WWE Money in the Bank 2010 Review
The first-ever Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place in 2010. By that point, the Money in the Bank contract Ladder Match was in its fifth year and it was clear that WWE had a great concept on their hands.
From 2005 to 2010, WWE had one Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania where the winner would earn a WWE or World Title match whenever they wanted. After creating the pay-per-view, WWE decided to put two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches on the card with one match involving Raw wrestlers and Smackdown wrestlers. As we would see later in the decade, the concept evolved to where there is one men’s match and one women’s match every year.
Money in the Bank 2010 did 162,000 buys on PPV, which was on the low end of WWE PPVs that year. Even though it had a slow start, obviously the MITB match concept has won fans over because it’s a fixture in WWE today.
Here is the synopsis on WWE Network:
“One of the most exciting match concepts in WWE history, Money In the Bank is finally featured in its own pay-per-view event. Two Money In the Bank matches will give their victors a guaranteed future Championship match whenever they choose. Five championships are also on the line, including John Cena challenging Sheamus for the WWE Championship.” PG (V)
This review was written in 2021. The DVD looks like this:
Here is what the poster looked like.
WWE Money in the Bank
From Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri
July 18, 2010
There was an opening video package hyping up the two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches and how the superstars in those matches have the opportunity of a lifetime.
There was an impressive pyro display to start the show, plenty of signs and ladders all around the building. The commentary team was Michael Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Matt Striker. Cole and Lawler were Raw guys while Striker was from Smackdown. The Spanish announce team was at ringside as well.
The Smackdown Money in the Bank match was up first. Here was the order of entrants for this match: Kofi Kingston was up first as the Intercontinental Champion, Dolph Ziggler was next and Christian made his entrance for his fourth MITB match. Cody Rhodes entered to his cheesy “Smoke & Mirrors” song. Matt Hardy was in his fourth MITB match just like Christian as the ladder match veterans. Drew McIntyre was the youngest guy that was called the Chosen One as a Vince McMahon favorite. Kane entered for his fourth MITB ladder match with the announcers talking about how Kane was focused on trying to find out who attacked The Undertaker (it was later revealed that it was Kane that did it). Big Show was up last and he was in babyface mode making his first appearance in a MITB match.
Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Big Show, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston and Matt Hardy
Pre-match notes: The faces were Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston, Big Show, Christian, Kane and Matt Hardy. The heels were Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre.
There was a brawl to start the match, which led to Cody grabbing the ladder and trying to climb until Show and Kane knocked him down. Show with a shoulder tackle on Kane to knock him down. Show stepped on the ladder, the step broke and Show was frustrated by it. Show cleaned house with punches and a headbutt while also tossing a ladder at Kane. Show left the ring, went under the ring and tried to get the bigger ladder, but the other wrestlers worked over Show with punches. Show was shoved knee first into the steel steps. McIntyre did a catapult that sent Christian face first into a ladder that was positioned against the ring apron. Hardy hit McIntyre in the back with a ladder to prevent a climb. Hardy climbed up, but Christian stopped him and brought him down. Christian went up leading to Matt bringing him down. Cody went climbing, but Kingston stopped him. Ziggler sent Kingston face first into the ladder a few times, Ziggler reached up, but Christian stopped him and Christian slammed Ziggler off the ladder. Hardy and Christian got involved again with Hardy hitting a Twist of Fate on Rhodes and Christian with a reverse DDT on Kingston. Double DDT by Christian and Hardy on Kane. Hardy and Christian hit Kane with ladders. Christian slammed Hardy onto a ladder. Christian climbed a ladder again, but Rhodes shoved him down with Christian landing onto Show on the floor. Rhodes with a springboard kick on Kane, Kingston with a Trouble in Paradise on Kane and Hardy with a Twist of Fate on Kane. McIntyre shoved a ladder over to knock Hardy and Rhodes down. McIntyre whipped both guys into the ring post. Ziggler back in, he stopped Drew and Drew whipped Ziggler into the ring post. Kane brought McIntyre out of the ring and cleared off the monitors from both announce tables. Kane with a boot to the face of Drew. Kane brought a ladder into the ring and Kingston hit a dropkick into the ladder. Kingston worked over Drew with punches followed by a Trouble in Paradise kick. Kingston climbed a ladder and hit a Boom Drop that put McIntyre through the table. That was a huge spot with McIntyre landing hard through the broke table right by the announcers.
Ziggler climbed a ladder in the ring, he got his hand on the hook and Show came back in the ring with a Chokeslam for Ziggler. Kane back in with a choke, Show punched him in the ribs and gave him a headbutt. Show with a running back splash onto Kane against a ladder by the turnbuckle. Christian and Hardy attacked Show with a ladder, but Show shoved them down. Show hit a splash onto the ladder to crush Christian and Hardy, but then Show sold a rib injury. Show brought the reinforced specially designed gold ladder with Striker noting it weighed 350 pounds with Cole noting it can hold about one tonne of weight. The fans chanted for Big Show as the big man slowly brought it into the ring. The other wrestlers were all on the floor chilling while this was going on. Show set the giant ladder up under the ring. Cody hit Show in the ankle with a step ladder. Ziggler took down Cody with an Electric Chair Drop slam. Kingston climbed up the giant ladder, Show went after him and Kingston dropped show with a DDT. Kingston climbed up again leading to Cody hitting a missile dropkick that knocked Kofi down. Cody hit the Cross Rhodes on Kofi a ladder that was in the ring. Cody climbed up, Ziggler punched him down and whipped the back of Rhodes into the ladder with Ziggler delivering the move like the Zig Zag finisher.
Big Show got back up with headbutts for Rhodes and Ziggler while Show hobbled on his injured left ankle. Show did a very slow climb up the giant ladder. Kane managed to push the ladder over, so Show landed over the top to the top to the floor. The other wrestlers piled several ladders onto Show. There were about seven ladders on top of Show on the floor. Hardy and Rhodes were on top of the ladder, Kane gave Christian a Chokeslam. Kane gave Hardy a Chokeslam. Rhodes had his hands on the briefcase, but Kane pulled him down and hit an uppercut. Kane went up the ladder, Ziggler climbed over Kane to get to the top and got his hands on the ladder, but Kane fought him. Ziggler with a sleeper, Kane sent Ziggler’s head into the ladder repeatedly. Kane put Ziggler on the apron and slammed him onto the ladders that were on top of Show on the floor. Kane left the ring and gave Kingston a Chokeslam on a ladder that was covering Show. Kane went after Cody up the ramp and Kane sent Cody face first into the armored Money in the Bank truck that was by the stage. Hardy tried to climb, but Kane pulled him down. Kane knocked Christian down. Hardy and Christian gave Kane a double Powerbomb off the ladder. Hardy and Christian did a slow climb on opposite sides of the ladder. Hardy and Christian each had their hands on the briefcase. Matt was close to unlocking it, but Christian punched him. They were both on top of the ladder and then they hit eachother leading to huge bumps down to the mat. McIntyre did a slow crawl back into the ring, he climbed up the ladder and Kane showed up to give McIntyre a Chokeslam to the mat. Kane reached up and grabbed the briefcase to win the match at 26:18. The fans cheered because Kane was a face at this point.
Winner: Kane
Analysis: ****1/4 That was excellent. It was really well booked from start to finish. They did a great job of booking this with smaller (or regular sized) wrestlers working together to try to take out the big guys Kane and Show. Once Show really got going with some offense and that huge ladder, the intensity of the match picked up even more. I think most fans don’t want to see bigger wrestlers in a match like this, but the presence of Show and Kane made it better because of the interesting story that was told with the smaller guys trying to go after Show and Kane, but ultimately they failed. I liked the way Show was taken out. Kane was the best performer in the match too. I wouldn’t have predicted that before it started. It was the longest Money in the Bank ladder match ever at that point. It was two minutes longer than WrestleMania 23 ladder match won by Ken Kennedy. I think going almost double the length of time of the MITB match at WrestleMania earlier in the year was smart move. It led to more time and a better story.
Sheamus, the WWE Champion, was backstage for an interview with Josh Mathews. When asked about The Nexus, Sheamus said he smiled and watched The Nexus do their calculated attacks on Bret Hart, Ricky Steamboat and Vince McMahon. Sheamus said he thought he was untouchable until he stared into their eyes, which were like a great white shark – totally soulless. Sheamus said that The Nexus were a threat to everybody including himself. Sheamus said the had to choose a side, so helped Cena. Sheamus said he sent a message to The Nexus because he didn’t want Cena to have any excuses. Sheamus said he hates Cena because he wants to make fun of his skin or his accent. Sheamus said that the people might find it funny, but their opinion is completely worthless. Sheamus wondered how many jokes Cena will make tonight when he’s bouncing his head off steel bars. Sheamus said that he’ll give Cena worse than anything suffered at the hands of The Nexus. Sheamus said that he’s a bigger threat than The Nexus and he left.
Analysis: This was okay. It was still early in Sheamus’ career and promos weren’t a strong point at this point in his career. He definitely got better at promos later in his career.
Eve Torres was up first for women’s action followed by the Divas Champion Alicia Fox.
Divas Championship: Alicia Fox vs. Eve Torres
Pre-match notes: Alicia Fox was the heel champion and Eve was a face. Fox won the title one month earlier in a Fatal 4-Way match while Eva was the former champion. This was a Raw match.
Eve with a shoulder tackle into a pin and then a jackknife pin. Eve got a sunset flip for two followed by a dropkick. Eve with a running clothesline. Fox got some offense going when she pulled Eve off the middle rope to slam her onto the mat. Fox drove Eve back first into the ring apron. Fox pulled Eve by the hair into a two count. Fox with a forearm to the back followed by a submission where she stretched Eve across the knee. Fox hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two count. Fox pulled back on Eve’s arms for another submission and Eve did a monkey flip to send Fox towards the ropes. Eve with a running cross body block and two more dropkicks. Eve was favoring a back injury, but then Eve kicked the leg and hit a running knee. Eve hit a standing moonsault for two. Fox kicked Eve into the turnbuckle. Eve with a kick to the face. Eve went for a somersault attack off the middle rope, but Fox got the knees up to hit the lower back. Fox hit the Ax Kick for the pinfall win at 5:50.
Winner by pinfall: Alicia Fox
Analysis: *1/2 A short match that was common for the women in this era. The fans were quiet for most of the match. They had the little story with Eve selling the back and that played a part in the finish when Fox blocked a move with her knees. Fox worked well as a heel doing some cheap attacks. Eve was okay as a face, but it was a lot of basic stuff here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaAjKOVvbIo
They showed a clip from Smackdown with Kane accusing Jack Swagger of attacking The Undertaker. Swagger managed to get Kane in the Ankle Lock and Rey made the save by hitting a 619 kick on Swagger. Kane went after Swagger and Jack’s “father” and Jack left the ring voluntarily while Kane hit a Chokeslam on Jack’s dad. Kane also hit a Tombstone to Jack’s dad.
They showed Jack Swagger talking on a cell phone trying to talk to his mom, who is not listening. Jack asked how his dad was down. Jack told his mom to “shut up” and said none of this is his fault. Jack said that his dad was acting vicariously through him. Jack told his mom that dad got what he deserved because he was trying to steal Jack’s spotlight. Jack said that his dad can bask in his glory because Jack will win back the World Heavyweight Championship from Rey Mysterio tonight. Jack told his mom he loved her and that was it. Cole wondered who tells his mother to shut up? Swagger did.
Analysis: They were trying to make Swagger into a dirtbag heel that didn’t try to help his father from a beating and yelling at his mother to “shut up.” Needless to say, it didn’t really work that well considering Swagger had a short run in the World Title picture.
The Usos made their entrance with Tamina. No reaction to them. The Hart Dynasty entered as the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions meaning they had the WWE & World Titles with them to represent both Raw and Smackdown.
Unified Tag Team Championships: The Hart Dynasty – David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd (w/Natalya) vs. The Usos – Jimmy & Jey Uso (w/Tamina)
Pre-match notes: The Hart Dynasty were the babyface champions. The Usos were heels although they really weren’t established at this point.
Smith got a powerslam on Jey early on. Kidd tagged in with an assisted headscissors on Jey. There was a takedown by Jey on Smith and delivering some punches. Jimmy tagged in with stomps to the body. Jey was back in with a running hip attack on Smith against the turnbuckle. Jey grounded Smith with a chinlock and then Smith got out of it with a back body drop. Smith couldn’t make the tag because Jimmy stopped it and Jimmy hit a headbutt to the ribs. Smith with a belly to belly on Jimmy. Kidd got the tag with a dropkick on legal man Jey and a running dropkick. Kidd with a boot to the face and then he used his legs for a pin attempt rollup. Jimmy made the tag and Jey launched Kidd into a Samoan Drop by Jimmy for two. Jimmy with a body slam. Jimmy went up top. Jimmy went for a Superfly Splash, but Kidd got his knees up to block Jimmy’s splash attempt. Smith tagged in with a running shoulder tackle. Tamina on the apron, Natalya pulled her down and Natalya gave Tamina a body slam on the floor. Smith applied the Sharpshooter on Jey while Kidd hit a dive onto Jey on the floor. Jimmy tapped out and the champs got the win at 5:54.
Winners by submission: The Hart Dynasty – David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd
Analysis: **1/4 A solid tag team match between two teams that were early in their careers. The Usos got a couple of good nearfalls including the assisted Samoan Drop spot. The finish was done well with Kidd taking out Jey on the floor while Smith applied the Sharpshooter and that was it. The fans liked the Hart Dynasty a lot, so they popped for the finish.
The video package aired for World Heavyweight Champion against the former champion Jack Swagger. Rey won the World Title when he pinned Swagger in a Fatal 4-Way match at the Fatal 4-Way PPV one month earlier. Swagger complained about how it was not fair since he had to defend his World Title against three men, so he gets his rematch at Money in the Bank. Swagger attacked Mysterio repeatedly leading to Rey going into this match with an ankle injury.
Jack Swagger entered for the World Heavyweight Champion match. Rey Mysterio got a big pop for his entrance. The story was that Rey had a “grade 2 tear” in his left ankle, so Rey was favoring his left ankle as he went down to the ring. They stood in the ring for the championship introductions from ring announcer Tony Chimel.
Analysis: I noticed that Chimel said “World Championship” instead of “World Heavyweight Championship” and it reminded me that they didn’t want to say “heavyweight” when Rey won the title because he was 175 pounds. It’s just one of those weird Vince McMahon things.
World Heavyweight Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger
Pre-match notes: Rey was the babyface World Heavyweight Champion on Smackdown. Swagger was the heel challenger. Earlier in the year, Swagger won Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 26 and had a 79-day run as the World Heavyweight Champion.
Swagger lifted Mysterio into the turnbuckle. Swagger went for an Ankle Lock, but Rey kicked Swagger to break free. Rey kicked Swagger into the ropes, Swagger avoided a 619 kick and Swagger caught Rey on the shoulders leading to a powerslam into the turnbuckle. Rey avoided a corner charge, Swagger to the floor and Rey hit a seated senton onto a standing Swagger on the floor. With Swagger back in the ring, Rey went up top and Swagger gave him a belly-to-belly suplex off the top. Rey left the ring, so Swagger stood on Rey’s foot to cause more pain to the foot. Swagger applied a kneebar submission. They did a spot where Swagger lifted Rey onto the shoulder and then it turned into a slam although it was a bit sloppy. They got through it okay. Swagger with a huge hiptoss that sent Rey across the ring. Swagger went for the splash off the ropes, Rey avoided it and Rey kicked Swagger in the face. Rey with a seated senton off the top rope, Swagger with a headbutt to the ribs and Rey did a headscissors to send Swagger into the turnbuckle. Rey hit a split-legged moonsault that he usually didn’t do, but it was a good move based on where Swagger was. Swagger got a hold of Rey leading to a Wheelbarrow Suplex for two. Swagger connected with a Gutwrench Powerbomb that he used as a finisher, but Rey’s right leg was on the bottom rope to break up the pin attempt. Rey with another headscissors to send Swagger into the ring post. Swagger had Rey on his shoulders while on the middle rope, he swung Rey around and Rey turned it into a DDT for two! That drew a big pop while the fans thought that was it. Rey sent Swagger into the ropes leading to the 619 kick and Rey went for a springboard attack, but Swagger caught Rey by the left leg. Swagger applied the Ankle Lock and the fans reacted to it in a big way. Rey got to the ropes. Swagger hit two Swagger Bomb attacks off the middle rope. Swagger stood on the injured left ankle of Mysterio. Rey loosened the boot on his left leg. Swagger went for the Ankle Lock, Rey’s left boot came off since Rey loosened the boot so Swagger ended up taking the boot off. Rey sent Swagger into the ropes and Rey hit a hurricanrana into a pin for the one…two…and three! Big pop for the win at 10:43.
Winner by pinfall: Rey Mysterio
Analysis: ***1/2 This was a really good title match. It was a nice reminder of how talented Mysterio is in terms of selling, telling a story in a match and making his opponent look better. Swagger was at his best working with a smaller opponent like Rey because it made Swagger look more impressive. Swagger was really good in terms of going after the left leg throughout the match, they had that believable nearfall with Swagger hitting the Gutwrench Powerbomb and Rey got the foot on the rope. Swagger nearly won by submission. I think that spot where Rey hit the DDT off the ropes was probably the best move of the night and was better than the finish, but the finish worked too because of how well Rey did that hurricanrana on his bigger opponent.
Post match, Rey celebrated with the World Title. Cole put over Rey for being smart enough for loosening up the boot and then when Swagger went for the Ankle Lock again, Rey took it off. Swagger attacked Mysterio post match with the Ankle Lock. Referee Chad Patton tried to get Swagger to let go. Kane ran down to the ring to go after Swagger with punches. Kane punched Swagger repeatedly, tossed him in the barricades up the aisle and they went to the back.
Rey Mysterio celebration continued until Kane’s music hit. Kane walked out with the Money in the Bank briefcase in his hands and he had referee Charles Robinson with him. Kane went into the ring and handed Robinson the briefcase and the cash-in was official.
World Heavyweight Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. Kane
Kane went for an attack, Mysterio got away, but Kane slammed Mysterio’s left knee into the mat. Kane picked up Mysterio and hit a Chokeslam. Kane picked up Mysterio again and hit a Tombstone. Kane covered Mysterio for the pinfall win to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. The match went 54 seconds.
Winner by pinfall AND NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Kane
Kane celebrated with the World Heavyweight Championship with the fans cheering for him because Kane was still a face (he was about to go heel soon). Kane set off the pyro to celebrate the win. It was the seventh Money in the Bank match and the seventh time there was a successful cash-in to crown a new champion.
Analysis: It was the first time they ever did the cash in for a title on the same night that a guy won a briefcase, so it was cool. That was always a big thing that fans talked about happening and when they did it, the crowd reacted to it in a big way. The interesting thing is that Kane was a babyface at the time while Mysterio was also a face, so it came off as a smart strategic move by a veteran wrestler Kane rather than something that a heel would do to get heat.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xs9h2a
Edge was shown watching Kane on a TV backstage. Chris Jericho showed up behind Edge, who told Jericho he has eyes in the back of his head. Edge said he’s won Money in the Bank before and cashed in twice to become a World Champion. Jericho said that he created this match and he’s been in as many Money in the Bank ladder matches as Edge. Jericho said he’s going to cash in Money in the Bank tonight. Edge pointed out that Jericho has never won Money in the Bank and Jericho said that makes him more desperate than Edge. Edge said he guesses the fun is just beginning. Jericho told Edge that “the worst is yet to come.” It was a phrase Jericho used many times.
Analysis: They had a lengthy feud in 2010 around WrestleMania and after it as well, so there was always tension there.
Kelly Kelly made her entrance with Tiffany and they looked gorgeous. They showed a clip of Layla and Michelle McCool bullying Kelly Kelly on Smackdown two weeks earlier. Kelly also beat Layla in a tag match on Smackdown. Laycool was up next with Layla defending in this match.
Women’s Championship: Layla (w/Michelle McCool) vs. Kelly Kelly (w/Tiffany)
Pre-match notes: Layla was a heel and Kelly was a face. Tiffany had a better run a few years after this in TNA using her real name Taryn Terrell and she’s still in the business as part of the NWA. Michelle McCool was pushed a lot and I used to call her Michelle McTaker since she married The Undertaker.
Kelly with a takedown on Layla leading to some slaps to the face. Kelly went for a handspring back elbow, Layla moved to avoid it and Kelly got a victory roll for two. Layla bailed to the floor, Kelly was on the apron, Kelly pulled on the ring apron (classic Fit Finlay move) and Layla kicked Kelly in the legs. Layla wrenched Kelly’s leg against the bottom rope and hit a dropkick to send Kelly to the floor. Layla tossed Kelly into the barricade. McCool got some cheap shots on Kelly, then McCool sat on the barricade, so Kelly shoved her down. Kelly tossed Layla back into the ring with Kelly hitting clotheslines and getting a jackknife cover for two. Kelly hit the K2 move that was like a leg drop to the back of the neck to drive the opponent into the mat. They messed up the spot with Layla getting her foot on the ropes, but eventually got it right. Tiffany and Kelly hit a double clothesline on McCool on the floor. Kelly with a sunset flip, but Layla countered and sat on top of Kelly for the pinfall win at 3:55.
Winner by pinfall:Layla
Analysis: *1/4 A short match to put over the heel champion in a clean way. Kelly had a few moments of offense, but it didn’t happen for her. They could have done better on the spot where Michelle was supposed to put Layla’s foot on the bottom rope. It just looked lame. This feud wasn’t very good to begin with since the trash talk involved the nickname “Smelly Kelly” and there wasn’t much more to it.
There was a “Don’t Try This at Home” video.
There were highlights shown of the first Money in the Bank Ladder Match to begin the show.
The second Money in the Bank match was up next. This match was for the red Money in the Bank briefcase representing Raw. Randy Orton was up first and he got a big pop because he was in babyface mode here although he didn’t play to the crowd much at all. The Miz was next as the United States Champion with Michael Cole saying Miz was his pick. Mark Henry was next in his red Kool-Aid style attire (I liked to call him the Kool-Aid Man in this era) as the biggest man in the match. Henry was the replacement for R-Truth in the match. Ted Dibiase was up next with Maryse, who was dating The Miz by this point and obviously we know she would end up marrying The Miz. They put her with Dibiase because he had a bland personality. John Morrison was up next as a face. Chris Jericho entered as a heel that was the man that helped invent Money in the Bank with Lawler saying he picked Jericho. Evan Bourne got a good pop as an exciting young babyface wrestler. Edge was up last as a face. He had my favorite entrance song in wrestling history. It’s such a great track that fit him perfectly. Striker picked Edge to win.
Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Chris Jericho, Edge, The Miz, Evan Bourne, John Morrison, Mark Henry, Randy Orton and Ted Dibiase
Pre-match notes: The faces were Randy Orton, Edge, Mark Henry, John Morrison and Evan Bourne while the heels were Chris Jericho, Ted Dibiase and The Miz.
Mark Henry started the match by punching everybody as they tried to take him down. Miz hit a corner clothesline on Henry, Bourne hit a knee strike to knock Miz out of the ring and a running attack on Henry. Edge set up a ladder for the first climb, Orton went after him and sent Edge into the ladder. Morrison kicked Dibiase in the back to avoid a ladder shot. Dibiase hit a clothesline that sent Morrison back first on a ladder. Dibiase hit Orton with a ladder to knock him down. Bourne with a dropkick on Dibiase. Miz dumped Bourne out of the ring. Miz worked over Jericho with punches and Henry tossed a ladder at both of them to knock them down. Henry hit a running splash to the back of Miz against the ropes. Jericho followed by with a ladder shot to the head of Henry and he tossed a ladder on Henry. Bourne with a kick to the back of Jericho to send him into a ladder. Bourne set the ladder up, he climbed, but Edge pulled him down only for Bourne to hit a hurricanrana on him. Orton stomped on Bourne and hit a DDT off the ladder. Morrison hit a springboard kick off the ropes to knock Orton out of the ring. Miz and Dibiase stomped away on Morrison. Morrison sent Miz and Dibiase face first into a ladder that was against the turnbuckle. Morrison set up the ladder, Edge went after him, Jericho set up another ladder that was shorter and Orton also went up that ladder with Jericho. Henry went into the ring and shoved down both ladders leading to Orton, Morrison, Edge and Jericho bumping into the ropes. Bourne with a springboard kick on Henry to knock him down. Maryse realized everybody was down, so she went into the ring in her short red dress. Maryse set up a ladder, she did a slow climb, she didn’t really come close to it and Morrison got in the ring. Morrison slowly brought her down by putting her on his shoulders. Morrison told her to get out of there. Dibiase climbed up, but Morison stopped him as Maryse went back to her chair at ringside. Dibiase charged at Morrison with a ladder, but Morrison moved and Morrison shoved Dibiase into the barricade. Miz sent Morrison in the barricade followed by a catapult into a ladder. Morrison kicked Miz down and used a ladder in the ring to go onto a ladder in the ring with Edge. Edge tripped up Morrison between a ladder and Edge and Miz hit Morrison with the ladder. Edge also hit Miz with the ladder to turn on him. Edge shoved the ladder over leading to Morrison hitting the mat hard.
Edge set up a ladder in the ring. Dibiase hit him in the ribs with a ladder two times. Dibiase used a ladder to clear the ring. Dibiase reached the top, but Henry stopped him with a punch to the knee. Dibiase jumped on Henry with Henry hitting a World’s Strongest Slam on Dibiase. Henry knocked Jericho down and slammed Miz onto Jericho, who was holding a step ladder. Henry did a slow climb, Bourne jumped on his back to go up the ladder and he was knocked down by Edge and Orton. Edge and Orton tossed Bourne onto Henry on the floor, who slammed Bourne into the mat. Morrison with a kick on Henry on the floor, Jericho with a Codebreaker on Henry and Edge with a Spear on Henry, so three moves were used to take out Henry. There were several guys climbing a ladder to bring the briefcase down. Dibiase brought in another ladder to set up a bridge and he sent Miz face first into a ladder. Orton and Edge sent Dibiase off the ladder bridge onto the floor. Orton followed up with an RKO on Edge for a huge pop. Jericho kicked Orton out of the ring. Morrison worked over Jericho with punches leading to Jericho getting his leg caught in the ladder. Orton hit an RKO on Morrison and Bourne hit the Air Bourne SSP on Orton. Nice spot. Bourne with a slow climb on the opposite side of the ladder from Jericho, who was caught. Bourne reached for the ladder, had his hand on it for a few seconds, he couldn’t unhook it (since he was waiting for Jericho) and Jericho hit Bourne in the ribs. Bourne got close to winning again, but Jericho stopped him. Jericho hit Bourne in the head to knock him down. Edge went up after Jericho on the ladder, Edge sent Jericho into the ladder and Jericho dropped off the ladder right into an RKO by Orton. Orton pulled Edge off a ladder to send him crashing into two other ladders that were in the ring. Orton went up the ladder as the crowd cheered loudly for him. Orton got his hands on the briefcase, but Miz shoved the ladder over to send Orton into the ropes. Miz did the fastest ladder climb of the match to reach up, grab the briefcase and win the match. The fans booed loudly as Miz got a hold of the briefcase at 20:26. Michael Cole was very happy about Miz winning.
Winner: The Miz
Analysis: **** There was a lot of action in this match and different moments where they teased several finishes. The crowd really wanted Orton to win based on the reactions, especially during his final failed climb attempt. Evan Bourne had a lot of crowd support too and nearly won as he waited on the ladder for Jericho to knock him down. John Morrison should have been booked stronger because there wasn’t a moment in the match where I thought he was going to win. They should have made him look like more of a contender. The Miz didn’t do that much in terms of standing out in the match, but he capitalized at the end of the match and was put over big as the Money in the Bank winner. The standout performers in the match were Bourne, Edge and Jericho in my opinion.
Post match, The Miz did a promo saying we are all living in his moment. Miz said that him winning this Money in the Bank contract means “I made it!” He said it again. Miz said he made believers out of all the cynics, skeptics and critics. Miz told us to take a good, hard look at the man with the briefcase because he is Mr. Money in the Bank because he is a future WWE Champion: “Me! Me!” He ended it saying: “Because I’m the Miz and I’m awesome. Awesome!”
Analysis: He was right about being a future WWE Champion. Miz would cash in that Money in the Bank contract on Randy Orton in November 2010 to become the WWE Champion. Miz went on to headline WrestleMania 27 in 2011 against John Cena. The match sucked and it was one of the worst WrestleMania main events ever, but at least Miz can say he did that in his career.
The video package aired for the WWE Champion Sheamus and challenger John Cena. At Fatal 4-Way in June, The Nexus group attacked John Cena and Sheamus pinned Cena to leave as the WWE Champion. Cena said that Nexus targeted him because Cena was the WWE Champion and Cena asked Sheamus to help him. They showed Nexus attacks on Bret Hart, Ricky Steamboat and Mr. McMahon with Wade Barrett saying what they have done has had a purpose. Sheamus declined helping Cena. On the last Raw before Money in the Bank, there was a 6-on-1 tag team match that saw Cena face The Nexus by himself. Sheamus showed up with a chair to help Cena to cause The Nexus to retreat.
Analysis: The Nexus storyline was fresh because it was a stable of newer wrestlers working together against faces like John Cena. I wish it was booked better in the months that followed this (they should have won at SummerSlam 2011 for example), but at least in this initial stage, it made for an interesting storyline.
The steel cage surrounded the ring. John Cena made his entrance in one of his orange t-shirts, jean shorts and Jordan brand sneakers. Sheamus entered as the WWE Champion with Cole noting that this was the 100th WWE Championship reign with 39 men holding that title at this point. They stood in the ring for the championship introductions.
WWE Championship Steel Cage Match: Sheamus vs. John Cena
Pre-match notes: Sheamus was the heel WWE Champion that won it one match earlier. Cena was the face that was the former WWE Champion.
The steel cage was locked by referee Jack Doan with Charles Robinson as the referee in the ring. Normally they don’t lock the cage, but they did it because of The Nexus storyline. The ways to win a WWE Steel Cage match are by pinfall, submission and escaping the cage.
Sheamus worked over Cena with punches and a shoulder tackle to the ribs. Cena with a hard whip into the corner followed by a clothesline. Sheamus tossed Cena into the cage. Cena tackled Cena leading to punches and a whip into the turnbuckle. Sheamus hit a charging Cena with a back elbow to the face. Sheamus pushed Cena’s head against the cage along with a knee drop. Cena came back with a fisherman’s suplex for two. They got into a slugfest as they exchanged punches and Cena hit a shoulder tackle, but Sheamus ducked another shoulder tackle, so Cena hit the ropes. Sheamus worked over Cena with punches and a backbreaker for a two count. Sheamus went for the first climb up the cage, Cena stopped him and Cena hit a superplex for two. Sheamus came back with two double axehandle attacks to knock Cena down for a two count. Sheamus applied a sleeper hold for nearly two minutes, Sheamus took Cena down to the mat and Cena got to the ropes. Cena climbed up the turnbuckle while Sheamus was on his back, then Sheamus let go and hit Cena in the back of the leg. Sheamus got a two count as Cena bumped from the turnbuckle to the mat. Sheamus tried to climb out of the cage, but Cena pulled the leg of Sheamus leading to Sheamus bumping onto the mat.
Cena did some of his patented moves with the double shoulder tackle, the belly to back spinning slam and the “you can’t see” hand gesture leading to the dreaded Five Knuckle Shuffle fist drop. Sheamus avoided the Attitude Adjustment by getting to the cage, so Cena met him and rammed Sheamus’ face into the cage. Cena jumped off the top with a fist drop, Sheamus moved and Cena hit the mat. Sheamus tied up Cena between the top/middle rope and Sheamus worked over Cena with punches and kicks. Instead of climbing away from Cena, Sheamus climbed over Cena and then Cena got out of the ropes, so Sheamus was right there. Cena delivered a bulldog off the top rope for a two count. Sheamus hit the Irish Curse backbreaker that was one of his signature moves throughout his career. Sheamus hit Cena with a Brogue Kick for a two count. Sheamus thought about climbing out of the cage, but then he went after Cena again and Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment for two. That means they both kicked out of finishers.
The seven men in The Nexus group made their way down to ringside. Michael Tarver had bolt cutters, but referee Chad Patton took them away from him. The Nexus tried to get the keys from ringside referee Jack Doan, but then Doan tossed the keys into the crowd! Big pop for that. Back in the ring, Sheamus did an eye rake and Cena shoved Sheamus, who bumped into referee Charles Robinson against the cage. Cena applied the STF submission, Sheamus tapped out and there was no referee there to see it. Cena should be the WWE Champion, but there wasn’t a referee there to see it. Cena tried to climb out of the cage, but The Nexus was there with Justin Gabriel scaling the cage to meet Cena at the top. Cena tossed Gabriel, who did a flip bump onto his back in the ring. Cena tried to get out by climbing again, but Darren Young and Michael Tarver got a hold of him. Sheamus climbed up the other side of the cage, there was only Heath Slater there, Sheamus knocked him down and Sheamus hit the floor to win the match right in front of referee Jack Doan. Sheamus ran over David Otunga and left through the crowd. The match went 23:19.
Winner by escaping the cage: Sheamus
Analysis: ***1/4 These guys worked really hard and had a pretty good match here. The interference at the end taints it, but it was still an entertaining match from the start to finish. Each guy kicked out of finishing moves, which was a common thing in this era and I think WWE does less of it in today’s wrestling (in 2021), but it still happens sometimes. They did a nice job of going for pinfalls a lot as well as a few attempts at climbing out of the cage. I think they maybe they should have had one of the guys work on a body part of another and try to weaken eachother a bit more because it was all about move after move instead of telling a story in the ring. As for The Nexus guys showing up, I think we all expected that to happen and it was just a matter of what they were going to do when they got there. It wasn’t a shock that The Nexus cost Cena the match since they were heels and he was the top face.
After the match, Sheamus was gone through the crowd while Cena was frustrated as he sat down at ringside.
Cena got back up and tossed Darren Young into the cage. Cena got down into a three point stance and destroyed Michael Tarver with a clothesline on the floor. Cena picked up the steel steel steps and threw them at Tarver to knock him down. Cena: “I told ya I’d take every one of you out!” Cena took the Nexus armband off Tarver and walked to the back with an angry look on his face. The Nexus guys were shown around the ring. Cole wondered what was next. The show ended there.
Analysis: This was a case of Cena taking out of his frustrations on the guys that cost him the WWE Title again. It’s a way to send the fans home happy while Cena continued to have a serious look on his face instead of being happy like the face that he was.
This event had a runtime of 2:47:47 on WWE Network.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Show rating (out of 10): 8
This was a great pay-per-view that was one of the best of 2010 and set the stage well for the annual Money in the Bank PPV as a big event. There were two awesome Money in the Bank matches at the four-star level, the Mysterio/Swagger match was really good and the Cena/Sheamus was solid as a main event cage match even with all of the interference.
Plus, there was the memorable moment of Kane cashing in Money in the Bank on Rey on the same night he won MITB, which is the first time that ever happened. Some of the other matches were just average or really short, so they were forgettable, but I think overall the event was fun to watch. I certainly enjoyed going through it again.
I looked at my 2010 Johnny Awards to see where I rated this show and it was a runner-up to WrestleMania 26 as PPV of the year. I rated WM26 at 7.5 out 10, but I’d probably go 8/10 for that show as I read through it again. In the Wrestling Observer at the time, readers gave it 91% thumbs up. This show was well-liked by the fans.
FIVE STARS
- Kane
- Edge, Chris Jericho & Evan Bourne – To me, the stars of the Raw Ladder Match.
- Rey Mysterio
- The Miz
- John Cena/Sheamus
OPINIONS
Best Match: Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match won by Kane (****1/4 out of 5)
Worst Match: Layla vs. Kelly Kelly (*1/4) – I’m not counting Kane vs. Rey Mysterio because that was just a MITB cash-in.
Most Memorable Moment: Kane cashing in the Money in the Bank contract on Rey Mysterio to become the World Heavyweight Champion. It was a big deal since it was the first time somebody cashed in the briefcase on the same night they won it.
That’s all for me. Check out the full list of my WWE PPV Review archive right here. Thanks for reading.
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My contact info is below.
John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter @johnreport