Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
As expected, John Cena came out the winner of the WWE Championship MITB match last night at the MITB ppv. The match itself was much better than I was expecting, given that there weren't a lot of guys in the match and the match didn't contain a lot of the crazy spots we've come to expect. Now, John Cena has another accomplishment to add to his collection.
Also, mostly as expected, Dolph Ziggler came out the winner of the World Heavyweight Championship MITB match. That match was definitely more along the lines of what we were expecting in terms of the MITB formula and it was pretty wild. A little sloppy at times as well, but entertaining. Ziggler has been chasing World Championships off and on since late 2010 and they featured a nice tease of him cashing in last night but was prevented from doing so partially due to Alberto Del Rio.
So, when will these two cash in their MITB briefcases?
When do you think they should cash in their briefcases?
For me, the unpredictability of the option of cashing in anywhere at anytime has always been a fun concept. At the same time, however, Cena winning offers the WWE a novel opportunity to sort of do away with that aspect of the concept. With the exception of RVD, the first MITB winner back, no other winner has cashed in the contract in a straight up match. All the other winners have done so in a rather sneaky, heelish sort of way after the champ has defended the title in a match already and is weakened. John Cena being the ultimate babyface, he won't go that route. It'd be an interesting surprise if he did, but doing so goes against everything the Cena character is about. So I think we can exect a real match out of this. As to when Cena will cash in, personally, I think he'll do so at the 1,000th episode of Raw next week. I know that's very soon and it's certainly not what we're used to, but that's partially why I hope it happens. One reason to keep the MITB contract for a while is to build up the briefcase holder, but John Cena doesn't need that. He's John friggin' Cena after all, he's already the top face in WWE and is bigger than the MITB concept so he doesn't need to be built up. Another reason is that Vince wants the 1,000th episode of Raw to be a memorable show and is said to be going all out with it. It's true that Cena vs. Punk for the title is something you'd expect to see at a ppv but, as has been said, the 1,000th episode of Raw is a huge deal, especially for Vince, and this would be a great way to cap off the evening. Personally, I'd love for Cena to be the first to cash in the MITB briefcase and fail to win the title. Cena's not a rising star, so being the first won't damage his career and it opens up more possibilities later on down the line as far as winners cashing in. The pressure will be off. Otherwise, it's a waste of the MITB concept. As I said, Cena is bigger than MITB and doesn't need MITB to be a legit & relevant WWE Championship contender.
When it comes to Dolph Ziggler, I think he needs to hold onto it for a while and for WWE to really focus on building Ziggler as someone that you can really see as being a long term presence in the main event picture. He's got the talent, now he just needs the WWE machine to really put the focus on him. I don't see Ziggler cashing in anytime soon, which is for the best I think. I don't think Sheamus & Del Rio are through but, if they are, Ziggler vs. Del Rio has the makings of an interesting feud. WWE's been teasing it for several weeks now anyway. Plus, Randy Orton is due back pretty soon and there's no doubt that he'll be in the title picture. He's too valuable not to be used to his full extent. I could see Ziggler cashing in at the Royal Rumble or maybe WrestleMania. The Royal Rumble might be a better choice because unless WWE REALLY gets massively behind Ziggler, there's a chance that a potential Ziggler title match at the big one could be overshadowed. Brock Lesnar will be part of WM and the rumor is that the top idea is for Lesner to face Taker. The Rock will also return and it's a distinct possibility that he'll be in a WWE Championship match. So WWE will focus a lot of attention on those two matches or scenarios.
Also, mostly as expected, Dolph Ziggler came out the winner of the World Heavyweight Championship MITB match. That match was definitely more along the lines of what we were expecting in terms of the MITB formula and it was pretty wild. A little sloppy at times as well, but entertaining. Ziggler has been chasing World Championships off and on since late 2010 and they featured a nice tease of him cashing in last night but was prevented from doing so partially due to Alberto Del Rio.
So, when will these two cash in their MITB briefcases?
When do you think they should cash in their briefcases?
For me, the unpredictability of the option of cashing in anywhere at anytime has always been a fun concept. At the same time, however, Cena winning offers the WWE a novel opportunity to sort of do away with that aspect of the concept. With the exception of RVD, the first MITB winner back, no other winner has cashed in the contract in a straight up match. All the other winners have done so in a rather sneaky, heelish sort of way after the champ has defended the title in a match already and is weakened. John Cena being the ultimate babyface, he won't go that route. It'd be an interesting surprise if he did, but doing so goes against everything the Cena character is about. So I think we can exect a real match out of this. As to when Cena will cash in, personally, I think he'll do so at the 1,000th episode of Raw next week. I know that's very soon and it's certainly not what we're used to, but that's partially why I hope it happens. One reason to keep the MITB contract for a while is to build up the briefcase holder, but John Cena doesn't need that. He's John friggin' Cena after all, he's already the top face in WWE and is bigger than the MITB concept so he doesn't need to be built up. Another reason is that Vince wants the 1,000th episode of Raw to be a memorable show and is said to be going all out with it. It's true that Cena vs. Punk for the title is something you'd expect to see at a ppv but, as has been said, the 1,000th episode of Raw is a huge deal, especially for Vince, and this would be a great way to cap off the evening. Personally, I'd love for Cena to be the first to cash in the MITB briefcase and fail to win the title. Cena's not a rising star, so being the first won't damage his career and it opens up more possibilities later on down the line as far as winners cashing in. The pressure will be off. Otherwise, it's a waste of the MITB concept. As I said, Cena is bigger than MITB and doesn't need MITB to be a legit & relevant WWE Championship contender.
When it comes to Dolph Ziggler, I think he needs to hold onto it for a while and for WWE to really focus on building Ziggler as someone that you can really see as being a long term presence in the main event picture. He's got the talent, now he just needs the WWE machine to really put the focus on him. I don't see Ziggler cashing in anytime soon, which is for the best I think. I don't think Sheamus & Del Rio are through but, if they are, Ziggler vs. Del Rio has the makings of an interesting feud. WWE's been teasing it for several weeks now anyway. Plus, Randy Orton is due back pretty soon and there's no doubt that he'll be in the title picture. He's too valuable not to be used to his full extent. I could see Ziggler cashing in at the Royal Rumble or maybe WrestleMania. The Royal Rumble might be a better choice because unless WWE REALLY gets massively behind Ziggler, there's a chance that a potential Ziggler title match at the big one could be overshadowed. Brock Lesnar will be part of WM and the rumor is that the top idea is for Lesner to face Taker. The Rock will also return and it's a distinct possibility that he'll be in a WWE Championship match. So WWE will focus a lot of attention on those two matches or scenarios.