By Chris Shore

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WWE Money in the Bank
Aired live on pay-per-view
Phoenix, Arizona at U.S. Airways Center

Pre Show

Scott Stanford and Matt Striker opened the pre-show with video of fans coming into the building. They ran down the card with no surprises...Backstage, Zack Ryder and Santino Marella talked about Santino winning the ladder match. Santino had a mini-briefcase for the Cobra. Damien Sandow walked up and started to cut a promo, Ryder interrupted him and said nobody was buying it. Sandow said he would win the ladder match and told them to thank him, just like Ryder should thank him for having the night off since he beat Ryder in their qualifier. Santino and Ryder walked off...

Shore's Slant: That was what I was hoping for on Smackdown. It wasn't great, but it does add heat to what appears to be a feud between Ryder and Sandow.

The tag champs made their entrance. Hunico and Camacho made their entrance as Hunico cut a promo in Spanish. He finished in English by saying they were the future of WWE...

1. R-Truth and Kofi Kingston vs. Hunico and Camacho. Hunico and Truth started. Truth played to the crowd with an invisible Little Jimmy. Hunico grabbed Little Jimmy and tossed him from the ring. That pissed Truth off and he attacked Hunico. Cute. The tag champs worked over Camacho with double team moves. Hunico pushed Truth into the ropes and Camacho kicked him for the heels to take control. Truth hit a jumping kick to make the hot tag to Kofi.

Kofi cleaned house and drove Camacho to the floor. He hit the Boom Drop on Hunico and setup for Trouble in Paradise. Hunico ducked the kick and hit a kick of his own. He pushed Kofi to the floor. Kofi tried to fight his way back in, but Camacho pulled the rope down on a springboard attempt and Kofi took a kick from Hunico on the ropes.

Camacho tagged in and powered Kofi around. Hunico tagged in with a drop kick in the corner. He hooked a schoolboy rollup, and then powered Kofi up into a power bomb type move for a nearfall. Wow. Hunico whipped Kofi to the corner, but Kofi ran up the buckle and hit a flying head scissor.

Both men made tags and Truth beat up Camacho. He hit a spike DDT that Hunico broke up the count on. Truth tossed Hunico into a Trouble in Paradise, and Kofi tossed Camacho into a Lie Detector for the win...

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated Hunico and Camacho at 8:23.

Shore's Slant: Fun opening match that probably did a good job to get the crowd hot for the PPV. It looks like no Prime Time Playas on this show. Oh well. We continue to wait for the supposed "greater interest" in WWE tag team wrestling.

Backstage, Josh Matthews asked Chris Jericho what his strategy was for the ladder match tonight. Jericho said his strategy was to win. He also called Matthews a dummy. Jericho put over all his opponents. He said he invented the Money in the Bank match, but had never won one. He said that changes tonight. He finished his promo by dropping several Y2J babyface phrases and spoke in that same rhythm.

The announce team ran down the card again. A video recapped the feud between Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus...Backstage, Josh Matthews interviewed Daniel Bryan and asked him about the two proposals concerning his "ex-girlfriend." Bryan said she was his future wife. Bryan said everyone saw her passion when she kissed him. Matthews pointed out she slapped him. Bryan said that showed the passion they shared. He said AJ was the most honest person he knew. He asked if she was willing to make the tough decisions, and answered yes. He asked if she would be fair and again answered yes. He asked if he would leave with both the WWE Championship and AJ's heart and answered yes, yes, yes. A video recapped the WWE title/AJ feud...You could faintly hear Lillian Garcia getting the crowd ready for the PPV...

Main Show

The opening video recapped various people successfully cashing in they briefcases, and then clips of different big crashes over the years. It closed with John Cena promising to win the match, and then the voice over asking who would be the next champion. The pyro popped and Michael Cole, Jerry "The King" Lawler, and Booker T checked in on commentary...

Vickie Guerrero did her "Excuse me" bit and introduced Dolph Ziggler. The remaining contestants made their normal entrances. The Spanish announce team was introduced just before the bell...

1. Dolph Ziggler vs. Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Sin Cara vs. Tensai vs. Christian in the Smackdown Money in the Bank ladder match. A brawl broke out and Tensai stood tall. He tossed two ladders into the ring and put one across the second rope in the corner. He hit a slingshot on Kidd and started to setup the other for the briefcase. Christian attacked Tensai, and Kidd recovered to help him hit Tensai in the face with a ladder.

Christian turned on Kidd and set the ladder up Christian, Santino, and Kidd all climbed the ladder, but Sandow pushed the ladder over for the first big bump of the night. Dolph stopped Sandow from climbing the ladder. Cody stopped Dolph. Sin Cara ran in and took out Cody. He put Dolph on the top rope and they botched the hell out of Sin Cara's top rope finisher. Everybody landed OK, but it was a scary moment. Later, Tensai botched a powerbomb on Santino and ended up hitting it in a twisting fashion. He took another shot with it on Kidd, but Kidd held on and they both tumbled over the rope to the floor.

Sandow made an attempt and Christian climbed over top of him. They battled at the ladder, with Sandow getting the best. Sandow took the ladder down and set it in the corner. He lifted Christian for a powerslam on it, but Christian slid out and shoved Sandow into it. Christian went for the spear. Sandow stopped it for a moment, but Christian finally hit it on the ladder. Cody and Dolph worked together to stop Christian.

Tensai took them both out and climbed the ladder. The other seven men tried to stop him, with Christian finally getting it down by hitting him with another ladder. Santino ended up on the ladder with the Cobra sock on. Sandow tried to stop him, but the Cobra struck. Cody dropkicked Santino off the ladder. Santino landed on another ladder in a nasty looking spot.

Cody started to climb the ladder. Vickie ran in and climbed the other side. They argued and Vickie finally climbed down. Dolph hit the Zig Zag off the ladder on Cody and started to climb the ladder. Christian ran up the other side and fought with Dolph. Sandow put a ladder on one side. Kidd rode a ladder over and did a flipping slam to drop Dolph off the ladder. That got a holy shit chant.

Later, Tensai set a ladder from the ring to the announce table. He powerbombed Sin Cara on it but it didn't break. He tossed Ziggler over the announce table and Ziggler landed rough. Cody hit two disaster kicks to take Tensai out. Cody climbed the ladder and Christian setup one beside it. He speared Cody off the ladder and climbed up. Santino tried to stop him, but Christian knocked him down. Ziggler ran up behind Christian and shoved him off onto the ladder Christian had used to spear Cody. Ziggler took the briefcase for the win as Vickie celebrated loudly...

Dolph Ziggler won the Money in the Bank ladder match at 18:34.

Shore's Slant: Not one of the better ladder matches I have seen. There were several sloppy spots, most of which didn't even involve the ladder. Some of the spots also looked unnecessary. Ziggler was my choice and, quite frankly, the right choice. Now as long as he isn't the first to fail to cash in all will be fine.

Backstage, Josh Matthews started to ask Sheamus about Ziggler, but Sheamus said he wasn't looking ahead. Matthews asked him about Del Rio. Sheamus put over Del Rio as a car guy who has to resort to using them to win. He said he didn't need a fancy hood ornament because he had the only ornament that mattered, the World Title. He said when his match was over, you would find Del Rio and his spare tire, Ricardo Rodriguez, among the junk heap...

Justin Roberts introduced a returning Miz who got a good cheer from the crowd. Miz said he had been filming a movie and he was finally been treated with the respect he deserved. He said he wasn't there to brag, he was there to say he had won a Money in the Bank match and successfully cash it in. He said he was tired of being overlooked and needed to make an instant impact. He said he would be entering, and winning, the Raw Money in the Bank match...

Shore's Slant: Most people expected another entrant on the Raw side, and Miz was one of the favorites. I guess with no GM since Big Johnny was fired means Miz can just book himself in the match.

A video hyped the infamous "asses in the seats" Mick Foley title win. The announce team put over the 1000th episode of Raw and then setup a video that recapped the World Heavyweight title feud...

2. Alberto Del Rio (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship. Del Rio told Sheamus he was gong to tap. I had a brief moment where I just knew Sheamus was going to hit the Brogue Kick and win in 18 seconds, but that didn't happen. Del Rio slapped Sheamus and Sheamus hit several elbows and clubbing blows on Del Rio. Del Rio kicked the arm and worked on it when he could in the early moments, but it was almost all Sheamus early with brawling offense.

Sheamus hit his top rope tackle for two and Del Rio went to the floor. Sheamus rolled him back in the ring, but Ricardo slapped the mat to distract Sheamus. Del Rio hit the step-up enziguri to take control. Del Rio slammed Sheamus into the stairs on the bad arm. He rolled Sheamus back in the ring and worked the arm with arm bars an an arm breaker. Every time Sheamus made his feet, Del Rio would hit kicks to take him back down.

Sheamus started a comeback, but Del Rio moved and Sheamus hit the post with his shoulder. Del Rio quickly went to the floor and hit a kick on the arm on the post. Del Rio started for the cross arm breaker but Sheamus shoved him off. They battled at the rope, and Sheamus tried for his slingshot tackle, but Del Rio hit an arm breaker for a near fall.

Del Rio disrespected Sheamus and Sheamus suddenly kicked his ass. He hit a running knee for a two count and started his offense. He hit the forearms over the rope, but Del Rio hit a hangman on the arm. Del Rio charged in, but Sheamus hit the Irish Curse for two. Sheamus went for the Brogue kick, but Del Rio moved and Sheamus got tied up in the ropes. Del Rio hit a backstabber for two. Del Rio went for another enziguri from behind, but Sheamus ducked. He hit White Noise and played to the crowd for the Brogue kick, which he hit for the clean win...

Sheamus defeated Alberto Del Rio at 14:21.

Post-match, Sheamus started to leave with the belt, but Ric Rod jumped on his back. Del Rio attacked Sheamus and the two of them beat Sheamus down in the corner. The crowd chanted for Ziggler, and Ziggler's music hit. Ziggler tried to cash in, but Del Rio stopped him. Ziggler hit Del Rio and Ric Rod with the briefcase and then gave it to the ref. He turned around into a Brogue kick before the ref could start the match, so no official title match...

Shore's Slant: That was every bit the match I thought it would be, and I kind of figured this was the ending with Sheamus taking out Ziggler. I don't mind it too much, because that will be great video to use when Ziggler finally goes over him. Del Rio was marginalized again in this loss, but that has been the norm for some time now. I would guess this also signals Randy Orton is the next challenger for Sheamus as Dolph just showed he "isn't ready" and there's nobody else to work with for Sheamus.

They replayed the Daniel Bryan interview from the pre-show...The tag champs made their ring entrances wearing suits. They got no reaction, which isn't surprising considering the live crowd has already seen them tonight. They joined the announce team, because a three man booth isn't a big enough train wreck. A.W. did the ring introductions for his team, and their opponents were out next with a video showing how A.W. turned on Primo and Epico...

3. The Prime Time Playas (w/A.W.) vs. Primo and Epico (w/Rosa). Epico and O'Neal started. We got both men tagging out within the first minute. Primo dove on Young on the floor. Epico pulled the rope down causing O'Neal to crash down on his partner as well, and then Epico dove on all three of them. Later in the match, Titus shoved Epico to the floor and A.W. played to the crowd with his live mic to draw some decent heat. They also did a spot where A.W. picked Young's afro while Young choked Epico on the floor. So much for serious storytelling.

Primo got a hot tag that no one reacted to because they were cheering Rosa dancing. Primo jumped off with a springboard attempt, but Young caught him and hit a code breaker type move. A.W. told Young to finish it. Young reached down and Primo rolled him up for the surprise win.

Primo and Epico defeated The Prime Time Playas at 7:37.

Post-match, A.W. said it didn't matter because they were still the number one contenders. They turned around and started talking trash to the champs. The two teams ended up facing off on the floor, but A.W. pulled his guys back and said Truth and Kofi didn't have any money. Truth threw water in A.W.'s face. A.W. took his shoes off and started to go after him. His tag team dragged him back and the tag champs' music played...

Shore's Slant: A surprise finish there, but one I hope means the PTP are going to learn to quit acting foolish. Probably not based on the post-match silliness. Sigh.

A video recapped the WWE title/AJ feud. Backstage, Matt Striker asked AJ about her performance as referee considering her mental stability. AJ said she was taking her job seriously and she was in full control. Striker asked her about bad feelings toward Punk. AJ said that even though Punk broke her heart and crushed her hopes and dreams in front of the world, she still knew what type of person he was. Striker asked about Bryan and AJ said he was her first love and he had a special place in her heart, even when her first love was just using her. She said when she was around them she didn't know whether to hug and kiss them or...she broke off and regained control. Striker thanked her and she walked off smiling...

4. Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk in a no disqualification match, with AJ as the special referee, for the WWE Championship. Punk started with vicious knees and they spilled to the floor as AJ just watched. They rolled back in the ring, and Bryan squeezed Punk's face as AJ just looked on again. I'm beginning to think the no DQ stipulation was to help AJ as the ref. Bryan hit several kicks for the first cover of the night, but Punk kicked out at one.

Bryan rolled to the floor and Punk hit a dive on him. He dropped Bryan on the railing and rolled him in the ring. Punk followed, and AJ, who had followed them to the floor, climbed to the apron. Bryan shoved Punk, and Punk crashed into AJ, sending her to the floor. Punk checked on her, which allowed Bryan to attack from behind. Bryan drove Punk into the steps and checked on AJ. He told the trainer to take care of her and went back to brutalizing Punk all over the floor.

A new ref took over and Bryan whipped Punk into the rail and charged. Punk back dropped him into the time keepers area. He picked up Bryan and crotched him on the rail, and then clotheslined him off the rail. Punk went under the ring and a "We want tables" chant broke out. Punk pulled one out, but Bryan grabbed him from behind and hit a body slam. Bryan grabbed a kendo stick and swung, but Bryan missed.

Punk fled to the ring and kicked at Bryan to keep him from getting in. Bryan slid in and they battled over the stick. The stick got dropped and Punk jumped off the top rope. Bryan grabbed the stick and whacked Punk in the air for two. Bryan hit Punk several times with the stick on the back. Bryan set Punk in the corner and chopped him down with kicks. Bryan went for the diving headbutt, but Punk moved.

The two men traded blows in the middle of the ring with the yes/no chants. Punk got the best and hit a neckbreaker for two. Punk went for GTS, but Bryan slipped out and tried for the Yes Lock. Punk reversed again and hit a ranna for a near fall. Bryan hit a quick roundhouse kick to knock Punk out. Bryan locked in a surfboard, but Punk escaped and grabbed the kendo stick. He beat Bryan with it for a near fall and climbed to the top.

Bryan caught Punk upstairs and hit a superplex that both men sold. AJ ran out and dismissed the other ref, who went to the back as ordered. She looked at both men down and smiled. She skipped around the ring and then went under the ring for a chair. She stood in the middle of the ring and dropped the chair. Both men scrambled for it as she leaned against the ropes and smiled. Bryan got the chair and wore CM punk out with it. He covered for a great near fall. Bryan talked seriously to AJ about her count and Punk rolled him up for a two count. Bryan didn't like that either.

Bryan again kicked Punk down in the corner and hit another 300 kicks that made me hurt. Bryan backed up and charged at him. Punk dove out for a clothesline and picked up the chair. He hit Bryan hard three times and shoved stuck the chair in the corner. He started to whip Bryan into it, but AJ stood in the way. Punk told her to move, and that let Bryan hit the drop kick in the corner.

Dueling chants broke out and AJ looked crazy. Bryan crawled over to get the kendo stick, but AJ stepped on it. She smiled at him and he argued with her a moment. He finally gave up and turned around into a roundhouse kick. Punk grabbed the chair and slammed Bryan on the chair. Punk went for the elbow from the top, but Bryan moved and Punk hit the chair. Bryan slapped on the Yes lock and used the kendo stick to pull back. AJ got right in his face and looked orgasmic. Punk pushed back and stole the stick to knock his way out. He grabbed Bryan and hit a slingshot onto the post, and then followed with a GTS. It took him a while to crawl over and cover. Bryan kicked out at 25:00 and Punk stared at AJ in frustration.

Punk set the table up in the ring and put Bryan on it. He went tot he top, but Bryan woke up and dropped him on the top. Bryan climbed up and tried for a superplex on the table, but Punk slid out and dropped Bryan on the to[. Punk climbed up behind Bryan and hit a back suplex from the second rope and covered for a straight count and win. Post-match, CM Punk celebrated on each turnbuckle, walking past AJ a number of times without acknowledging her existence...

CM Punk retained the WWE Championship at 27:52.

Shore's Slant: Holy God. Match of the Year folks, at least thus far. Yes, it was better than Triple H vs. Undertaker. They told a hell of a story in the ring, and AJ managed to leave us wondering still! I didn't think it was possible. I think it needs to go away quickly now, but I never expected her to call this straight down the middle. Now the Raw MitB match takes on big interest.

5. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks vs. Ryback. The team of real WWE talent apparently has to tag in and out. Ryback tossed Hawkins around. Hawkins ran, and that allowed Reks to get a tag and hit a surprise clothesline that took Ryback off his feet for the "first" time. The crowd died as Ryback got beat down, and chanted "Goldberg" as he started his comeback. Ryback hit Shell Shocked for the win...

Ryback defeated Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks at 4:23.

Shore's Slant: As I feared, the bloom is off the flower on Ryback. They need to put him in a program now.

Chris Jericho's favorite Raw moment was his original debut...Apparently something went real short because there was an unannounced Divas tag match and each and every Diva got an entrance...

6. Layla, Kaitlyn, and Tamina vs. Beth Phoenix, Natalya, and Eve. The crowd, that was already mostly dead after the Ryback match, died completely on this match. Kaitlyn played the babyface in trouble, and Layla got the hot tag. The match broke down with all six women in the ring. Tamina hit a superkick on Beth, and Layla followed with the Layout for the win...

Layla, Kaitlyn, and Tamina defeated Beth Phoenix, Natalya, and Eve at 3:23.

Shore's Slant: Two cool down matches in a row? Something must have gone real short. Crazy. You know what, Layla can go. She looked very good here. I wish they would let the women friggin wrestle. It really gets on my nerves.

7. John Cena vs. Big Show vs. Miz vs. Kane vs. Chris Jericho in the Raw Money in the Bank ladder match. Cena took Big Show out with a clothesline over the top, but Show shoved him into the stairs. Show beat up Jericho and Kane, and then got back in the ring to tackle Miz and Cena. He grabbed a ladder, and slammed it down on Jericho, who was trying to get back in the ring. Show continued to dominate as man after man took a shot to take him down.

Jericho hit a surprised Code Breaker on Show, followed by a DDT from the knees from Miz, and a big boot from Kane. Show crashed to the floor in front of Cena. Cena pulled the cowl off the Spanish announce tab and hit the AA on Show through the table. Everyone buried Big Show with ladders. Jericho rammed everyone with a ladder and then set it up in the ring. He climbed up, but Miz stopped him. Miz pulled Jericho down, but Jericho hooked on the high angle Liontamer. Kane put a ladder in the ring, and Jericho broke the hold to kick the ladder into Kane.

Miz was the first person to make it to the top of the ladder, but Kane threw another ladder at him and pulled him down. Kane climbed up close and Jericho tried to push the ladder over. Kane grabbed his throat and climbed down. He grabbed Miz with the other hand. They reversed into a suplex on the ladder. Cena ran in and slammed Miz on the ladder and Jericho on the same ladder. He hit a double five knuckle shuffle on both men, and then hit an AA on Kane on the ladder. Jericho threw a ladder at Cena to take him out.

Jericho set a ladder in the ring and started to climb. Big Show popped up from the ladder grave and ripped the ladder under Jericho apart. He beat Jericho with the ladder until it snapped in half, and then we got a repeat of the opening sequence with Show killing everybody. He set a ladder against Cena on the ropes and then splashed on it. Show threw every one and all the ladders from the ring. He went under the ring and pulled out a huge ladder that Show struggled to put in the ring.

Show setup the monster ladder and climbed up. Kane recovered and climbed up the other side. They traded punches and then grabbed each others throats. Show hit a headbutt to finally knock Kane off. Cena ran up and took a headbutt as well. Jericho grabbed a chair and hit Show with it until Show was down in the ring.

Jericho and Cena climbed the ladder simultaneously and swatted at the briefcase. They battled at the top and Cena lifted Jericho for the AA. Jericho floated over and hooked in a sleeper on Cena. Cena started to fade, but then Superman climbed the ladder tot he top and reached for the briefcase. Cena collapsed on top and Miz climbed up the other side. Jericho knocked him down, which allowed Cena to recover and reach for the briefcase again.

Jericho choked Cena out again and shoved him off the ladder. Miz climbed up and punched Jericho off the ladder, but Jericho grabbed the briefcase and swung out and back to the ladder. They teased a superplex off the ladder, with Jericho stopping Miz from doing it. Show climbed up and pushed Miz to the side. Jericho sold shock at seeing Big Show. Show hit the WMD on Jericho and then Miz. John Cena ran up and grabbed the briefcase. Show punched the briefcase when Cena used it for a shield. He hit Show with the briefcase three times, and then the handle broke on the case for a John Cena victory. Post-match, Cena played to the crowd for a long time to end the show...

John Cena won the Raw Money in the Bank match at 20:05.

Shore's Slant: The look on Cena's face right after he won was interesting. I don't think it was supposed to end that way. I still think Cena was supposed to win, but I think the briefcase breaking was a surprise. Either way, how dangerous was the Jericho spot where he swung out on the chain? Crazy. The match wasn't too bad, but the Superman spot from Cena are getting so tiresome. They get a great reaction out of the average fan, but I don't understand why.

All in all a decent show that had a lot of wild swings on the excitement meter. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan was must see wrestling, the Raw ladder match was pretty good, the Smackdown ladder match was fun but botchy, Sheamus vs. Del Rio was good but predictable, and everything else was filler of zero importance. I will have more to say in the Member's Exclusive Dot Net audio review with Jason Powell later tonight. Thanks for watching along with me tonight.

Questions? Comments? Anyone, anyone? Let me hear from you. Email me at css3238@gmail.com or tweet me @TheShoreSlant with whatever is on your mind.

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