Money in the Bank Funny Kofi Kingston
Credit: WWE.com
1. Too Many Dark Horses Vying for Money in the Bank
Crashes into ladders, breathtaking leaps and creative offense will wow the crowd at WWE's annual Money in the Bank match. Just don't expect uncertainty about the outcome.
WWE has set up a match with the odds so heavily tipped toward one man that it will lack electricity. In spite of all the bumps the wrestlers are set to take, the Money in the Bank Ladder match promises to underwhelm.
Blame a lack of viable potential winners to contend with Roman Reigns.
Kane isn't winning. He's a 48-year-old role player WWE won't want to be champion at this point. The only way he wins the Money in the Bank contract is if someone has him do so in a video game.
Don't put any money in Neville orKofi Kingston either. Neville has just arrived to the main roster, and it's too soon for him to win the briefcase; Kingston is WWE's perpetual bridesmaid, a midcarder for life.
Those men are both there to provide big, awe-inspiring moments, not to actually contend.
Kofi Kingston leaps from a ladder. Credit: WWE.com
With as recently as Randy Orton won the Money in the Bank contract and as long as he was world champion up until WrestleMania 30, it's highly unlikely the company turns to him again right now. He's at least on a high enough tier to create some doubt about whether he can win.
That's less true for Dolph Ziggler.
As fun as it would be to see him get a second crack at a world championship reign, WWE hasn't shown any signs that it believes him to be worthy of that spot. He's spent the last few years in the hunt for midcard titles, not garnering momentum at the pace Reigns has been.
His current storyline with Lana becoming his love interest reeks of him sticking around the midcard. A feud with Rusev is in his future, as are future shots at the Intercontinental and United States Championships. As for the top prize in the business, he won't catch a glimpse of it in his crystal ball.
Even if one can make an argument that Sheamus has a real chance at winning on Sunday, that leaves the match with one heavy favorite (Reigns), a guy who could conceivably win (Orton) and a man with an outside chance (Sheamus).
That's not enough top dogs in the fight.
Flash back to 2005, when WWE first rolled out the Money in the Bank concept. Edge, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Kane, Shelton Benjamin and Christian all looked to make history and claim that first victory.
Christian was the biggest long shot. As for everyone else, it was easy to imagine any of them winning.
Benoit had been a headliner just a year prior. Kane was far higher up on the WWE hierarchy than he is today. Jericho was in the world title picture, having just lost the Elimination Chamber bout to crown a new champ.
Compare those men to today's Kane, Neville and Kingston, and the difference is clear.
Jericho and company were wrestlers fans could buy walking out of the arena with the briefcase in hand. You can't say that with a straight face about Kingston and his other match-filler peers.
It was a mistake not to have Bray Wyatt in this match. It's too bad that a bad wheel keeps Rusev from competing here. And it's a shame that WWE hasn't worked to elevate Cesaro or Damien Sandow, as either man with the proper push would make believable winners at Money in the Bank.
Replace Kingston and Kane with some of those names, and this match is suddenly far more unpredictable.
2. The 200-Day Club
Nikki Bella is closing in on history, but oddly, WWE has chosen not to highlight that.
The Divas champ has held her title for 200 days now. By the time Money in the Bank arrives, Nikki will move past Beth Phoenix for third on the list of longest-reigning champions.
Per WWE.com, there are only three other women who have reigns longer than 200 days:
- AJ Lee: 295
- Maryse: 216
- Beth Phoenix: 204
Why WWE hasn't made a bigger deal out of this is baffling. Records like this need to be talked about more. It would make Divas title bouts, like the one Nikki is about to have with Paige, far more significant.
WWE @ WWEBREAKING: Nikki @BellaTwins will square off against @RealPaigeWWE at #MITB on Sunday. http://t.co/ugGDa5X7Ni http://t.co/A0SOr31fzz
Paige could prevent Nikki from adding to her historic reign or else Nikki could keep climbing.
The announcers should talk about this more, the way announcers talk about Kobe Bryant passing Michael Jordan on the all-time NBA career points list or Alex Rodriguez moving past Lou Gehrig for most RBI in a career.
It's an easy element to add to a champion's narrative. It only requires shining a light on the numbers.
3. Throwback Video of the Week: Dudley Boyz
Luke Harper and Erick Rowan usurping The Dudley Boyz's finisher, the Dudley Death Drop, has fans hoping for a comeback from the former champs. It's also hard not to have memories of Bubba Ray and Devon begin to pop up in one's mind.
This is a perfect time to load up one of their matches and reminisce. The following bout pits them against Kurt Angle and The Rock, with plenty of chaos unfolding toward the end.
It's refreshing to see SmackDown when it wasn't a B show and when there was ample star power in the tag team division. The 3D through a table alone makes this clip well worth watching.
4. Finishing with Non-Finishers
Reigns took down Kingston on Monday night with a mighty Superman punch that plucked him out of the air.
The powerhouse, though, usually puts his foes away with the spear. It may not seem like a big deal, but having matches end with signature moves like this rather than finishers at times can really add to the excitement later on.
Currently, when King Barrett, for example, hits Winds of Change, fans know that a two-count is coming next. When he nails his opponent with Wasteland, the same thing occurs. It isn't until the Bull Hammer comes that victory is all but assured.
Having those other moves end matches makes them more powerful. Doing this enough creates more drama when wrestlers do kick out of them.
Let's see John Cena pin a few folks with the springboard stunner. Let Dolph Ziggler's superkick be enough to get the win more often.
The minor move will pay dividends down the road.
5. Wrestling without a Home
World of Sport wrestling doesn't have a place to broadcast its in-ring battles. The show was once a staple on British TV, running for 30 years. Although there were plans to bring it back, ITV has decided against resurrecting the program.
PWInsider's Mike Johnson reports, "The network has decreed that professional wrestling no long fits it's broadcast strategies."
Fans can see the pilot episode for free, as the man in charge of producing it has put it up online.
There are some strong elements to the show, including the wrestler interviews that open it. WWE fans will be curious to see Matt Striker step back into the ring after years of doing commentary.
Hopefully, the pilot sparks enough interest for another channel to pick it up.
6. A Direction for R-Truth
Sometimes the stupidest stuff works in wrestling. That looks to be the case with R-Truth.
He appeared on Raw, only to erroneously believe that he was in the Money in the Bank Ladder match.
The silly moment worked. On a sluggish edition, his mistake was one of the highlights. It was funny, it fit his character and it was something new.
WWE should explore this angle further.
R-Truth being confused about booking will be no headliner story, but it's a good way to plug him and make use of his talents. Let him be goofy, create a running joke and see where this leads.
7. Frequently in the Hunt
On Sunday, Kane will extend his record for the most times to wrestle in a Money in the Bank Ladder match.
As many times as he has been part of this bout is a testament to his longevity. Like his WrestleMania numbers, career match total and other figures, it proves that he is WWE's Iron Man.
Kingston and Orton have had their share of Money in the Bank battles as well.
| Most Money in the Bank Appearances Among Active Superstars | |||
| Wrestler | No. of Apperances | Years Competed | No. of Wins |
| Kane | 6 | 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 | 1 |
| Kofi Kingston | 5 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015 | 0 |
| Randy Orton | 4 | 2007, 2010, 2013, 2015 | 1 |
| Dolph Ziggler | 4 | 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 | 1 |
| Cody Rhodes | 4 | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 | 0 |
| The Miz | 3 | 2010, 2011, 2012 | 1 |
| Sheamus | 3 | 2011, 2013, 2015 | 0 |
| Jack Swagger | 3 | 2011, 2013, 2014 | 1 |
| TheHistoryofWWE.com | |||
Kingston does have The Viper beat in one stat. Once he steps into the fray on Sunday, he will have the second-most Money in the Bank appearances without a win, just one behind Christian.
8. Big Show's Best
Groans filled the Internet when WWE decided to have Big Show face Ryback. The big man is often dismissed as an in-ring performer, but he showed just months ago against Reigns that he can deliver a memorable match.
A look back at Big Show's greatest hits, though, shows that he can hit a home run every once in a while, but there are usually years in between them.
- The Giant vs. Sting: Slamboree 1996
- Big Show vs. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar: Vengeance 2003
- Big Show vs. Undertaker: No Mercy 2008
- Big Show vs. Sheamus: Hell in a Cell 2012
- Big Show vs. Roman Reigns: Extreme Rules 2015 (Last Man Standing)
Big Show does work well against brawlers, as we saw in his clashes with Undertaker, Sheamus and Lesnar. That's good news for Ryback, who will hope to produce something as good as anything on this list.
9.Solomon Crowe Will Step Up
With NXT's top tier in flux, count on Crowe to be a major factor in the coming months.
Hideo Itami and Sami Zayn are both injured. Kevin Owens is headed to the main roster. Finn Balor is likely to follow him soon.
Even with Samoa Joe's arrival, that leaves plenty of space at the top of the NXT card to fill.
Crowe can soften the blow of those departures and injuries. A skilled striker and smooth, creative performer, he makes his matches plenty of fun. Beyond that, though, he's such an odd, intriguing character that fans will have to take notice.
The indy veteran feels like something yanked from anime. He's a wild-eyed and energetic whirlwind. With a bigger portion of the stage to work on, he's going to be one of NXT's highlights going forward.
10. Ross' Rant
Jim Ross issued a long list of thoughts on the wrestling business, the majority of which where poignant and spot on. His criticisms boil down the issues with wrestling in a really astute way.
For example, he wrote on his blog, "The majority of fans don't want bad acting or predictable promos but instead want to get lost in personal issues featuring the stars settling the conflict in the ring utilizing superior athletic representation."
WWE won't do it, but it should print that quote out—and most of the Ross' blog posts for that matter—and pin it to the wall in the writer's room. It's a wise reminder to keep things simple and to focus on what has proved to be tried and true in the industry over the years.
Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2491948-ryan-dilberts-10-count-money-in-the-bank-ladder-match-field-hurts-suspense
0 Response to "Money in the Bank Funny Kofi Kingston"
Post a Comment