WWE TLC 2012: John Cena VS Dolph Ziggler - Money in the Bank briefcase [Ladder Match]

[The Crock]

This was announced on Raw earlier and it's definitely an interesting stipulation. Cena's had the upper hand over Ziggler lately, but the stakes are going to be way higher at TLC and it's anybody's game. Ziggler could use one big win over someone to solidify his chances at winning the World Heavyweight Championship, and there's no bigger name than John Cena. On the flip side, this could be a great way to insert John Cena into the main event title picture and build toward a potential WrestleMania match, but would it be worth derailing Dolph Ziggler's push just to cut some corners?

Personally, I see Ziggler walking out as the winner, but there will probably become interference or something of the sort. Ziggler's the ultimate underdog at this stage and I think it would be a really cool way to legitimize him as a main event contender. Then again, Cena's chances are pretty good here, too, though a bit of a stretch: WWE seems deadset on a big main event at 'Mania (Punk vs Rock vs Cena, maybe Cena vs Rock II) and extending Punk's title streak, so I could see them have Punk go over The Rock at the Royal Rumble, only for The Rock to win the Rumble, then have Cena cash in the briefcase (through a loophole, since it's Smackdown-exclusive -- it's the only way I can make any sense of having the case on the line) to make it a triple threat at WrestleMania. Still, my gut tells me Ziggler will win and I think it's the best course of action. WWE needs main eventers and new blood and it's now or never with Ziggler, they need to commit to him.

 

[nightshifty]

I want to see either CM Punk and Paul Heyman or AJ to interfere on Ziggler's behalf. That would be insane AJ turning on Cena, and have Ziggler and AJ be the next Edge and Lita stable. But knowing WWE John Cena will win it and at mania it will be Cena vs. Rock for the World Heavyweight title or for the undisputed title(if Rock wins at Rumble)

 

[Pedigree1]

This is interesting to say the least!!! Is it worth derailing Ziggles for Cena to be inserted into the main event spot? I am going to give a resounding no to that one... This match IMO is going to tell alot.

By that I mean,is this the time that Cena slowly starts putting over younger talent. I honestly hope Ziggler wins and wins clean. I dont want Ziggler to win by some underhanded tactics... I think Ziggler can handle the main event scene i honestly do..

Cena may win a title or two more but i think the SuperCena being in the main event PPV after PPV are coming to a close... Of course i could be wrong and if Cena does win then what the fuck was the point of ziggler winning the MITB briefcase

 

[The Crock]

I want to see either CM Punk and Paul Heyman or AJ to interfere on Ziggler's behalf. That would be insane AJ turning on Cena, and have Ziggler and AJ be the next Edge and Lita stable. But knowing WWE John Cena will win it and at mania it will be Cena vs. Rock for the World Heavyweight title or for the undisputed title(if Rock wins at Rumble)

You know, I hadn't really thought of unification but someone else mentioned it in another thread and now you, and I'm starting to think its possible. What better way to finally unify the belts than with The Rock and John Cena (and maybe even CM Punk)? It's a match befitting of such an occasion and I would imagine that buy rates would be through the roof. Still, I can't see them unifying it just yet. The World Heavyweight Championship's a good belt to test out guys like Ziggler, Barrett, and even Ryback on -- it hasn't outlived its usefulness yet.

So, I still can't see Cena pulling the win off. AJ would be very intriguing, but I think it'll be Vickie that screws Cena out of the match, leading to her being kicked out as GM. That gives them room to bring in someone else, since Vickie seems to be a placeholder, and leaves room to give Cena a dominant performance while losing -- all the while, Dolph Ziggler gets the biggest win of his career and moves onto cashing in.

 

[IconMCI]

The best way to play this out is let Cena win at TLC and get his Wrestlemania story going... then let Ziggler win the Royal Rumble and let him make his name. Ziggler can be a bigger star by losing the briefcase and a Rumble win. Rock wins at Rumble gets the belt, Rock/Cena II.. Let punk fight Undertaker at Wrestlemania

 

[Martin Gabriel]

All I can say is that they better have Ziggler win. Over the past few years, they've let should-be main eventers slip in and out of the world title picture without ever fully establishing them. Rhodes, Ziggler, Ryback, Barrett, Christian -- some of them had more opportunities than others, but either way they each had missed opportunities because WWE's interest rested either way maintaining the status quo or pushing Del Rio. They've had absolutely no qualms with pushing Del Rio strong.

Of course, not all of these guys can be main eventers at once and had any of them been given more longevity in the main event scene, that doesn't mean they'd be in the title picture now. However, Dolph Ziggler in particular has had so many start-stop pushes that another sudden halt to his rise could draw the ire of the fans, especially as he's become such a favorite among the IWC. Perhaps he'd garner some sort of Daniel Bryan-esque reaction, though that seems like a stretch considering he's no Daniel Bryan as far as his popularity among smarks. If that were the case, perhaps it could be to his benefit. However, I'm going to assume not, so I'll just say it'd be really fucking dandy if they'd just follow through with this push and let Dolph Ziggler hold the World Heavyweight Championship.

 

[HBsam31]

Anytime Cena is in a match like this I believe there is a possibility he will come out the winner. The only way I would be ok with that is if it did lead to a unification, but I agree with the Crock in that the World title still has its uses right now. I see someone interfering on behalf of Ziggler. I think AJ would be an interesting choice for that. I would like to see Ziggler win clean, but wither way something tells me he hangs onto the case here.

 

[mojmass]

I knew this would happen.
Why does WWE desperatly want to ruin his stars
If Ziggler wins they ruin cena and if cena wins again
Cena winning the royal Rumbel would be better than this.
I don't mind if cena wins but that will ruin ziggler career and if ziggler win it would not be so good for cena even if there will be interferences.
But if cena wins I think we are going to see Cena (c) vs the Undertaker at wrestlmania 29.
or maybe the end of the streak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[nightshifty]

I honestly think that they're (WWE) starting the beginning of the Ziggler/Guerrero split. Not trying to spoil RAW for anyone but there were a couple hints of friction between the two. And we all know AJ has the "unstable" character in her back pocket. I would really love to see Ziggler win clean against Cena, but seriously who has won clean against Cena in the past year? The Rock, and Punks wins against him have all been questionable. MITB was a not so clean win. So if they give Ziggler a clean win against Cena, they'd be pushing him way further than I think Ziggler could handle. For some reason I just think that AJ will interfere in the match on Zigglers behalf. Dolph and AJ together would be an interesting duo/stable thing and if they aligned themselves with Punk and Heyman, it would be even more of a mindf**k. But that's just a thought. Maybe a little far fetch but a thought

 

[Limitless]

I Really hate this kind of booking, you have Dolph Ziggler win the briefcase and for what? I mean if he loses to cena I wont be suprised, this is why I stopped watching raw and just reading the results online.

Wwe has a good worker in ziggler and the only way to make him look good is to go over cena? well unless it's cleanly than I don't see the reason for this as it makes Ziggler again look as though he can't hold his own in the main event scene. Now if cena wins then ziggler takes a back seat and cena again destroys a young talent push.

John Cena is by far the most annoying wrestler I have ever witnessed as my time as a wrestling fan, well I guess I will go back to TNA and hope that one day they become real competition.

 

[mikeyado]

I really can't see any result in this one other than a Ziggler victory. It seems like filler- giving Cena something to do until The Rock is finished with Punk and the run in to Mania begins in earnest.

Why would they put the blue briefcase on him? Rock and Cena fighting for the WHC at Mania adds absolutely no prestige to that match and defeats the object of having the WHC around at all (to elevate the 3/4 guys as a test run before permanent main event status). The only perceivable reason they would want to do it would be if they wanted to unify both belts, as mentioned above. I can't see that happenning. That would make it even harder for the clutch of 3/4 guys to push into the main event scene which is bad for business in the long run.

I really, really hope that they are using this match as a way to cement Ziggler's push. Who better for him to go over in high profile match than Cena right? If they take the briefcase of him at this point, he may aswell upsticks and move to Orlando, because he's never going to crack it in Conneticut.

 

[Azane]

Ziggler needs to win this, or Cena effectively buries him for another 6 months.

It's frustrating to watch, Cena has so many better angles to throw himself into, and he doesn't need the win here. Dolph needs to gain a championship run (a real one) and get some star power to the mainstream audience (god nows the ICW loves him).

Cena winning really drops the ball on the last couple years of Nicky's push and I'd hate to see it ended to jam Cena down our throats again.

Interference as I've been seeing, is the best way to keep Ziggler with the goods, and keeping Cena hot for January, Cena looking good but Ziggler winning is the only way to make this look good.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I don't see how Cena wins this. It just doesn't make sense. He's way beyond the WHC. Unless they try and unify (very unlikely) this seems obvious to me.

My guess is they do a knee angle. Cena hurts his knee and falls of the ladder or something. Ziggler wins. Vickie interfering would not help Ziggler at all, despite all the marks creaming their pants just because he won. Maybe AJ, but unless she costs Cena the match on accident, a heel turn for her with joining Ziggler doesn't do anything good for Ziggler either.

Ziggler needs to win this, or Cena effectively buries him for another 6 months.

And the only reason I agree with this is because the briefcase is involved.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This will probably be the match of the night, maybe even a legit match of the year contender. I just have a feeling that this will be an extremely entertaining match.

I agree with Azane in that if Ziggler doesn't win this match, then he's pretty much back to where he was at the beginning of the year. This is a perfect opportunity to give Ziggler the biggest win of his career against the biggest name in wrestling today. There's always a chance that Cena gets the briefcase and, all in all, that uncertainty is a part of what makes this so interesting. It'll suck of Ziggler loses the briefcase, but it should still be a fun match.

It would surprise me to see Ziggler pull off a clean win over Cena, though I'm hoping against hope that's what happens. Losing clean to Ziggler in this sort of setting where Ziggler is the one with everything to lose won't hurt Cena one little bit. If there is some interference, I honestly see The Shield being the ones to do it. Ziggler being forced to defend his MITB briefcase after Vince McMahon coerces Vickie into putting it on the line and making this a ladder match in the first place fits in with the idea of "injustice" according to the ideology of The Shield.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I think the best idea would be to have the TLC pay-per-view open with Sheamus vs Big Show for the WHC and having Ziggler cash in directly after that, meaning that he would avoid defending his MitB briefcase.

The problem with this theory is that just makes it easy for them to replace the briefcase with the WHC, and then you're still in the exact same position. Still though with a likely Ziggler win, as I see happening anyways.

If there is some interference, I honestly see The Shield being the ones to do it. Ziggler being forced to defend his MITB briefcase after Vince McMahon coerces Vickie into putting it on the line and making this a ladder match in the first place fits in with the idea of "injustice" according to the ideology of The Shield.

Anything involving main event faces is an "injustice" in The Shields eyes. Though, from a logical standpoint your idea makes actual sense, unlike attacking Kane and DB for no reason. My only problem with this possibility is after attacking Cena as well, how far is this really from Nexus? I guess that's more rhetorical as this would be a discussion for another thread. Plus I'm not sure Cena would get involved with such a (probably) long storyline considering The Rock is coming to town soon after TLC. I think that's where Ryback might be occupied since he doesn't seem to be planned for anything big in the Road to WrestleMania. Of course, that's just speculation too.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Ziggler needs to win this, or Cena effectively buries him for another 6 months.

Hard to say; Dolph's career has shown more resiliency (courtesy of the writers, of course) than anyone I can remember. The company is bound and determined to push him to the stars.....but just when you think he's ready to take the championship, he loses to someone I was positive he'd beat. Then, he makes his way up again. He just goes on and on.

I still believe they're shoving this guy down our throats with the purpose of making him a main eventer for years to come. Indications of that are shown in two areas: First, there's that damn briefcase. We know what happens when a guy has it in his possession, right? Second, the existence of the match in which he's about to engage with John Cena. Despite what some folks say about him, Cena is a star-maker. Don't be fooled; CM Punk wouldn't have had a vehicle to legitimatize his Summer of Punk program without Cena. But even performers like Nexus and Tensai were brought to prominence by the participation of Cena. I'd wager everyone in the company wants to work with him.

Now, Dolph has a PPV fight with him. Whether he wins or loses, he's surely arrived. Since WWE wants so much for him to succeed, it was inevitable they'd place him in the ring with the main guy. Even if Dolph loses this match, he's got it made.

 

[fouldsy91]

I reckon Ziggler will cash in on Sheamus, but I expect Cena v Ziggler to be after the Sheamus v Big Show match.

I could see Ziggler cashing in his briefcase beforehand, as a heel move so he doesn't have to defend it. Then we have a second World Heavyweight Title match since there is no longer a briefcase to cash in. Hopefully Ziggler retains but you never know with the WWE.

So does anyone else see a scenario like this happening?

 

[Diet Soda]

Ziggler should win this. After a couple of failed pushes where he was catapulted into the main event far too soon, it's become clear that building him up over a long time is the way to go. Defeating Cena at TLC, clean or not, would be the next big step in his extended push.

Secondly, if Cena were to win this, can you really see anyone being interested in him cashing in on the Big Show? How many PPV and TV matches have these two had already? Having only the secondary title on the line is not going to generate enthusiasm.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

On the one hand Cena should, and could, put Ziggler over in this match. On the other Ziggler really isn't really a worthy headliner leading into WrestleMania.

Somebody should cash in their Money In The Bank briefcase at Mania and it certainly shouldn't be somebody like Dolph Ziggler. So I see the benefits of Cena winning. I'd just be more inclined to have Ziggler retain and cash in the night after Mania on The Rock. That's be a good way to have him start of his reig and if WWE pushed him properly it could potentially make him into a superstar.

 

[CKguy217]

I don't think AJ should be the one to screw Cena over, if they're going to have Cena get screwed out of the win. I think AJ is too expected to be the one to cost Cena the match that there really wouldn't be a surprise there...well for some people maybe, but not for any of us. I think it'd be more of a surprise if AJ wasn't the one to cost Cena the match.

 

[vishal4989]

Cena will win the briefcase at TLC. The rock will win the WWE championship from Punk at the rumble and Cena will cash in against the Rock making it 1-1. They will face again for the last time at the mania for the championship.
Ziggler will win the royal rumble and go have World heavywight championship at Mania.

 

[Greydon]

This is an INJUSTICE! We need to shielded from, Modern Era Hulk Hogan. Yeah I said it. Cena is as bad as Hulk was back in the day! Not allowing the next star to go over him. Holding people with more talent back because they both were the poster boys of the company. Cena doesn't need this. Oh, God let him lose. Here is how I see it going.

As I said we need to be shielded from this injustice. Shield will cause Cena to lose the match, and thus having Dolph win. If this doesn't happen then Dolph will need to win cleanly or otherwise you ruin another push of a young star. Aren't they in an youth movement? Wanting young stars for the future? If stuff like this happens you won't have those young stars that you're hoping to have.

 

[Olan]

Logically, Dolph would have cashed in on Punk last night after Ryback laid im out. Problem solved.

And if this was the ATTITUDE era, not only woukd Punk's briefcase be on the line so would AJ spending he night with Dolph if he won.

 

[The Hardcore Kid]

Logically, Dolph would have cashed in on Punk last night after Ryback laid im out. Problem solved.

And if this was the ATTITUDE era, not only woukd Punk's briefcase be on the line so would AJ spending he night with Dolph if he won.

Logically, Dolph's briefcase is for the World Heavyweight Championship, a title Punk does not hold, making it impossible for Dolph to cash his briefcase in on Punk.

And I don't really even know what you mean by your last sentence, since Punk has no briefcase to speak of and hasn't in years.

 

[MOExecution]

If WWE were smart they would have the World Title Chairs Match go on before the Ladder match and whether Big Show retains or Sheamus wins then he should cash in and then win the World Heavyweight Championship in a way to use the briefcase before he puts it on the line.

Later after his match as he celebrating the title victory and since he talked down on Vickie Guerrero on RAW she should come in and say, "Dolph Ziggler, I have to give it to you, you're smart. You cash in the money in the bank briefcase BEFORE you could defend it against John Cena, but sadly you're not that smart. You're still facing John Cena tonight, you're still competing in a Ladder Match tonight, but instead of the briefcase... How does you having your very first World Title defense tonight sound?! Oh, and your match is NEXT! Good luck Ziggler".

That would be perfect booking and it would make sense as a way Guerrero could get back at Ziggler for saying she's doing a horrible job as General Manager. It would be a SECOND World Title match that should be the second best world title match if Show/Sheamus can deliver again. Hopefully WWE sees the opportunity that they have.