exciting. The only thing I'm a bit disappointed about is that Miz didn't get a chance to cash it in on Cena.

The MITB cash in is used to keep fans on their toes. RVD using his at ECW One Night Stand was perfect. Other than that what good does it do a heel to try and honorably win the title. Or a face for that matter. You won the right to face the champ at his weakest moment, to not do so would be foolish.

 

[NoDamnMercy]

I'm on the fence with this.

The way I see it, MiTB was created for a shock value, and it has helped some people make great leaps to ME, ie Edge, RVD, CM Punk. But at the same time it can also give the winner a forgettable title run, Jack Swagger.

There are times where I can see the winner of the MiTB using against a champ who is at a weak point as long as it goes with their character, like Edge. But some should have used to the way RVD did. I think CM Punk would have been better using it that way.

If they truley want the MiTB to mean something, make it a WrestleMania match ONLY. Having two people walk around with a briefcase is overdoing it. It's pretty much saying at one point we are going to have 2 new champs. By keeping it to one, you never know which title its going to used on, which adds to the shock value.

 

[HardCore Frank]

Personally I am mixed. The MITB is a very nice concept but its getting to the point that you know they are going to win when they cash in. I honestly thought The Miz was going to lose but it did not happen. As for the argument that it sucks that the champion is at his weakest whenever someone cashes in I can agree with that. But to me the greatest cash in of all time was RVD on Cena at ECW One Night Stand. One of the greatest matches of all time just because of the atmosphere. I know there is a popular question, what was the sign of the night? But to me there is no question to "Sign of all time" that goes to the sign "If Cena wins, we riot"

 

[InterestingDrug]

I like MITB the way it is. However, I notice that mostly heels win the MITB, which leads to cashing it in when the champion is down. That is definately a heel move. If a face were to actually win the MITB for a change, I could see them doing the stand-up thing and making a challenge for a PPV.

As far as last night's cash-in being a swerve, I just dont see how it is. Everyone was predicting (in these forums) that Miz would cash in on Sunday night. I think the swerve was that they didn't do it at the PPV and they allowed Orton to be pinned cleanly. Plus with Orton retaining with 15 mins left on the program was a dead giveaway that Miz would cash it in. I think saving the cash-in for RAW was a great idea, just so everyone could actually see the event occur. However, I feel real bad for everyone who wasted money on the PPV just to be disappointed that nothing important really happened on it.

Swerve, no.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I've grown tired of the heel winning and cashing it in when the face is injured. It was cool when Edge did it but after that it just got old fast. I would like to see a face win it and do what RVD did. It'll be a great way to build up that person and just like RVD/Cena, we could get a great match out of it. I just think that is a more better way of building up somebody because it didn't work well for Punk the first time or Swagger. They were soon pushed back to the midcard.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Personally I would prefer the King Of The Ring to replace the MITB PPV and recieve the guaranteed World title shot rather than MITB... The MITB concept was good for a 2 brand fed, but if it is true that this may be changing then the old method of Royal Rumble for the Mania match and KOTR for Summerslam works... that way there are 3 "spots" that wrestlers can go for over the year with MITB being used over all titles, not just the World title to elevate people...

Royal Rumble and KOTR are the more "prestigious" honors and should be about the World title... we should see more people using MITB to get the IC title or a Tag title reign...

As it currently stands you have the Rumble Winner, MITB Winner, NXT Winners all with guaranteed world title shots... something has give... I think WWE could be a lot smarter and use NXT to fuel the MITB match, which then boosts guys for later Rumble or KOTR pushes... with the current system you have 5/6 guranteed World title matches in a year depending on how many NXT's and MITB matches there are...

The alternative that would freshen things is to make MITB more than a ladder match... why can't it be a HIAC match? or a Tournament... I am amazed that they have only used ladder matches...

 

[Foshinzo]

I'll probably be unpopular for saying this, but I don't really care for the MitB anymore. I enjoy the match and it's exciting to see who wins, but I have to main issues with it:
1) It's kind of a chickens*it way for a guy to get the belt. I mean, he doesn't have to really beat the champion. He just walks in and snags the belt;
2) It always just seemed like lazy writing to me on WWE's part. Instead of writing a story where somebody climbs through the ranks and obtains the title through hard work and determination, let's just throw a briefcase on them and our job is done.

Like I said, I enjoy the matches, but I think the concept behind MitB has run its course. Maybe if somebody won the briefcase but failed during their cash in, then it would have more unpredictability to it. But the fact that a guy wins one non-title match and basically becomes an instant champion just never sat well with me and it's starting to become mundane.

 

[MisterB47]

I was going to start a thread about this same topic. I'm all for the MITB concept, I reckon its a great way to establish No. 1 Contenders, but honestly aren't we all sick of the 'Cashing In' at a time when the current Champ is at his weakest. It was fun and Interesting maybe the first and second time it happened but after a while doesnt it seem like its almost predictable. I would much prefer it the winner outright challenged the Champion at a PPV or a RAW/SMACKDOWN in a proper set out wrestling match. I hate it when they say 'whenever it is cashed in they have won the championship' no duhh, because they do it when the Champ is absolutely gone. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only time someone had legitmately cashed it in at a PPV instead of sneaking it in was RVD, and I thought it was a great way to not transfer the belt to him but show that he was deserving of it!!

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I'd like to see guys defend the case, like a belt, more often. I think Kennedy was the only one who put it on the line (and they did it because he was injured).

 

[Dagger Dias]

I don't see what's wrong with cashing in on a weak champion. I personally did not care for the way RVD cashed it in. It's not just heels who are opportunistic with the MITB. CM Punk gave Edge a taste of his own medicine in June 2008, and Punk was a face at the time. The only time I could agree with cashing in without being opportunistic would be to do it at Wrestlemania. It would have been cool to see Kennedy go all 365 days with his MITB case and then finally cash it in at Wrestlemania 24. That's still a route they could go with a MITB winner some day. However other than that I prefer for them to continue with cashing in on weak champions, and you don't have to be a heel to do that. Just look at CM Punk 2 years ago. It may be predictable but that doesn't make it old or boring to me. I enjoy it every time I see it.

 

[Daniel.Wood]

I think we'll be seeing whoever wins it at Mania failing to win when they cash it in. I'm also more excited with this years Mania MITB then any others before, I mean the wrestlers the WWE has at the moment would fit in amazingly, Bryan and Kaval I'd love to see in a MITB match, as well as the kofi kingston moment we seem to be getting every year now.

Alternatively the Wrestlemania MITB doesn't have to be cashed in on the WWE or WHC title (or does it?) So it could help a low-mid carder elevate to US or Intercontinental champion status.

Or, we could see someone with the MITB briefcase use it to arrange a match for a PPV. I'd love to see an up and coming face win it. Someone like, Morrison (hot topic atm) and then challenge someone like the Miz to a title match at the next PPV... Or challenge someone to a match before their sheduled title match on a PPV ..

 

[LSN80]

I personally think that's the best part of WWE's Money in The Bank, and why TNA's "Feast or Fired" has been a collosal failure.

Looking quickly at Feast or Fired, we've seen Hernandez stupidly enter a fatal four way match to make it a 5 way, and we've seen Samoa Joe announce his decision weeks in advance to AJ Styles. The whole idea of the case is the "anytime, anyplace" rule, and TNA has made it's challengers look like idiots for how they've "cashed in."

WWE's, on the other hand, have been done by guys who have picked their spots. They've actually shown that their wrestlersd have some degree of intelligence by going after the champion WHEN he was weakened, or when the circumstances were in their favor(like RVD.)

I don't know how it's been predictable, to be honest. Miz' cash-in last night was the first one Ive ever called. Swagger cashing in just five days after Wrestlemania was a nice element of surprise. Punk cashing in at Extreme Rules may have come after a ladder match between Hardy and Edge, but Punk had a Samoan Strap match with Umaga earlier in the night, so there's no way he could have been 100%.

The other thing money in The Bank has done was birth a gimmick. Edge became known as the Ultimate Opportunist because of his two successful cash-in's on vulnerable champions. As for Miz, he probably cashed in on the LEAST vulnerable champion since RVD did on Cena. Orton's knee was worked over, but it's not like he had just competed in an ironman match, he had defeated Barrett in four minutes.

Finally, whose to say Kennedy would have waited until Wrestlemania? If he hadn't gotten injured, that may have been a big tease, just so when the moment was right, the champion wouldn't have been expecting it. I like the fact that The Money in the Bank holfer cashes in on a weakened champion, in kayfabe sense, they've certainly earned it, seeing how they won a ladder match against 7 other men. Couple that with the fact that most have been heels, and it's not as if they're going to DO the "honorable thing" and wait for the champion to be at full strength. I love the intrigue MITB brings and personally look forward to being swerved.

 

[martin_the_man]

I like the element of surprise of MITB, I always remember the 1st cash in, by Edge in 2006 as one of my favourite WWE moments because it made Edge the star he is today. However, I also think MITB devalues the Championship and the Champion. No cash in has lead to a particularly memorable or successful reign, Kane's current reign is probably the most successful so far.

For example, as great as Edge's first title was for me, he had it for 3 weeks then lost it to the unbeatable Cena. It made it look like Edge was a fluke Champion at the time. Same with Punk, his first reign he beat JBL, who at the time was a jobber to the stars, and then was basically destroyed by Batista and booked to look weak. His second cash in, he then lost the belt back to Hardy at the next PPV.

Of the other cash in's, RVD's reign was over after a month due to drugs, Edge's 2nd cash in looked set to be a strong reign until injury. Swagger, as great a wrestler as he is, was hardly on Raw before he won and cashed in, so looked like a fluke champion, and was booked so poorly, that you never believed he was a credible champion. Finally Kane, who has had the longest reign since cashing in, only had the reign to set up the feud with Taker.

What would make MITB mean something, would be to have a slow build up to winning it, ie-Miz, continue his build to the ME, ie - Miz (even if he suffered a lot due to continued losses to Bryan) and finally have a long and decisive reign ie-6-8 months beating multiple challengers. This would dispel the theory that MITB winner is only champion because of taking advantage of a injured champion. Hopefully Miz can be the man to do this, holding the title through Mania and beyond, thus solidifying Miz in the ME and giving more presteige to MITB.

 

[MisterRob]

Personally, while Money in the Bank was a good concept originally and it definitely brings some surprise and shock value to things in the WWE, I really think it's taking away credibility from champions now rather then adding it. Everyone champion has won it basically by taking advantage of an already injured wrestler, so the new champion crowned can't really even say that they actually had the ability to beat the former champion. That doesn't exactly make me believe the champion deserves that place, or should even be there. When compared to a champion rising up the ranks, facing the champion one on one at a PPV or otherwise, and beating him by merit alone Money in the Bank just doesn't compare. And if it's just a way to get heels as champions then its just overdone. I think in the long haul its actually taking away from the new champions it crowns and even the championship itself just to add in some unpredictability.

 

[Okininja]

The concept of MITB is that it adds a degree of unpredictability in a day when pulling off a major surprise in pro wrestling is extremely difficult.

When The Miz cashed in the MITB briefcase last night, I don't think anyone was legitimately expecting it. The WWE had steered the focus of the audience toward anything and everything else last night but The Miz. For instance, when Alex Riley came out to face Ezekiel Jackson in the KOTR qualifying match instead of The Miz, we all never gave it much thought. We'd seen Miz substitute Riley for himself before so that's all we thought would happen. In the Orton/Barrett match, we were all focused on the ongoing situation with Barrett, Orton & John Cena. That's all anyone was thinking about and when Miz's music hit, everyone was just caught completely off guard.

I very much like the fact that Miz held onto the MITB contract for a while. It broke the pattern of cashing it in quickly and it was used to further build up The Miz and the WWE didn't ram it down our throats week in and week out. There were only a couple of times in which Miz teased cashing it in and both times really caught people by surprise. I think the WWE did a fantastic job with this and the MITB ppv is definitely one concept ppv I want to see stick around.

I actually saw Miz cashing in from the early parts of RAW. With Randy stating that Barrett wasn't walking out as champion, and Cole continually saying we could have a new champion. Also, Riley going out for the Miz further cemented my thoughts because I felt why go in a match against someone who can take your head off when you can rest and get ready to cash in. Oh and I can’t see how the pre-match beat down didn’t indicate this to you, but that’s just me? During the final match I was awaiting the end in which I expected Barrett to win and then Miz to come out, but it played nicely the way that it did. I just found it to be very predictable and very expected. I also saw the RKO being reversed into the skull crushing finale happening, but more smoother.

To answer the OP, I agree with you. I really want someone to just go out and say when they want the title shot. Perhaps the next PPV, because how they are doing it currently doesn't legitimatize the new champion. CM Punk wasn't seen as a legit champion until after, nor does the Miz. If you call your title match and then win I feel you will be more "respected." Also, I don't see how there is a lot of excitement in when it's going to be cashed in anymore. I mean the first couple times it was nerve-wracking. Now, now you wait until the Champion is beat up from an intense match or a beat down and you wait, it's usually going to be then when it's cashed in. "Variety is the spice of life" I don't mean for it to change completely but put some changes and then you will have more surprises.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

I tend to side more with Jack-Hammer on this one, to be honest.

The reason I feel so is because when someone has the Money in the Bank briefcase in their possession, they have the oppurtunity to cause a major *surprise* when cashing in their briefcase. Usually, when one cashes in their MitB, they do so when the champion has gone through a tough match; practically beaten to a pulp; not being able to take anymore; left in the ring struggling to get up after a hard fought match. To the same time, you have the crowd all happy because their champion just won a [major] match. But what happens as the champion is celebrating? The MitB winner comes to the ring to cash in his MitB.

This automatically creates a [major] upset in the arena. You have people boo-ing and boo-ing the person who is going to cash in. But too the same time, you have the *shock* feeling you get when something happens that you never saw coming---a surprise. Just think. Did anyone really expect the Miz to cash in his MitB briefcase when he did? I certainly think not. Most, if not everyone, was in comp-lete shock to when the Miz was coming out to cash in on Orton. Most believed that Randy orton would be facing Orton at TLC or something. But now things have changed. Miz is now champion and all predictions have been changed drastically.

The point I'm trying to make here is that although, people might start to dislike the fact that MitB winners cash in their briefcase when the champion is at their weakest, they forget that the entire purpose of this is to cause a *surprise* feeling to the fans---which, I know it's safe to say the MitB cashing in has done so every single time.

 

[tjfjr4488]

i think MITB is still good the only thing i would like to see which i was hoping to see happen with the miz was since he was heel if barrett was to win it then have miz cash in on him and turn face... we already saw a face turn heel with MITB (punk cashing in on hardy...start of his heel turn) now be nice to have a heel turn face and win the title with that cash in

 

[The Calgary Kid]

First of all, people claiming that they knew all along that Miz was going to cash in need to stop acting so omniscient. Just because Orton says "Barrett will not be leaving as champion" or Cole says "We could have a new champion here tonight" doesn't mean that someone else other than Barrett is. How many times has an announcer hyped a potential title change or a current champion stated that his challenger will not be the one leaving with the belt? If that's part of your logic, go watch more wrestling. That means jack shit in terms of "making it obvious" that Miz was going to cash in. It was also not the first time that the WWE title has been defended on Raw within the past year, for those throwing out the excuse that the title is never defended on Raw. Sheamus defended against Cena after Fatal Four way and it ended in a no-contest when Nexus interfered (then subsequently attacked Vince).

Riley's substitution wasn't a dead give-away either. Miz has substituted Riley several times already, sometimes even voicing that he wants to be fresh if he feels he has the opportunity to cash in that night. The same thing happened last week, for God's sake, and he didn't even tease a cash-in. The entire episode was about everything but The Miz until that point, and the only time when it seemed completely obvious was when Orton successfully pinned Barrett at 10:58.

Even then, Orton was standing and not at his absolute "weakest" and the possibility of the cash-in being another tease still existed. Further, given that Orton's match was only about four minutes long, despite the beatdown and "injury", he was still somewhat fresh and got in plenty of offense. The pre-match Nexus beatdown could just as easily have meant that Barrett was going to score a cheap victory over a weakened Orton, and while I did consider that if Orton won, the cash-in was a possibility, I still marked out when it actually happened. There were moment's when Miz's "inevitable" victory were in doubt, and many people on here had predicted that he was going to be the first to fail. If that had happened, the same people who say that they knew without a doubt that he was going to cash in and be victorious would be on here saying "I told you so" and excitedly making "are Morrisson and Melina going to have a romantic angle" threads.

Back on topic, MITB is a fun stipulation for me, and given that the opportunity exists for a full year means that it could happen at any time, but the element of unpredictability is still there. We have seen teased attempts more times than we have seen the actual cash-in. Miz had two against Sheamus alone. People forget that Swagger attempted to cash in on Cena the night after 'Mania and aborted before the bell rang. We have seen Edge wait almost the full year and we have seen Swagger do it in less than a week. The point is that you don't know when it's going to happen, and even if there have been moments when it's seemed likely, it hasn't necessarily happened. Think back to Summer Slam when Orton RKOed Sheamus on the announcer's table and the crowd was excitedly chanting "We want Miz". Remember how many people were absolutely certain that Miz was bound to do it after the six pack challenge at NOC? It didn't happen in either case, no matter how logical it might have seemed. We all spent the past six months ordering PPVs and wondering if that would be the night when Miz cashed in.

To me, MITB provides a number of advantages: it can get mid-carders into the main event, allows them to "audition" for a right to compete there regularly, put people over with the crowd, create new storylines, feuds, character angles, and even produce heel and face turns depending on the circumstances of the cash-in and against whom it occurs. Punk cashed in on Edge to a great reaction, and when he cashed in on Hardy, it turned him heel and got him over as one of the most talented heel characters in the company. For RVD, it helped build up to the One Night Stand PPV and garnered a lot of attention and hype for the PPV and ECW's legacy. Yes, it can be "cheap" and I don't always agree with the circumstances. To use Swagger as an example again, he pinned an injured and incapacitated Jericho when he was wearing a suit during a promo segment. "Any time, any place" works great, but there are times when it can just look lame, and I thought that that was one of them.

That said, if a heel can do it whenever he wants to, why not do it opportunistically? RVD wanting to take the title at an ECW event had significance, which was why it was done the way that it was. For those claiming that Monday's result was "just another cheap cash-in", it was the second most legit cash-in that we have seen. There was no hype or build-up to a full match with both competitors being fresh, but they still went at it for a few minutes in an actual match, with Orton having about half of the offense and the ultimate result being that Miz had to counter an RKO to get the win. Sure, Orton was weakened, but he hadn't been hit in the face with the briefcase, there was no interference from Riley, and in the context of the match itself, it was a clean victory. I will take that any day over the five second "match" consisting of finisher and pin.

Overall, I am happy with the way that things played out on Monday, regardless of the fact that I am a Mizfit. It sets up a feud for Orton, and gives us further unpredictability in terms of what's going to happen in subsequent Raw episodes and at TLC; further, it gets a fresh face into the main event at a time when Cena, HHH and Jericho are out, Barrett isn't actually ready and has had three opportunities, and Sheamus just held the title and is occupied elsewhere. Did we really want to see Barrett vs. Orton IV?

One of my biggest gripes with MITB is the new champion's booking and his ability to get over as a credible champion based on that. While he has not received the greatest booking of anyone in the WWE in recent months (losses to Bryan, Bragging Rights captain loss), Miz has been consistently built up for the past year, winning the US title twice, cleanly pinning HBK in two matches to win and retain the tag titles and winning the briefcase, as well. They are extremely high on him and I highly doubt that they are going to turn him into a joke champion. I think that they learned their lesson with Swagger and the missed opportunity they had with him, in addition to how they view Miz and the upside of his future. I think that Miz will hold the title for a few months, and if not, I will be greatly disappointed.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

First of all, people claiming that they knew all along that Miz was going to cash in need to stop acting so omniscient. Just because Orton says "Barrett will not be leaving as champion" or Cole says "We could have a new champion here tonight" doesn't mean that someone else other than Barrett is. How many times has an announcer hyped a potential title change or a current champion stated that his challenger will not be the one leaving with the belt? If that's part of your logic, go watch more wrestling. That means jack shit in terms of "making it obvious" that Miz was going to cash in. It was also not the first time that the WWE title has been defended on Raw within the past year, for those throwing out the excuse that the title is never defended on Raw. Sheamus defended against Cena after Fatal Four way and it ended in a no-contest when Nexus interfered (then subsequently attacked Vince).

Riley's substitution wasn't a dead give-away either. Miz has substituted Riley several times already, sometimes even voicing that he wants to be fresh if he feels he has the opportunity to cash in that night. The same thing happened last week, for God's sake, and he didn't even tease a cash-in. The entire episode was about everything but The Miz until that point, and the only time when it seemed completely obvious was when Orton successfully pinned Barrett at 10:58.

Even then, Orton was standing and not at his absolute "weakest" and the possibility of the cash-in being another tease still existed. Further, given that Orton's match was only about four minutes long, despite the beatdown and "injury", he was still somewhat fresh and got in plenty of offense. The pre-match Nexus beatdown could just as easily have meant that Barrett was going to score a cheap victory over a weakened Orton, and while I did consider that if Orton won, the cash-in was a possibility, I still marked out when it actually happened. There were moment's when Miz's "inevitable" victory were in doubt, and many people on here had predicted that he was going to be the first to fail. If that had happened, the same people who say that they knew without a doubt that he was going to cash in and be victorious would be on here saying "I told you so" and excitedly making "are Morrisson and Melina going to have a romantic angle" threads.

Back on topic, MITB is a fun stipulation for me, and given that the opportunity exists for a full year means that it could happen at any time, but the element of unpredictability is still there. We have seen teased attempts more times than we have seen the actual cash-in. Miz had two against Sheamus alone. People forget that Swagger attempted to cash in on Cena the night after 'Mania and aborted before the bell rang. We have seen Edge wait almost the full year and we have seen Swagger do it in less than a week. The point is that you don't know when it's going to happen, and even if there have been moments when it's seemed likely, it hasn't necessarily happened. Think back to Summer Slam when Orton RKOed Sheamus on the announcer's table and the crowd was excitedly chanting "We want Miz". Remember how many people were absolutely certain that Miz was bound to do it after the six pack challenge at NOC? It didn't happen in either case, no matter how logical it might have seemed. We all spent the past six months ordering PPVs and wondering if that would be the night when Miz cashed in.

To me, MITB provides a number of advantages: it can get mid-carders into the main event, allows them to "audition" for a right to compete there regularly, put people over with the crowd, create new storylines, feuds, character angles, and even produce heel and face turns depending on the circumstances of the cash-in and against whom it occurs. Punk cashed in on Edge to a great reaction, and when he cashed in on Hardy, it turned him heel and got him over as one of the most talented heel characters in the company. For RVD, it helped build up to the One Night Stand PPV and garnered a lot of attention and hype for the PPV and ECW's legacy. Yes, it can be "cheap" and I don't always agree with the circumstances. To use Swagger as an example again, he pinned an injured and incapacitated Jericho when he was wearing a suit during a promo segment. "Any time, any place" works great, but there are times when it can just look lame, and I thought that that was one of them.

That said, if a heel can do it whenever he wants to, why not do it opportunistically? RVD wanting to take the title at an ECW event had significance, which was why it was done the way that it was. For those claiming that Monday's result was "just another cheap cash-in", it was the second most legit cash-in that we have seen. There was no hype or build-up to a full match with both competitors being fresh, but they still went at it for a few minutes in an actual match, with Orton having about half of the offense and the ultimate result being that Miz had to counter an RKO to get the win. Sure, Orton was weakened, but he hadn't been hit in the face with the briefcase, there was no interference from Riley, and in the context of the match itself, it was a clean victory. I will take that any day over the five second "match" consisting of finisher and pin.

Overall, I am happy with the way that things played out on Monday, regardless of the fact that I am a Mizfit. It sets up a feud for Orton, and gives us further unpredictability in terms of what's going to happen in subsequent Raw episodes and at TLC; further, it gets a fresh face into the main event at a time when Cena, HHH and Jericho are out, Barrett isn't actually ready and has had three opportunities, and Sheamus just held the title and is occupied elsewhere. Did we really want to see Barrett vs. Orton IV?

One of my biggest gripes with MITB is the new champion's booking and his ability to get over as a credible champion based on that. While he has not received the greatest booking of anyone in the WWE in recent months (losses to Bryan, Bragging Rights captain loss), Miz has been consistently built up for the past year, winning the US title twice, cleanly pinning HBK in two matches to win and retain the tag titles and winning the briefcase, as well. They are extremely high on him and I highly doubt that they are going to turn him into a joke champion. I think that they learned their lesson with Swagger and the missed opportunity they had with him, in addition to how they view Miz and the upside of his future. I think that Miz will hold the title for a few months, and if not, I will be greatly disappointed.

If you go look in the "when will Miz cash in MITB" thread, you will see that I predicted exactly what would happen.

First, at SS when Miz said he was going to cash in soon, I knew that meant he wasn't cashing in at Survivor Series.
The clues that you downplayed, were actually dead giveaways and I think they did it on purpose.

When you add all the clues together, it was somewhat obvious what was going to happen. Each clue individually was not enough to figure it out.

No one seems to mention the one DEAD giveaway that happened moments before the Miz ran down to the ring:
At the end of the Barrett-Orton match, CM Punk kept saying "Awesome" and then "AWESOME" hit on the Titantron. Go back and watch it, Punk gave it away right before it happened. He didn't say "wow that was awesome" or "what an awesome match," he just said "Awesome" like 3 times in row moments before Miz's music hit.

 

[wrestling god]

since miz won the mitb at mitb ppv, at every single ppv people were sayin that " this is it.... this is where miz cashes it in" and now people are saying that him cashing it in was predictable..... it was not predictable, anyone while seeing that match could have had the thought that orton will retain the title but he did not

 

[Trill Co$by]

Ok first off, why in the hell would you even think about cashing in the MITB on a lesser title? That's like saying you win Royal Rumble only to give up your spot for the raw main event before mania. Ideally if you can cash in on the top champion then that's what you want to go for.


Anyway onto the main topic. I personally think it depends on the person. Like with the Miz, I just knew his cash in was coming on a weak person, but with someone like Punk it would be a nice change of pace. I guess it's just whether or not I believe that they can cash in and walk out champion. I mean, I wouldn't mind a few more RVD style cash ins... Like Kane really didn't need to cash his in like that... but yeah for me it just depends.

 

[Scorpina]

I love the concept of Money in the Bank, but I'm not a huge fan of the current execution. For one thing, with one person winning a briefcase at 'Mania and two more winning them at the eponymous PPV, there are bound to be three 'cash-ins' a year, which is just too many, if you ask me. Further, I do think it'd be good if some winners did declare in advance that they were taking their title shot, and - yes - if some winners did lose their title matches.

Now I'm not saying nobody should ever take advantage of an injured champion, I'm just saying that not everyone should. When it was Edge, and on Monday with The Miz, it made a lot of sense. That was exactly what those characters would do, because they're sneaky heels who'll do whatever it takes to get ahead. When CM Punk cashed in the first time, however, it didn't really work for me because it seemed a more underhanded move than the character he was playing at the time would do.

That's why I'd have some winners, faces in particular, call their shots at the upcoming PPV and build up to a match with the champ. I mean sure, it's not a shocking swerve like when the briefcase-holder runs in, but if that keeps happening thrice a year you're bound to get diminishing returns.

Finally, on the subject of Money in the Bank winners calling their shot and losing. Obviously, nobody should be calling their shot on an injured champion and losing, because then that guy would be made to look like a total joke. But, if they had a stand up fight and lost, well, there's no harm in that. Obviously, they could still be made to look ridiculous if everyone crowed about what an idiot they were and how they were the first to lose but there's an easy way to avoid that - don't have people make a big deal about it. Just treat it like any other failed challenge at a belt. One way in particular to do that might be to have a face MitB-holder challenge a heel champion and lose by cheating.