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HOW TO SET UP MONEY IN THE BANK V

Hey everybody and welcome back to Zach’s How To Guide. Hi, I’m Zach Levine… [insert Dolph Ziggler handshake] and every week I try to look at something coming up in wrestling and how to either start it, fix it, or end it.

I got some nice feedback from last week’s Hall of Fame column. Readers felt that it might be too soon for Owen Hart to be inducted, but people threw out the names Barry Windham and Brian Pillman to be put in, so got some interesting responses. If rumors hold true by the way and a certain Canadian Hitman inducts the Texas Rattlesnake, might have a really cool moment on our hands.

So onto this week’s column, Chapter 12 – How to set up Money In The Bank V. MITB is one of my favorite yearly matches in the WWE behind the Royal Rumble and anytime Kung Fu Naki is in the ring. What I like about MITB is that every year it elevates one talent into the main event picture. Previous winners Edge, RVD, and CM Punk all got a nice sized boost from winning the match. Mr. Kennedy…well he was gonna win the title if not for a faulty doctor’s note, so good intentions were there.

So how shall we book this marquee Wrestlemania matchup? Easy, qualifying matches on every show from No Way Out until two weeks before Mania. Who do we insert into the match? Well let’s take a look at previous MITBs and see who they had, so we can get a better grasp of who belongs in the match.

2005 – Edge, Jericho, Christian, Kane, Benoit, and Shelton
Personally I believe this was the best crop of guys in the match, all believable ladder match participants and people who set the bar insanely high for the years to come.

2006 – Flair, Finlay, Lashley, Matt Hardy, Shelton, and RVD
Well from one extreme to the other. This match is actually hard to watch at points. Flair, who beat Carlito, a more deserving contestant for the spot, takes a ladder bump and gets knocked out most of the way through the match. Lashley takes a minute to climb one rung. Finlay is still coming into his own in his first ladder match as well, leaving Hardy, Shelton, and RVD to pick up most of the slack.

2007 – Edge, Orton, Kennedy, Booker, Finlay, M Hardy, J Hardy, Punk
This is my personal favorite MITB match. It was well booked and all contestants busted their asses. Try and go back and watch the promo the RAW before this match, it was a Cutting Edge with all the contestants, real strong promo from everyone involved. It also featured the Hardy leg drop that people still talk about today. My only issue though is that at the time, Edge and Orton were real strong main eventers and seemed lost in the shuffle in this match.

2008 – Punk, Kennedy, MVP, Jericho, Shelton, Carlito, Morrison
It was a good match, but the contestants never really seemed to gel. I have always thought too the match was overshadowed by Jeff Hardy’s extracurricular activities as well.

So for 2009, I say we go to 8 contestants. I want equal representation from all three brands, four faces and four heels, and wrestlers who can put on a solid match.

FROM RAW
Rey Mysterio: To my recollection, the only ladder match he was involved in was the one he had with Eddie Guerrero. I think he’d be a great addition to the match and would perform some sick moves with the ladders. Can’t you picture him doing a 619 with a ladder held against someones face? Let’s give him the nod in a match over Kane.

Kofi Kingston: It looks like WWE is giving him a push, especially with this elimination chamber pick. I loved his reaction when he won, I think he just said Oh Snap fifty times in a row. But I digress. You put one of the most athletically gifted superstars in the ladder match and good things can only come Let’s give him the nod in a match over Punk.

FROM ECW
Evan Bourne: I believe he returns at the end of this month and the WWE will be better for it. Before Bam Neely forgot to catch him and was future endeavored, Bourne was on the WWE fast track. Cmon, I think we all want to see a Shooting Star Press from the top of the ladder. Let’s give him the nod in a match over Mark Henry.

The Miz and John Morrison: Very easy choices for this match. The Miz has obviously improved immensely, and Morrison impressed the hell out of me with last year’s match with the ladder moonsault. Let’s give them the nod in a match over the Colons.

FROM SMACKDOWN
Shelton Benjamin: He is the expert on these matches, and fully deserves his spot in this match. You know he’ll put on a good show and I give him the nod over Hurricane Helms.

MVP: The losing streak is done, the fans are behind him, and personally I think it is time to push the Ballin’ Superstar in the main event. My choice for the winner. He gets the nod over Matt Hardy.

The Brian Kendrick: He was part of one of my favorite ladder matches of all time, the four team match which he and London won. I think he would be a bumping machine for all the other contestants and would love to see what he can do in this match. He goes over R-Truth.

I left out the Hardys because I think they will be in a match against each other. I left out Christian because I thought for sure he would redebut at the Rumble and obviously that didn’t happen. And since Rourke won’t be at Wrestlemania now, I think CM Punk might pick up the slack in a match vs. Jericho.

Well hope y’all enjoyed reading. Any feedback please ship to zachlevine86@gmail.com

Stay tuned for next week’s column, how to give better names to moves/wrestlers in the WWE and TNA.