Daniel Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot to beat Mark Henry for the world championship, but Smackdown GM Teddy Long negated the result. Bryan won a #1 contender match and will face Henry in a steel cage on the next Smackdown.
That, in a nutshell, is why WWE booking blows. The damage done:
*The MITB stipulation is now subject to outside influences: i.e., RUINED. It doesn’t matter if Henry was hurt, wasn’t cleared to wrestle, or if he’d recently lost a leg. MITB supersedes all that. The bearer can cash in when he likes, where he likes, regardless of circumstances. IT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF MITB. That’s been diluted. Not sure what was gained by doing so.
*Daniel Bryan’s character wouldn’t cash in MITB like that, anyway. Bryan’s character wants to WIN MATCHES. Titles are valuable to him, not something to be won via opportunism. Bryan’s character would do what Rob Van Dam did in 2006 – announce that he was cashing in MITB for a specific match at a specific event, like RVD did for a title shot vs. John Cena at One Night Stand. Bryan going for the cheap win compromises his persona.
*Now Bryan must wrestle Henry in a cage. Henry is not a good worker, let alone in this type of match. So Henry has to KILL BRYAN. Otherwise, the match would be a travesty. Now Bryan's character suffers even more.
Does WWE even give an ounce of thought to Wrestling 101? To COMMON SENSE?
MITB has no common sense in the first place. If you hold a MITB briefcase, it would make the most sense to declare that you want a WWE/world title match at the next WrestleMania. You get yourself in a main event on the biggest show of the year. You get a big payday, too.
No MITB winner has ever done that.
Adding to the flawed concept of MITB is the way it’s framed by WWE creative through the announcing team. MITB holders who wait for an opponent to be in a badly weakened state, then cash in to win a championship are praised for their cunning and ruthlessness.
But they’re cowards, period. No other way to LOGICALLY see it. The only one who ever played it straight was RVD – who definitely wasn’t straight by the time his match against Cena started.
But, if any of this crap trends on Twitter, then the proper booking decisions were made, because that’s what it’s all about: TRENDING ON TWITTER.
PPV buy rates are in the toilet, TV ratings are stagnant, those who work for WWE 24/7/365 are being upstaged/sabotaged by part-timers, but TREND ON TWITTER and you, my friend, are golden. Give me #bootstoasses over a huge buy rate any day.
If I’m C.M. Punk, I’m not sure how I feel right now. When he re-signed, he got a lucrative payday. He’s getting pushed, though the push always seems to fall slightly short of the very top. Punk needs a win over a big-name part-timer (Rock?) to truly reach that next level.
But Punk isn’t a money guy. He’s a dreams guy. He wanted WWE to change.
It hasn’t. Not in any significant way. If I’m C.M. Punk, I’m not sure how I feel right now.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM, Pittsburgh, PA (105.9). Check out his web page at WXDX.com. Contact Mark by emailing wzmarkmadden@hotmail.com. FOLLOW MARK ON TWITTER: @MARKMADDENX.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
