As the WWE gears towards the 2016 Money in the Bank, this author will be going back to review every Money in the Bank PPV in history, this time, it is the 2012 event, featuring John Cena's first ever Money in the Bank ladder match appearance. 

SmackDown Money in the Bank- Tensai vs Tyson Kidd - Santino Marella vs Cody Rhodes vs Dolph Ziggler vs Damien Sandow vs Christian

The SmackDown ladder match kicked off the show. Photo- BleacherReport.com
The SmackDown ladder match kicked off the show. Photo- BleacherReport.com

The match begins with Tensai taking control using his size and strength to take out his competition but Christian and Tyson Kidd use a ladder to team up and take him out, a relationship that is brief as Captain Charisma slammed him onto the ladder straight after.  

Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler begin to pick the pace up, throwing each other into ladders before Sin Cara comes in to take both men out of the match including a major botch with Ziggler.  

Christian then attempted a Frog Splash onto Kidd who was placed on a ladder but the young star moved out of the way meaning Christian's ribs went straight into the steel.  

Tensai managed to throw Santino Marella over the top into several stars but Kidd would take both himself and Tensai out of the ring. In the ring, Christian and Damien Sandow battle it out as they attempt to get the case and it ends with the veteran Spearing Sandow onto a ladder.  

Sadly for Christian both Ziggler and Rhodes swing him into the ladder removing him from the situation until Tensai once again cleans house. After several stars fail to stop him Christian and Marella use a ladder to take the big man down.  

Marella has the ring to himself but is scared of heights so the cobra has to lead the way to the top but a dropkick from Rhodes ends his opportunity as he throws a ladder at him to make sure of it.  

Vickie Guerrero then climbs the ladder to distract Rhodes and Ziggler hits the Zig Zag off the ladder. Kidd then balances on a ladder and throws Ziggler off in an amazing spot whilst Sandow and Christian battle it out on the other side of the ladder.  

On the outside Sin Cara gets power bombed onto a ladder balanced between the announcers table and the ring in a similar spot to last year, Rhodes hits a Disaster Kick to leave the big man laying as he returns to the ring with Kidd. 

Christian Spears Rhodes off the top of the ladder, he then has his hand on the briefcase until Ziggler appears, throwing him off and winning the match for himself. 

A huge moment in Ziggler's career. Photo- www.thesportster.com
A huge moment in Ziggler's career. Photo- www.thesportster.com

Analysis: Despite the lack of major stars in this match it turned out to be a very entertaining show opener. Tensai's rampage and strong showing proved there is a place for big men in ladder matches as Tyson Kidd put on an impressive performance in his first Money in the Bank match. Ziggler winning was the correct choice as an upcoming talent but the match itself was very well paced with some new innovative moves that hadn't been seen before kicking off the show in style.  

World Heavyweight Championship Match- Sheamus (c) - Alberto Del Rio w. Ricardo Rodriguez 

A big slap from Alberto Del Rio enraged Sheamus who hit several big punches in a row until Del Rio began working on the Celtic Warriors arm with the champion brawling his way out. 

Sheamus managed to dominate the early section of the match hitting Del Rio with a shoulder tackle from the top rope but a distraction from Ricardo Rodriguez worked to Del Rio's advantage.  

The match then went to the outside with Del Rio continuing to target the arm smashing it against the stairs. The number one contender then spent his time working on the arm of Sheamus trying to weaken it for his submission maneuver. 

Sheamus refuses to give in and started the fight back with a huge knee to the chest of Del Rio which took the wind out of him but yet again Del Rio went for the arm.  

The Celtic Warrior continues his fight back and hits the Brogue Kick to defend the title. Post match and Del Rio beat down Sheamus until Ziggler made his way down to cash in but instead tasted a Brogue Kick before he cashed it in. 

Sheamus celebrates with his fans. Photo- newwrestlingstars.blogspot.com
Sheamus celebrates with his fans. Photo- newwrestlingstars.blogspot.com

Analysis: A good match between two talented stars, it was good to see Del Rio focus on the arm all match but it was a shame not to see him lock in the Cross Arm Breaker at least once. It was a nice idea having Ziggler tease the cash in at the Money in the Bank PPV too. 

Prime Time Players - Epico & Primo 

Fast paced action with Epico and Primo in charge in the early portions of the match until Titus O'Neil enters and uses his power advantage to allow them control. They isolate Epico but a distraction from Rosa Mendes allows Primo to get into the match and pick the pace up. Primo wins the match with a roll-up on Darren Young.  

Analysis: There was nothing wrong with this match but there was equally nothing fantastic either, it was like an average TV match you would see on RAW.

WWE Championship No DQ Match- CM Punk (c) - Daniel Bryan w. AJ Lee as Special Guest Referee

The match starts very back and forth with both men hitting each other with chops and kicks as they try to get the upper hand. CM Punk accidentally knocked AJ Lee to the floor and Daniel Bryan took advantage of him whilst he checked on her, Bryan then tried to be sympathetic and told doctors to take her to the back.  

Punk managed to reply by throwing Bryan into the timekeepers area and clotheslining him over as he dived from the barricade. However, Bryan wasted no time in getting back in control as he slammed Punk on the outside and then chased him with a kendo stick as the champion avoided shots.  

The action was intense early on. Photo- www.SportsKeeda.com
The action was intense early on. Photo- www.SportsKeeda.com

Bryan eventually caught Punk with a huge swing of the stick into the ribs of Punk who was coming off a springboard, he then continued to assault Punk with the stick as he wore down the champion.  

Bryan missed with a diving headbutt which created an opening for Punk to get back into the match and he took it, but another big kick by Bryan allowed him to lock in the surfboard submission.  

Punk managed to get ahold of the kendo stick and fight his way out with a series of huge shots. Bryan again retaliated with a suplex from the top rope which took both men out and AJ Lee would return from the back.  

Lee placed a chair in-between both men and they scrambled to get it but Bryan would get there first and he followed it up with several big shots to the back of Punk.  

A desperate clothesline gave him an opening and this time it was his turn to hit chair shots to the back of his opponent. He then set the chair up in-between the ropes to throw Bryan into but Lee got in the way and stopped him and then Bryan dropkicked him into it.  

Then Lee stopped Bryan getting the kendo stick and he turned around into a kick before being body slammed onto a chair. Punk made a mistake attempting to elbow drop him and missed hitting the chair before the Yes Lock was put in with the kendo stick.  

A unique Yes Lock! Photo- YouTube.com
A unique Yes Lock! Photo- YouTube.com

Punk fought out and hit the GTS on Bryan but he kicked out before the three count. After some back and forth fighting Punk would send Bryan crashing through the table to defend his WWE Championship.  

Analysis: This was an excellent match with both men leaving it all in the ring. You know that these guys can put on a fantastic wrestling match but they showed just how physical they can get in this one. Having AJ Lee not play a major factor in this match was also a good thing, she kept things tense but never really cost either man the match and it benefited from that.  

Ryback vs Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks 

The start of the match was spent with both Hawkins and Reks making frequent tags, wearing the big man down and making sure he stays on the floor as they beat him down. However that was short lived and Ryback quickly fought back making short work of both men to get the win.  

Analysis: This was a simple squash match to promote and push the WWE's new star in Ryback, he was undefeated and that streak continued. He showed he could take some punishment and fight back, it made him look strong and that was the purpose.  

Layla, Kaitlyn and Tamina Snuka  - Beth Pheonix, Natalya and Eve Torres  

Very little to say about this one which was a very quick fire match that had just about enough time to get each woman in the match. Tamina's superkick to Beth Pheonix allowed Layla to finish things up and get the win for her team.  

Analysis: This was a short match that was done simply to get the women on and relax the crowd before the main event. There was enough time to get every woman in the match, there was nothing wrong with it but it just lacked a purpose or time. 

Raw Money in the Bank Match- Kane - Chris Jericho - The Miz vs Big Show - John Cena

The match immediately broke down to just Big Show and John Cena brawling around the ring with the Worlds Largest Athlete throwing Cena into the stairs. With everyone taken out Kane and Show would go to battle in the ring but once again Show would win the battle before swatting The Miz from mid-air like a fly and taking Chris Jericho out with a ladder.  

All three men then hit a series of moves to knock Show to the outside and Cena put him through the Spanish announce table and then it was time for the 'bury him in ladders' spot.  

Cena showing his strength. Photo- newwrestlingstars.blogspot.com
Cena showing his strength. Photo- newwrestlingstars.blogspot.com

Jericho then Irish whipped Miz face first into a ladder but Cena was on hand to stop him retrieving the briefcase before Miz returned to stop Cena, both Jericho and Miz then worked together to hit a double suplex on Kane straight onto a ladder.  

Cena took out both Y2J and The Miz and hit a double 5 Knuckle Shuffle onto a ladder before AA'ing Kane onto Miz who was on a ladder in a great spot.  

As Jericho climbed the ladder, Big Show returned and broke the ladder before beating him down with the broken steel. An angry Show then laid waste to all the competitors as he got revenge from earlier on.  

Show then introduced his large ladder and Jericho would stop him climbing it after hitting him repeatedly with a chair. Jericho and Miz then brawled at the top with Jericho swinging on the case off the ladder but a KO punch by Show takes him out.  

Cena then gets to the top and hits Show with the case, denting it before hitting him again and snapping the case off the buckle, winning the match.  

Analysis: This is one of the weaker MITB matches in history with very few big spots and an obvious winner. Having only five men in the match was an interesting concept that didn't really work but the real problem lied in the fact that it was too obvious Cena was going to win the match. The way he won it was very unique and suited his character which was good to see. It is worth noting that this was the first MITB ladder match to main event a show, one which had Cena winning.  

Overall another decent Money in the Bank PPV but certainly not on the level of the previous two. There were a couple of standout matches but that was pulled down with several short and pointless matches and a main event match that didn't really deliver.  

Match of the night: The WWE Championship match stole the show on this particular night and just like last year CM Punk was involved. Both him and Bryan stole the 2011 show and they did the same again here, it was a well-paced match that saw both men really take it to each other and the story involved worked perfectly.  

The two men stole the show. Photo- Bleacher Report
The two men stole the show. Photo- Bleacher Report

Star of the night: Daniel Bryan. Whilst he came up on the losing end against Punk he shone brighter in the match, getting the majority of the offense and showing a more aggressive side to his character he really stood out.  

Rating: 6/10

2011- 9.5/10

2010- 7/10

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About the author
Matthew Wilkinson
Huddersfield University in Sports Journalism. Twitter- MC_Wilkinson1