Money in the Bank 2011
One of my favorite PPVs of all time, and so I decided to give it a go tonight.
Smackdown Money in the Bank - 4.5 stars
Sin Cara vs. Wade Barrett vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Heath Slater vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane vs. Sheamus
I can't tell which Sin Cara this is. I like the current one more than the first one. Sin Cara and DB do an awesome flip move, that was epic. Sin Cara through the ladder is sickening. The way his arm is shaking afterward is terrible. There is a Slater moment that didn't work, luckily Kane was there as a backup to catch him when it didn't work. Justin's 450 splash is so precarious, I'm glad he hit it. Daniel sitting on top looks so scary, it looks like he's gonna get hit with something big. The crowd goes nuts for Bryan and I remember I did too. Such a good end. Not the best money ladder match, but still really good.
Brie Bella vs. Kelly Kelly - 2 stars
I forgot Kelly Kelly existed. Brie is doing a pretty good job and Kelly is botching a couple spots, good thing she's champion. All she has to do is hit a weird Fame-ass-er to win.
Big Show vs. Mark Henry - 3 stars
I didn't realize these two already started their feud here. They would continue it for a while. This is a mostly boring match which has a good ending. Oh now after the match I do remember this, this is what sets up their feud later in the year cause he uses the chair on his leg. I think he's legit hurt after that. Ow, that would hurt so bad. I don't think they realized how much that would actually hurt.
Raw Money in the Bank - 5 stars
Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne vs. R-Truth vs. Alex Riley vs. The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio
Evan Bourne from the top of the ladder is the bump of the night so far. I love Michael Cole's commentary with his love fest for the miz. Oh man, having everyone up top is great. That Swagger fall was sick cause of how it was clearly not intended that way. Oh man that Miz almost getting it is great. This match is a little better than the first cause of all the so close moments. Del Rio taking the mask off of Mysterio is great. While I like Daniel Bryan with the briefcase more, this match was better than the first.
Randy Orton vs. Christian - 5 stars
World Heavyweight Championship if Randy gets DQed he loses the title
Man, these two put on amazing matches. I'm super impressed at the both of them. The crowd is really into this one. Oh man, they really put on a hell of a match and the end is amazing with Christian spitting in Randy's face to make him go nuts. That is an amazing way to win the championship. I love it. Of course not letting him celebrate also makes sense. Keep Randy crazy. Great match and great story. Oh man, this after match story is great. Hitting the second RKO on the table is great. Just watching that makes me want to watch all their feud, it's so delicious. Pure genius story telling.
John Cena vs. CM Punk - 5 stars (10 stars if I could vote that high. One of my favorite matches of all time.)
WWE Championship. If CM Punk wins he quits the company with the championship.
The lead up to this match is one of the most epic lead ups ever. The pipe bomb promo is so good. CM Punk was on his absolute game at this point. Having this in Chicago makes this match. The crowd is so behind Punk it's amazing. Oh man this crowd is so good. It was right of them to just let it go on for a while and man those boos for Cena are epic. This match is so hyped. Having Colt Cabana ring side is great. Punk is sitting with him, it's so good. Oh man I love this build up. The announcers are talking about the Montreal Screw Job, which is good to get into the audience's head. It's hard to write during this cause the whole match is so epic. These two are so good together. They've hit the 30 minute mark. Man these two are insane. McMahon trying to screw job and Cena saying no, I love that. "Oh my God," says Cole. CM Punk wins. Oh man. The crowd goes nuts. "Gimme Alberto out here," says Vince. CM Punk kicks out Alberto. Great stuff. Here's the moment him blowing the kiss and walking into the crowd. Oh man. Him holding the title in the fans with Vince looking sad. Oh man. That is why this PPV was the best. One of the best in years. Easily in my top three of all time. All those matches are just epic.