“Amazing. Simply Amazing.”
Hey everyone, Andre Harrison back at once again with another review, this time for WWE’s Money In The Bank Pay-Per-View from last night. On this major show from the WWE, Both RAW and Smackdown engaged in two massive Money In The Bank matches, Christian faced Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship, with the deck stacked against the Champion, and in the Main Event, John Cena vs CM Punk for the WWE Championship, with Punk’s final match, and Cena’s job on the line. It’s Money In The Bank 2011, here, on The Harrison Analysis!
On commentary, Michael Cole, Booker T and Josh Matthews.
Sin Cara vs Wade Barrett vs Justin Gabriel vs Sheamus vs Cody Rhodes vs Heath Slater vs Daniel Bryan vs Kane (Smackdown Money In The Bank Ladder Match)
Second year in a row where the Smackdown MITB match has opened the show, and it was very much booked like last year. Trust me, that’s a good thing. They spaced out the usual ladder spots a little more, and since they gave the match a good 25 minutes, there was more than enough time to incorporate a good story and establish some rivalries during the match. I liked the Corre’s involvement in the match to help Barrett, didn’t see it coming, and I liked the little things like the teases near the end, and booking the bigger men in Kane and Sheamus to dominate, just like last year. And I loved that Daniel Bryan ended up winning the briefcase. The very big ROH fan contingent was very pro-Bryan and they got their wish, in a genuine surprise, as no-one saw that one coming. The usual Money In The Bank fun, but the great storytelling added to it.
★★★★ ¼
Kelly Kelly vs Brie Bella (Divas Championship Match)
This was obviously the cool down match after the excitement of the MITB match, and it showed, as half the fans headed to the merch stands and the food bars during the match. Which to be honest, is a bit harsh as this Divas match was perfectly acceptable, and I had no major complaints besides the fact that it felt like every other Divas match on free TV, at just under 5 minutes and no real sense of importance. Hopefully now the Bellas have been taken care of, maybe now we can get one of the better Divas like Phoenix or Natalya to get in a feud. They could be a big improvement on Diva match quality. It’s just a shame right now that the Divas in the spotlight are the ones that aren’t as good.
★ ½
Mark Henry vs Big Show
This was way better than it had any right being. Why? Because they treated like unlike the usual big man match and just had a match where it was two 400+ pound guys beating the crud out of each other for a good 6 minutes. The action wasn’t outstanding, and I don’t think so much of the match had to be outside, but the post-match angle with Mark Henry just smashing Big Show up was great, and has really enhanced what has been a great push for him with the clean win as well. This redemption of the World’s Strongest Man I’ve enjoyed and I hope it keeps going. It’s the best he’s looked in years!
★★ ½
Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger vs Kofi Kingston vs R-Truth vs Rey Mysterio vs The Miz vs Alex Riley vs Evan Bourne (RAW’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match)
Now this was another great Ladder Match. They took away some of the time, and some of the storytelling and instead focused on intensity and drama, and this match delivered almost as much as the Smackdown match. Evan Bourne was superb in his massive Shooting Star Press to the outside, Miz sold his injury really well (At least, I hope it was selling), and they just went balls to the wall for the second half of the match with some great high spots to help out the match. And I’m glad Alberto Del Rio got the win here as well, as it’ll get him some of his momentum back as he’s been lost in the shuffle on Raw. Not as great as the Smackdown match, but still incredibly enjoyable in its own right.
★★★★
Randy Orton vs Christian (World Heavyweight Championship Match)
The stipulation here was that Christian could also win the belt via DQ, or via “bad refereeing”. Now that’s opening up a whole can of worms. For a review of this match, just look at what I thought of their last 3 matches, as it’s pretty much the same story here. Great chemistry as Christian always seems to get the best out of his opponent and Randy Orton’s been stepping it up in recent months, and this match was still relatively fresh in comparison to the others. The post-match angle though was what made this memorable, as Orton snapped and destroyed Christian, sacrificing the World Championship in order to do so. Could this be a double-turn? If so, I hope it happens, as it’ll be a breath of fresh air to the stalling Blue Brand right now. Great co-main event.
★★★ ¾
John Cena vs CM Punk (WWE Championship Match)
This was it. This the Main Event that was hyped to the hills before hand…Did it deliver? ABSO-F***ING-LUTELY. This was one of the best WWE Matches that didn’t have Taker or Shawn in it for many, many years. The crowd was electric, and was completely into this one, it had the buzz that had been missing from a Pro Wrestling match from me for sometime. The action also was fantastic. The WWE was incredibly generous with time allocated here, giving Cena and Punk a full 35 minutes to deliver, and deliver they did. It was a classic case of both guys going back and forth, giving a technical showcase and a big back and forth feel, with no man getting a major advantage for minutes on end, and the turned it up towards the end, with some great near falls down the stretch. Yes McMahon made a run-in, but if anything, it HELPED the match, as Cena used it in a great storytelling moment, NOT wanting to repeat the Montreal Screwjob of 97′, only for Punk to take advantage and win the WWE Championship in one of the most stunning title changes in recent memory. I even loved how he dodged Del Rio’s cash-in at the end, in another massive surprise.
Congratulations to Punk for finally winning the big one. This match is just perfection, and how Professional Wrestling should be done. John Cena had the best match of his career, and I REALLY hope that this takes off some of his doubters and haters and convinces them, because while Punk is definitely the golden boy of the net, it always takes TWO to make a classic match, and Cena stepped up and matched Punk stride for stride. This is my 2011 Match of the Year so far, and this is an all-time classic for the WWE. #WeGotWrestling
★★★★★
Harrison’s Final Analysis of WWE Money In The Bank 2011
Without question, one of the best WWE Pay-Per-Views EVER. Mainly because no-one thought it was going to be THIS good. It was booked to perfection, not a thing I found wrong with the booking. Daniel Bryan won the MITB, Del Rio won his, Christian’s World Champion in what could be a double turn, and CM Punk won the big one. THREE matches were four stars or better, another came damn close, the crowd was electric, and we got an all-time classic in the Main Event between John Cena and CM Punk. Go out of your way to watch this show, if you don’t like it, then you don’t like Wrestling. Incredible Pay-Per-View from the WWE, well worth the $55…Or free in the UK! 
I’ve been Andre Harrison, thanks for reading and GO WATCH THIS PPV!
Harrison’s WWE Money In The Bank 2011 Rating: 9.5 out of 10 – Incredible
15 Comments
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18 Jul 2011, 12:27 pm
9.5 Wowza! Although I would give Henry/Show a little higher, I almost completely agree with you on this great review! It was great how they teased the screw job and the cash in yet neither actually happened. This has to be the first PPV in a while that has made me want to stay up for RAW the next night out of looking forward to the show and not just because something different MAY happen.
18 Jul 2011, 4:36 pm
Absolutely agree Harry, thanks for the comment brother.
18 Jul 2011, 2:56 pm
Fantastic PPV! If you didn’t like this PPV you can’t call yourself a wrestling fan.
Smackdown MITB 8.5/10. Solid opener. Not the best MITB but certainly not the worst either. Loved the 450 off the ladder by Gabriel. I know it sounds simple but it was in the smallest of spaces and looked beautiful. Shocker seeing Daniel Bryan win. But it was apleasant surprise. Great job VKM!
Divas 3/10. Was what I expected it to be. Not much more to add really. Was hoping Eve turned heel but no
Mark Henry vs Big Show 4.5/10. For a “big man” match this was good! You were not going to get a 5 star classic out of these two but they worked to the best of their ability. Obvious Henry was going to win because he has been on a tear as of late. No idea why WWE are trying to take Big Show off TV with this knee injury angle.
RAW MITB 7/10. This match was the lesser MITB out of the two on the PPV. Still a solid match. Loved the SSP by Bourne off the ladders. Connected beautifully. Honestly I don’t know if Miz is legit hurt or not. That looked a nasty ass bump. ADR pushed the ladder and Miz held onto the chain holding the MITB case up before dropping directly down, hard, onto his feet. Owwwww. If it was real I respect the hell out of him for returning to the match but if fake wow he sold the shit out of that! And Kofi and Swagger crashed and burnt hard. As did ADR and Rey in the finish! Clusterfuck ending but ADR wins!
Christian vs Orton 8/10. Not as good as the match at Capitol Punishment or Over the Limit but still a damn good match! Those two have such amazing chemistry and I could watch them wrestle 20357203 more times! The ending was a little bit of a letdown but CHRISTIAN IS THE CHAMPION!!
Cena vs CM Punk 10/10. Outstanding match. From the red hot crowd to the unpredictable finish, this match is the definite front runner for MOTY. I hate Cena but I give him respect for giving his all in this match and putting on a classic with arguably the best wrestler in the world. I really liked CM Punk’s t-shirt, I want to buy it smiley:crazy! The anti-Cena crowd were the best since ONS 06. Tremendous matchup and for the first time in a long time I have no idea what to expect from RAW and I am EXCITED!:O to see where this goes.
MITB overall – 10/10. Everyone stepped up their games for this and if you paid for the PPV or watched it free (like in the UK
) it definitely delivered.
P.S LOLOOLOLOL At Sin Cara getting busted for drugs.
18 Jul 2011, 4:38 pm
He gave HIGH flyer a whole new meaning!
Can’t disagree with any of that mate, awesome, awesome show!
18 Jul 2011, 5:29 pm
I gave it an A-minus grade, it was that darn great as you stated.
18 Jul 2011, 5:47 pm
More than an amazing grade. I’d happily take an A- every time!
19 Jul 2011, 1:17 pm
I haven’t seen Raw, but I’m almost hoping Punk isn’t just forgot about and they somehow incorporate his return into the Indies within this storyline. Punk kept teasing Creative to write-in a Punk/Austin match for Wrestlemania, and I’m not sure how much more iconic it could actually be.
Punk arguably had his 3:16 moment a good few weeks on Raw (the night his mic was cut), and the ending of this PPV was massive. Really something we all will talk about for years to come. I can’t help but feel it’s the late 90s again and we have Stone Cold screwing McMahon over for the very first time. It just feels that big.
Holy bajeebus are we being treated as fans.
19 Jul 2011, 8:48 pm
Absolutely, I can’t remember the last time the WWE had this much momentum going for it. As a fan, I’m sitting back and enjoying it!
19 Jul 2011, 4:04 pm
Hey Andre, great review. You always give the show a fair rundown and this was no different. I was with you on most of the ratings and i really enjoyed the column. I’m still on blogspot, i’d love for you to check out my column on Weds and Sat. Comment and tell me what you think, i really try hard with it. Otherwise great job! My ratings:
SDown MITB – ****
K2 vs. Bella – 1/2*
Show vs. M.Henry – **1/4
Raw MITB – ****
Orton vs. Christian – ***3/4
Punk vs. Cena – ****3/4 (***** without the sloppiness)
Overall: 9.0/10 (Best show since Wrestlemania 24)
19 Jul 2011, 8:46 pm
Thanks Liam, I can’t argue with any of your ratings there, we both agree that it was an outstanding show. Thanks for the kind words and send me a link to your blog, I’d love to see your work!
20 Jul 2011, 1:27 pm
As always, great review Andrew, 100% agree with you.
Keep going with your reviews, Congrats from Spain.
23 Jul 2011, 10:52 am
Thank you my Spanish friend! Even if my name is Andre.
02 Aug 2011, 1:55 pm
Hey Harrison, I thought I would share my match ratings with you since I finished watching (two weeks late).
Smackdown MITB – ****
Henry vs. Show – ** – I liked the aftermath, but even though this match was different from the prototype of Big vs. Big, I have seen far too many.
Raw MITB – ***1/2 – I had trouble enjoying the match with all of the botches, slips, and misexecutions. I do not think it was the fault of the wrestlers entirely because those ladders were not sturdy or steady. It is unfortunate because they tried some creative stuff.
Orton vs. Christian – ***1/2
Cena vs. Punk – ****3/4 (I need to watch matches at least twice before giving them *****).
Where was this at Capitol Punishment? This made WrestleMania look like house show dark matches. Enjoy your reviews, as always.
03 Aug 2011, 1:53 am
I know right? Madness how the WWE can go from mediocre to outstanding in the space of a month! Can’t really argue with any of those ratings, as I tend to be more generous than most. Thanks for the kind words my friend! =)
07 Nov 2011, 4:52 pm
Imagine if Punk hit the Pepsi Plunge in the spot where he was on the top turnbuckle with Cena, people would be s***ting themselves in excitement.