WrestleMania XXIV: Money In The Bank

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

With the supposed "Miz versus Morrison" qualifying match (I don't check the spoilers, so idk if that's confirmed, but I'll take pun2003hh's word for it), as well as CM Punk's entrance, as well as the battle royal/ECW title shot...I think this is how things are going down:

MONEY IN THE BANK:
1. Mr. Kennedy
2. Chris Jericho
3. Shelton Benjamin
4. Carlito
5. MVP
6. CM Punk
7. John Morrison
8. Matt Hardy

*Still think that the most likely to win are Kennedy, MVP, or Punk, then Morrison, then Benjamin, then Carlito, no shot to Matt Hardy or Jericho as Jericho doesn't need it and Matt isn't ready for a main event title.

I'd have said Kane would be in this Money in the Bank match, but having Matt cost the match for MVP far outshines having Kane just job - and most likely, he'll win the battle royal and beat Chavo.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Okay, to shed some light on the recent Jeff Hardy mess. My question is this. Will they even replace him, or just let 7 guys go at it? Because while they could replace him with his Brother.. I don't think they will.

Now, as far as the possible outcome of the match. I have two likely situations that could happen. And I'd love to see either, to be honest. Although, for the record.. I'm not "World Champion" high on either at the moment.

Mr. Kennedy: One year ago, he promised the world he'd Main Event Wrestlemania 24. If Mr. Kennedy wins the MITB match, then THE Main Event is the Triple Threat match.. I can definately see either Cena or Triple H. winning.. only to have Kennedy pull an "Edge" and cash in that same night, fullfilling his promise to the world.. and becoming the W.W.E. Champion.

Seriously, they've destroyed Kennedy as of late. Either hes in line for something "shockingly huge" or they're just feeding him to midcard talent, and wasting him out. I doubt they're wasting him out, because the guy has potential.. that being said, I definately look for Mr. Kennedy to walk out on Raw the following night.. Mr. W.W.E. Champion!

M.V.P.: When you think of who could possibly take the spot that was most likely given to Jeff Hardy, then you think of who hasn't already blown a chance given to them. (like Kennedy) You turn to the next best thing, M.V.P.

Think about this for a minute. Edge and Undertaker.. Taker wins, a very tough match, that goes either way. M.V.P. cashes in suddenly, defeats the Undertaker (at Wrestlemania, mind you) and bam.. not only do you have someone doing the undoable, in defeating Undertaker on the biggest stage of them all.. but you give the nod, to a guy that can go down in history for it.. with nothing else on his plate. M.V.P.

Then, that following Smackdown, he comes out with both the United States Championship, and the World Heavyweight Championship. The set-up is there, its golden, its all on whether W.W.E. creative is smart enough to not blow this chance at a huge Mania finish. Having ANYONE cash in, in the same night, at the very end of the show.. would end the show on an explosive note because its shocking.

 

[Danmen001]

I am flabbergastered as to who is going to win this now. I was of course going for Jeff Hardy, looks like that is over. Out of all the remaining participants left, and C.M who was added today. I am going to go with either MVP on Mr Kennedy on this one, although there is a chance that something surprising will happen, I couldn't be bothered thinking it throught for now.

MVP-He is bound for a title, just let him hold the case until he is ready.

KK-Pretty much same deal as MVP, excpet he will be furfilling his 'prophecy' so to speak.

Surprises- Either Matt Hardy returns and win(not likely0, or someone who you don't think would win it does.

Considerations-CM might win it, though not likely. Or wait for it:Jeff Hardy isn't actually suspended, but it is just a big play by the WWE (Ok I was joking then but can't blame me for optimism.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Next installment of "Is it Possible."

C.M. Punk/John Morrison/Midcard Talent: Why not have any of them win it? Shelton Benjamin, the "Gold Standard." C.M. Punk, John Morrison, Carlito, The Miz, anyone who's in it.. for the shock value treatment it deserves, why not just let anyone win it.

Now, hear this out. The Championship shot has always been based on either the W.W.E. Championship, or the World Heavyweight Championship. Why not let any one of those guys win the match, then cash in the shot against the E.C.W. Champion.

Think about it. You want to get that Championship over, as a legit World Heavyweight title. And the fact is, guys like Punk, Morrison, Miz, Benjamin, Carlito.. they'll never be World/W.W.E. Heavyweight calibur guys.. not YET, anyways. But Punk and Morrison have been E.C.W. Champions before. Benjamin is on his way. So why not let them take a shock value victory, and then lay claim to cashing it in on the one Championship that everyone's forgetting?!

 

[Banes88]

I actually could see this as the perfect chance to get Kennedy over with the fans and turn the ending to a crappy WrestleMania into an jaw-dropping WrestleMania!

Let's say Kennedy wins the MITB, and Orton (unfortunately) retains.

Fans at home and fans in Florida are going to be pissed, but wait, here comes Kennedy!!!

Kennedy cashes in the MITB and saves WrestleMania and takes the belt from Orton =D!

 

[Mallan]

If Punk wins he should be moved to Raw or SD - if not he should get the ECW title back that night by entering the battle royal and beating Chavo

 

[TheOneBigWill]

If Punk wins he should be moved to Raw or SD - if not he should get the ECW title back that night by entering the battle royal and beating Chavo

This makes absolutely no sense. If Punk wins, why would he want to enter the battle royal, when he could easily cash in after Chavo faces whomever, and take on the winner? Which Punk is a face, and that won't happen.. because he'll want to be all noble about being fair with his opportunity.

As far as Punk on Raw or Smackdown goes. Hes NOT Raw material, and he'd never make it beyond the United States title picture on Smackdown. Hes too small and bland to be a World Champion on either of the major brands. He fits on E.C.W., because hes a young guy with a lot of talent. Just hardly any character or charisma.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

As far as Punk on Raw or Smackdown goes. Hes NOT Raw material, and he'd never make it beyond the United States title picture on Smackdown. Hes too small and bland to be a World Champion on either of the major brands. He fits on E.C.W., because hes a young guy with a lot of talent. Just hardly any character or charisma.

Well, I don't know...think about it: Jeff Hardy is going to be out for 60 days (if not longer). Maybe the WWE will use this opportunity to just send Punk over to Raw to fill in that void? I can't picture Punk as the WWE/WHC champ just yet, but he's got a future ahead of him, so maybe they'll stick him in the "just above the midcard, not quite main event" position that Raw seems to carry.

 

[thesaw24]

The thing about kennedy winning is that he is too suspicious to win because he told orton he would cash it in that night. So i think it will be M.V.P., Morrison or Matt Hardy (i wish Jericho would win seeing as he created the MITB and he is the biggest superstar in the match)

 

[No Count Pup]

The thing about kennedy winning is that he is too suspicious to win because he told orton he would cash it in that night.

I think that's a great point. However, WWE knows that fans have short-term memory. Kennedy could win the MITB, beat the WWE Champion the same night, and 85% of the fans would still be shocked. Us "smarks", the other 15%, would be elated that McMahon finally pulled the trigger with Kennedy.

I hope it happens, and I hope it's against the Game. It was apparent in the summer of 07' that WWE wanted Kennedy and Trips to healine Wrestlemania anyway.

Kennedy is the only logical choice to win MITB now that Jeff Hardy is on hiatus. Jericho and MVP already hold mid card gold, Benjamin is still not ready to be headliner, Morrison is still a working project, Punk was just jobbed out to Chavo Guerrero, and Carlito actually wanted to leave WWE last year. On the other hand, Kennedy is not burdened by mid card gold. Of all the non champions in the match, Kennedy is the most believable person to pull off the victory. He was supposed to be World Heavyweight Champion last year; he was also supposed to be McMahon's son. WWE has wanted Kennedy to be a star and champion in their company. Wrestlemania might indeed be Kennedy's night.

 

[Starchild]

I would have to concur with many that the BEST thing to do right here would be give Kennedy the win and have him cash in it that night and win the title (I would think against Orton as it was he that Kennedy said he'd do it to and I can't see Trips holding the title for like 5 mins AGAIN and could def. not see Cena doing it).
Now if this is the case, it would totally shock most and leave Mania on a good note, and those that thought it could happen would be shocked that it actually did happen, and finally with Kennedy after so long of WWE wanting him to be a star.
The only thing I have is that they never should have said it on Raw..yea maybe Jeff was supposed to win and it didn't matter anyway at the time to them, but still you never know. Had they not said it, the shock value would have been even greater for those that don't read forums and completely forgot about it.
I also think the door is open to do that AND go ahead and have Kennedy be McMahon's son giving him perhaps the biggest single night push ever and instantly making him a main eventer.
After that, I could see Trips feuding with Kennedy until Cena is done with his movie thing in the summertime.

The other option is...either that the whole Hardy drug thing is a lie (like how long Cena was gonna be out) OR the more likely, that he isn't really suspended that long. Now this could very well be a bad move either way considering how people would look at faking a drug suspension like that (but hell, they faked Vince's death and planned on it being a huge angle if not for the Benoit tragedy!!!) I would def. not consider this outside the realm of possibility and this would be probably the biggest shock that could possibly happen in this whole thing.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I really like the Kennedy idea.

Last year. seriously while I would love something like this to happen, I just find it sooo unlikely, as Kennedy has such a huge lack of momentum right now, and isnt really that over. If they had built him the same way they were right after WM, as a tweener, who wasnt scared of a challenge. Play off him being injured, and returning, determined to get his spot back. I mean he never even ATTEMPTED to get revenge on Edge for fucks sake. They have utterly wasted Kennedy, his momentum, and the oppurtunity to make this huge. He comes back, wastes Edge in a short feud, gets over with the same strong tweener character in the feuds with HBK, and lost a tough one to flair. Returns, wins MITB, and then cashes it in same night, against Cena, or Orton (imagine the monumental pop if he uses it on Cena and wins)...all not utterly out of the question...but 99% improbable. A huge waste by WWE.

I still go with MVP as the odds on favorite, he makes the most sense. He is over, is one of the top heels, and is young up and coming. He can still loose the US title to Matt, and keep the breifcase.

 

[Enigmania]

I think that Undertaker will beat Edge via DQ at WrestleMania so Edge keeps the title and Taker keeps his streak alive. Taker loses it and destroys Edge leaving the newly turned face Mr Kennedy to waltz in and win. I would've said this with Jeff Hardy instead but in the words of ECW, "you fucked up".
Kennedy is basically floundering around RAW and should go back to Smackdown. Have a fued with Edge/Taker/Batista/MVP over the belt.

 

[Capt. Charisma]

Kennedy won't win. There are 2 guys that realistically have a chance of winning, they are Jericho and MVP. Jericho I'm pretty sure has a clause in his contract saying he will have the WWE title at some point, which was why HHH is so against him. Jericho after winning the IC title now could potentialy be given the momentum going into mania to win this match. MVP also will have momentum after beating Batista, and it might be that WWE decide to bring him over to RAW to freshen it up, espcially theres a gap with Hardy been suspended. Kennedy just looks weak atm, I haven't been impressed by him anyway, and I'm not sure whether Vince has either- having him do a Val Venis job on raw. Carlito might have a shot though, they might finally decide to stop punishing him and give him the push Vince promised him.

As for the match itself, it will be a good match, but I am disapointed we won't be seeing Hardy/MVP, so that will probably drag on past Mania into Backlash. Next year they should really consider making the match just have 4 guys in it, because it ruins the possiblity of mid card feuds by taking the easy option and just chicking them in this match. ALso when there are 6 guys it means its hard to keep up with the action and enjoy the match as much. They would be better focusing it on 4 guys who would be able to have a decent match, instead of a few random spots in each match given to each wrestler.

 

[trev55]

Kennedy wins the bank and then the title from orton then drops it at slam to Trips. They'll get the feud they wanted it'll just be six months late. I get the feeling Trips is high on Kennedy. I remember him putting him over in WWE magazine. If not Kennedy then it should be Shelton, the guy pulls off crazy shit everytime he's in it and well he needs to hit the mother load even though the ECW title is fools gold. I mean that belt has only been held by two worthy people Bobby Lashley and the greatest in ring performer of this generation Vince McMahon(who didn't mark out when Vince won)! Shelton could be the third worthy person.

 

[Mr-excitement]

Now that I think about it, putting the case on the line is pointless. I can see doing it once against a rival or for something else, but not multiple times just for the hell of it. Remember when RVD won and he put it on the line against Shelton for the IC title? Why would you put your World Title shot on the line for a shot at the IC Belt? It makes very little sense when you think about it.

It's wrestling none of it makes sense, people feud with each other cut each other's hair, get married in the ring, try and destroy each other and then months later become the best of friends.

MOTB is no different from a storyline pov. You can get a title shot just by going attacking the champ and starting a feud with him.

From that perspective, the suitcase should be defended monthly.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

The more I think about it, the less I think Kennedy is going to win.

We've all discussed his step backwards since his injury, as well as how every push seems to derail for different reasons, but there's also this - Jericho's IC title.

Who's he going to defend against? He has nobody to feud with outside of Carlito and Kennedy, and Carlito has his own feud right now with Rhodes/Holly. I say, they're planning on a Jericho/Kennedy feud at the top of the midcard, giving Kennedy the IC title, and then letting him build up from there.

So here comes the question, then. No Hardy, no Kennedy, no Jericho as he doesn't need it, no Matt Hardy because he has no shot whatsoever. That leaves us with MVP, Morrison, Shelton, and Carlito.

Shelton & Carlito = Could actually be darkhorses here to win, but use it for the ECW title. What if we get "the best of both ideas", and actually have Shelton (or Carlito) cash in the Money in the Bank at WrestleMania to defeat Kane, if he wins the battle royal and takes the gold from Chavo. That gives us the Wrestlemania cash-in-shock (albeit not nearly as close to the level it could be with the WWE/WHC titles). Shelton, nor Carlito, would be able to win the MITB and go on to challenge for the top two titles, so the ECW title gets a little more recognition and plays the punching bag for now.

MVP = Soon to be main event star, guaranteed. However, he's the US champ, and he needs to lose to Hardy. If he wins the MITB, then loses the belt to someone like Matt, he'll look so weak that we'll need to spend the next half a year building him up again to get him back into the spot where he looks like a legitimate contender. Could win, but it'll be tricky in the coming months.

Morrison = He may be your best bet here, surprisingly. Former ECW champ, getting better by the week, and he took a step backwards to become the tag team champions with the Miz. That tag run could be ending soon. What better way to give him the momentum he lost than to have him win the Money in the Bank match and then, down the line, have him cash it in. He doesn't need to win the belt that night - all he needs to do is put on a damn good show and convince everyone that he deserved the shot in the first place. That way, you don't hot shot him the main belt when he's not ready, but you hot shot him the POSITION to challenge for it. If you get yourself in the right feud, you're fastened for the main event status. Look at Austin/Hart.

CM Punk = Forgot him on the first post, so I'm editing him back in here. He has a good shot as well, as he's a little above Morrison in terms of breaking the barrier into the main event status. I'd say he has less of a chance than MVP, but more of a chance than Morrison.


Kennedy still has a really good shot, but not as much as I had previously thought. I can only bet with assurance that Matt Hardy won't be winning it, as the guy can't even find his way into the US title yet after all these months, let alone a main event belt.

Chances to win, in order, I feel:

1. Kennedy / MVP
2. CM Punk
3. Morrison
4. Shelton
5. Carlito
6. Jericho
7. Matt Hardy

 

[Rated K for Kennedy... Kennedy!]

Everybody seems to be overlooking CM PUNK, he's in it (been in it before) and the more I think about it they way he lost the ECW title (beating challenger 3 weeks in a row then being screwed by outside interference) if Punk wins it he can try to cash in on SDown and lose to taker, perhaps earning some respect (similair to the awesome Undertaker V Jeff H ladder match in 2003) and then go after Edge for revenge for losing the ECW title.

Ok maybe thats far fetched, I'm kinda happy that Jeff has been removed from MIITB (not that he screwed up his golden ticket though!) because now NO-ONE knows who's gonna take the case, makes it seem fun again. Unless some upper mid-carder joins the match, can't think of anyone bigger in name value than those already there so why not Kofi Kingston!?

 

[impact11686]

I think that kennedy will win mitb. I think that wwe can reestablish him in one night . Cena will win the title only to have kennedy cash in mitb after the match. Kennedy winning the title from cena would put him over big time. people would be ticked that cena got the title back but happy that kennedy saved us from another cena run.

 

[jaybizzle13]

This is great. With Jeff out (dumb ass) it's basically a crap shoot trying to figure out who's going to win this thing and which belt they are going to cash their opportunity on. Breaking it down in order that they have qualified:

Mr. Kennedy: The present and future of sports entertainment. Future world champ material and just that one step away from being permanent main event status. However, the last two weeks he's tapped out to Cena and been beaten to hell and back by Finlay. The next Raw does not look good, as the entire Raw roster is most likely going to job for Cena and Orton. Therefore, he has one week (or two, depending if he appears on ECW and Smackdown like they did last year with the MITB participants) to gain momentum. Not looking good for the loudmouth from Green Bay, but is still considered a favorite.

Shelton Benjamin: The Gold Standard. Most likely placed in this match to help set up a push/high spots. As such, pretty sure he is not going to pick up the victory.

Chris Jericho: Y2J, The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla, The Man of 1,004 Holds.... sorry got carried away there. Most importantly, the man with the Intercontinental belt. And the trend in the MITB match is the one who holds the IC belt.... doesn't get the briefcase. WM 21 - Shelton, lost WM 22 - Shelton again, lost WM 23 - Jeff Hardy, puts Edge through a ladder and does not return. In other words, do not take Jericho's victory too highly. It does not mean that he has the momentum swing in his favor. It means that they need to get the belt off Hardy. As far as him winning is concerned, this is my pick. He's playing to a new audience that is not as familiar with him as they were two years ago. Therefore, to re-establish him, he needs to win the MITB so that the "Savior" isn't considered a flop.

Carlito: I can see this as a beginning of big things for him. He's not going to win, but I believe he's going to have a strong showing and finally impress the powers that be to give him a push. And that's cool.

MVP: The IWF's most popular pick to win this thing. He's riding momentum from this Batista feud and he's pretty much the most over mid-card heel in the WWE. However, it's not his time yet, so I'm thinking that he will display a strong showing, but will come up short.

CM Punk: I'm just now realizing how short this match is on faces. 2 faces and 5 heels, plus one unknown.... Anyway, Punk has basically, IMO, done everything he could have done in ECW. I'm thinking that it's time for him to go play with the big boys. However, they did seem to tease a feud with Shelton during the match against Big Daddy V. So, another strong showing from Punk, but no briefcase and a Punk vs Shelton feud to start.

John Morrison: With this gimmick, he is a far superior singles competitor as compared to a tag team wrestler. Hopefully this is the stepping stone for him to go back to singles competition. Won't win, but solid showing nonetheless.

?????: Jeff Hardy's replacement. Could be Matt, could be Tommy Dreamer, hell could be The Great Khali.... oh wait, he's in the Battle Royal, thank God. Odds on the WWE will add an 8th participant in the MITB match and it will probably be the returning Matt Hardy. obviously, no matter who it is, they will not win.

Overall, this might be the best MITB match in the history of MITB matches. All of these competitors are athletic and their styles will compliment each other and the ladders. I see Chris Jericho taking it but would not be surprised if MVP, Kennedy, or even CM Punk.

 

[No Count Pup]

I think that Undertaker will beat Edge via DQ at WrestleMania so Edge keeps the title and Taker keeps his streak alive. Taker loses it and destroys Edge leaving the newly turned face Mr Kennedy to waltz in and win.

That's an EXCELLENT point. Taker could win by DQ, become infuriated over the outcome, and completely annahilate Edge. This would allow Kennedy to walk out and pick up the scraps.

It would be Kennedy's ultimate revenge on Edge. We love well-planned, long term booking. And whether it was planned all along or not, it would certainly give us that impression.

Kennedy has the best chance to win Money in the Bank. It would add a tremendous amount of suspense to Wrestlemania if he won it early in the show.

This Wrestlemania is shaping up to be an amazing show.

 

[aidanbaxter]

That's an EXCELLENT point. Taker could win by DQ, become infuriated over the outcome, and completely annahilate Edge. This would allow Kennedy to walk out and pick up the scraps.

It would be Kennedy's ultimate revenge on Edge. We love well-planned, long term booking. And whether it was planned all along or not, it would certainly give us that impression.

Kennedy has the best chance to win Money in the Bank. It would add a tremendous amount of suspense to Wrestlemania if he won it early in the show.

This Wrestlemania is shaping up to be an amazing show.

I think this would be a great outcome. It is also very realistic, as Kennedy being beaten by Cena and Finlay in recent weeks could be the "jobbing" before the big win that can happen some times. Finger's crossed.
I can't just think what would the Undertaker do all summer if Edge and Kennedy are fueding over the title, which leads me to believe it won't happen.

 

[THE Madcap]

While it may be great booking, just think of how weak that would make Kennedy look as a champion. I don't think a face turn is on the cards for Kennedy and I really don't think WWE want him as a transitional champion, such as Edge was when he 1st won the title and Khali when he filled in for an injured Edge. I for one would love to see a HHH v Kennedy fued, once he's built up as a legitimate contender. If Taker's going over Edge at 'Mania, he's definitely taking the strap with him IMO.

 

[jasko]

i dont know about you guys but iam going for chris jericho in this match it dosnt bother me that he has the title in the past if u can remeber rob van dam had a match against shelton benjamin and bet him for the Intercontinental Championship and the money in the bank briefcase and with jericho s absence and the one who created the money in the bank it would be make a great win for him. any thoughts ?????

 

[No Count Pup]

i dont know about you guys but iam going for chris jericho in this match it dosnt bother me that he has the title in the past

I agree that Chris Jericho wouldn't be a bad choice either. He is the most accomplished star in the match and a proven main event performer. But part of me feels that Jericho was chosen to win the Intercontinental Championship as a consolation prize for his pending loss at Wrestlemania. If we recall, nobody that has won the Money in the Bank match has been a former world champion. That's probably because they want to grant those world title opportunities to fresh faces that are on the cusp of becoming main eventers. Edge, RVD, and Kennedy fit that mold perfectly. I just don't think that Jericho fits that profile.