Money in the Bank has become one of the most anticipated pay-per-views in the WWE, and Sunday night proved why that is the case.
Five championship belts were on the line at Money in the Bank, and two ladder matches gave two grapplers the special opportunity to cash in a title shot at any time of their choosing.
In the first ladder match, Wade Barrett, Dean Ambrose, Fandango, Antonio Cesaro, Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow entered the ring for the Rising Stars Money in the Bank challenge. Ambrose of The Shield entered as the favorite, but a subplot developed in the build up about whether Sandow and Cody Rhodes, best friends, would turn on one another for a shot at the title. It came down to that indeed, as Sandow threw Rhodes from the ladder and ascended himself to victory.
In the Intercontinental title match, Curtis Axel defeated The Miz in a hotly contested bout that featured figure four leglocks, and equally impressive reversals. That match was followed by the Diva's Championship bout, which was won by A.J. Lee with an excruciating-looking Black Widow submission move.
In the next fight, a non-title matchup between Chris "Y2J" Jericho and the massive Ryback pitted Jericho's pacing and technical skills against Ryback's relentless power. Jericho controlled much of the match and landed some nice moves, but Ryback surprised him late with a roll-up to stun Y2J and the audience.
In the World Heavyweight Championship bout, Alberto Del Rio successfully defended his title against Dolph Ziggler in a bout that might have stolen the show. Ziggler was nailing picturesque dropkicks, while Del Rio pulled off one of the pretties Tilt-a-whirl slams in recent memory. Ziggler had the match in hand until his A.J. Lee attempted to help him by slamming the women's belt into Del Rio's face, knocking him out and allowing him to retain the title via disqualification.
In the WWE Championship match, John Cena faced off against "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry, who was intent on cementing his legacy after 17 years as a true WWE great. He dominated Cena for long stretches, and landed his vaunted Powerslam, but Cena was able to survive the beating and land an "Attitude Adjustment." That wasn't enough though, and Cena wound up winning by submission, as Henry tapped out while in the clutches of the STFU.
Finally, in the All-Stars Money in the Bank matchup, Rob Van Dam made his return in a star-studded match that also featured CM Punk, Sheamus, Christian, Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton.
Each man had his moments, but two things in particular were breathtaking. RVD completed a Five-Star Frog Splash off a giant ladder, and Sheamus was launched off the top rope onto a ladder resting on the ring apron and barricade. He cracked it in half to the delight of the crowd. Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel also got involved, with Heyman turning on Punk. Randy Orton eventually won, after pulling RVD off the ladder and simultaneously drilling him with a midair RKO.
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