WWE RAW Results (05/12/08) Jim Ross welcomes us to the Joe Louis Arena as we go into the show with the lights out in the arena. The lights come back on and William Regal is in the ring...
Wrestlemaina is right around the corner! With Wrestlemania comes one of the most exciting matches to become an annual staple since its inception in 2005. I speak of course, of the Money In The Bank Ladder Match! This match (although not having been around that long) has evolved already. Once, a match featuring six top stars, has since been expanded to eight within the last year. This of course, sets up more mayhem...and more destruction!
Edge walked away the winner of the very first MITB, Rob Van Dam got his much-deserved break and won the second. Both went on to cash the contract in and win the Championship! Mr. Ken Kennedy managed to win the third installement, but due to injury, had to relinquish the chance. This, leads me to my question today...who should win the MITB match at Wrestlemania XXIV?
The red-hot InterContinental Champion Jeff Hardy was first to qualify. To be expected, as Hardy is a mainstay when ladder matches are on the card. This also means that, sadly the InterContinental Title will not be defended for the sixth year in a row at 'Mania. Last years winner Mr. Kennedy qualified after beating Val Venus; predictable as Val is only seen these days whenever WWE needs a jobber for Raw. The third man thus far-Shelton Benjamin-qualifies as a memeber from ECW. A decent entry as he is brought in to do some amazing athletic moves, not win, then not be seen regularly until next years MITB match!
Eight spots, three of which are taken. Now before we can examine who might win, we have to fill those spots. Logistically, my first instinct is to put Raw star Chris Jericho in the match. Why? To me it appears as though JBL is now involved with McMahon/Finlay/Hornswoggle. Thus, I'll say JBL vs. Finlay at 'Mania, which would leave Jericho open for the match. From the Smackdown side of things, there sadly isn't much to choose from. That is why I would put Kane in the match as well. He's been in it before and even though he's a big man, he can hold his own in ladder matches.
This leaves three spots still open. Looking at the rosters, we see that guys like Finlay, Matt Hardy, and MVP are taken as they will probably have their own matches on the card already. The fact that the WWE lost guys like Booker T, Bobby Lashley, and even Chris Benoit doesn't help either.
All that said, the sixth spot, I would give to another ECW guy. There are options, but I would have CM Punk fighting Chavo Guerrero for the ECW Title already in something like a cage or Last Man Standing Match; so their taken. Thus, I would give the spot to either John Morrison, or even...hear me out...Steven Richards. The WWE seems to be building this guy back up, and I feel he has dedicated enough to the business to earn a spot on the card.
In fact, with the lack of star power and availability from the Smackdown roster, that is how I would fill both the sixth and seventh spots; give them both to John Morrison and Steven Richards. One spot remains. From a fan standpoint, I would love to see one of the high-flying, death-defying crusierweights get the spot. Someone like Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Jimmy Wang Yang, etc. Sadly that won't happen, so with one last spot, I would give it to someone with a bright future in the business. Smackdown's own Kenny Dykstra. Why? One, Smackdown needs some other representative other than Kane, and two, Kenny (from what I've seen) can go when it comes to ladder matches.
There are other options of course. Umaga, Chuck Pulumbo, even The Miz are candidiates. I feel strong about my line-up, which overall looks like this: Hardy (Raw), Kennedy (Raw), Benjamin (ECW), Jericho (Raw), Kane (Smackdown), Morrison (ECW), Richards (ECW), and Dykstra (Smackdown). Overall a pretty solid line-up with perhaps Kenny as the one that stands out the most.
So who should win the fourth MITB? Again, there are options. One, Kennedy could win again and this time not make the mistake of putting it on the line (albeit he was injured). Two, Jeff Hardy has been on fire and the fans would love to see him win it. Three, Jericho is also lived by the fans and deserves it as well. Tough call. Personally, I would love to see Jericho win it, and hold it all the way until next years Wrestlemania, ensuring a spot in the main event and take the title!
In the end, I see it coming down between Kennedy and Jeff Hardy no matter who else gets in. These two have been on fire as of late and both will put 100% in the match. I would love if either one won the match, and had matches throughout the year losing the breifcase to one another. This would make the contract very valuable and worth even more!
Either way, whom ever wins has a real shot at getting the title. Each time it has been cashed in, the title has changed hands. Will we see Jeff Hardy as top champion in 2008? It may be too soon to tell, but I'm gonna say... you can "bank" on that!
