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 2013 event, featuring the 'All Star' Money in the Bank including the return of Rob Van Dam

SmackDown Money in the Bank- Jack Swagger - Dean Ambrose - Fandango vs Cesaro vs Damien Sandow vs Cody Rhodes - Wade Barrett

The match begins with the usual Money in the Bank brawl to clear the ring and it ends with the two tag teams in the middle of the ring but the Real Americans get the upper hand by throwing a ladder at them.  

Dean Ambrose then ends up trapped inside the ladder to which Wade Barrett takes advantage with some huge kicks but Fandango then takes out Barrett and hits a leg drop with the ladder on top of the former Nexus leader.  

Barrett took advantage of the situation. Photo-www.wrestlestars.com
Barrett took advantage of the situation. Photo-www.wrestlestars.com

Sandow would then suplex Fandango straight onto a ladder but Barrett would break off a ladder rung and beat him down with it.  

Jack Swagger and Cesaro continued working together with Swagger pulling Barrett off the ladder into a huge uppercut from Cesaro. Cody Rhodes made the save in the match, hitting a Muscle Buster onto a ladder.  

Back in the ring and a Bulhammer from Barrett sent Swagger falling from the top of the ladder but Fandango hit an amazing Sunset Flip from the top of the ladder in an amazing spot. Ambrose then used the ladder as a windmill taking stars out left and right but the Real Americans then teamed up once again to clear the ring.  

Cesaro then stood on Swaggers shoulders to try and grab the briefcase but a dropkick from Rhodes took both men down. Rhodes then hit Cross Rhodes to both Fandango and Barrett as the momentum was firmly behind him. A bust open Rhodes dealt with Ambrose but was then ambushed by the Shield.  

Cody Rhodes sent Ambrose tumbling. Photo-thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com
Cody Rhodes sent Ambrose tumbling. Photo-thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com

The Usos came down to break up the situation and a huge brawl ensued on the outside as Ambrose seemingly had it won until Ambrose pushed him from the top of a ladder onto everyone on the outside.  

With Rhodes about to win the match, it would be his tag team partner, Damien Sandow who screwed him over to win the briefcase 

Analysis: This was a solid show opener that was certainly a different Money in the Bank ladder match and that isn't a bad thing. There was a lack of babyfaces in this match which meant the fans were not as invested as they could have been but Cody Rhodes was certainly the favorite here which made the double cross work even more. Having tag teams in the match worked to a degree with teams working together, Sandow winning seemed underwhelming to the fans but the story was that he screwed over his partner and it worked fine but this was Rhodes' match and he stole the show here.

Intercontinental Championship Match- Curtis Axel (c) w. Paul Heyman vs The Miz  

Miz had control of the early settings and pretended to be punched by Paul Heyman which saw him be ejected from the match, leveling the playing field.  

Heyman being ejected didn't help the challenger straight away as Curtis Axel let out his frustrations on him with a drop kick followed by some shots to the neck. However, Miz's experience then came into play as he began to hit several big shots to regain control of the match but his attempt to lock in the Figure Four saw him be kicked into the ring post before being hit with a Perfectplex.  

However Miz would eventually lock in the submission but Axel reversed it and went on to win the match after suckering Miz in before planting him head first to the mat.  

Axel defended his title. Photo- Bleacher Report
Axel defended his title. Photo- Bleacher Report

Analysis: There was nothing special about this match, once again there was a lack of babyface as the crowd were not behind Miz with him wrestling and acting like a heel which meant the fans were not overly invested. Axel impressed but the crowd wanted to see Heyman with it being in the home of ECW.  

Divas Championship Match- AJ Lee (c) w. Big E Langston - Kaitlyn w. Layla 

Kaitlyn started the match in charge, throwing AJ Lee to the outside but the champion fought back and sent her into the ring post, exposing her already injured elbow.  

Lee then continued to focus on the injured elbow with submission maneuvers keeping the pressure on but Kaitlyn countered with a backbreaker to get some much-needed separation.  

Kaitlyn picked the pace up using her strength with a running shoulder tackle but a reversal from the champion saw the attack continue on the elbow of Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn pushed Lee from the top rope but she was caught by Big E. 

Back in the ring and Kaitlyn hit the Spear but the injured elbow stopped her from getting the pin and Lee would immediately lock in the Black Widow forcing Kaitlyn to tap out.  

It was an impressive performance from AJ Lee. Photo- www.fanpop.com
It was an impressive performance from AJ Lee. Photo- www.fanpop.com

Analysis: That was a good match with the continued focus by Lee on the elbow of Kaitlyn working perfectly throughout the match as it forced her to tap out to the Black Widow. 

Chris Jericho - Ryback 

Chris Jericho started the match up taking the fight right to the Big Guy as Ryback backed out of the ring and wound up the crowd until Y2J chased him out of the ring and fought him back into it.  

It wasn't long before Ryback took control, though, a huge clothesline allowed him to use the power advantage but some quick kicks from Jericho saw things get back to a level base. 

Jericho took the fight to Ryback throughout. Photo-www.wrestlestars.com
Jericho took the fight to Ryback throughout. Photo-www.wrestlestars.com

Once again though the power of Ryback was too much and he would take to the second rope to crush down on Jericho. Ryback then sent Jericho flying head first into the announce table from the ring apron as he bullied him around the ring. Ryback then hit the Meathook Clothesline before simply throwing him around like a rag doll as he looked impressively dominant.  

Jericho managed to hit a Codebreaker out of nowhere but Ryback was in-between the ropes and he fell to the outside as Jericho hoped to win through count out. The Big Guy got to the ring just in time and went to hit ShellShocked but it was countered into a DDT with Ryback powering out just before the three count.  

Y2J went to hit the Lionsault but Ryback scouted it and won via a roll-up to finish the match.  

Analysis: That match beat this writer's expectations going in as they produced a good quality match. Jericho worked as the veteran and carried the greener Ryback through the match, it was smart to have him win in a clever heel like way instead of simply winning via power moves, they had good chemistry and it worked well. 

World Heavyweight Championship Match- Alberto Del Rio (c) - Dolph Ziggler 

Dolph Ziggler starts the match fired up with the entire crowd firmly behind him as he took the fight straight to Alberto Del Rio in an aggressive manner with drop kicks and elbows galore.  

Alberto Del Rio immediately went to attack the head of Ziggler, given his previous concussions the champion made it a target right from the start. Del Rio hit a huge kick before slapping Ziggler around the head and mocking him.  

Ziggler used his speed to create an opening, jumping to the top rope and planting Del Rio face first to the mat before side stepping and sending him into the ring post as Ziggler attempted to regain momentum.  

The challenger then attempted the Famouser but Del Rio countered it into a German Suplex pinning combination but it wasn't enough to win the match. However, Ziggler managed to hit the move and almost won the match with Del Rio kicking out just in time.  

Once again Del Rio returned to the head of Ziggler with a series of headbutts before going to the top rope which was countered by a drop kick in mid-air by Ziggler.  

AJ Lee then made her way to ringside skipping around the ring which distracted Ziggler who didn't want her help. His attempts to tell the Divas Champion to leave allowed Del Rio an opening who caught him on the top rope and sent him face first back into the ring.  

A great Superkick wasn't enough to keep Ziggler down but AJ Lee decided to enter the ring and hit Del Rio with her championship causing a disqualification, meaning Del Rio retained. 

Ziggler was left frustrated with AJ Lee. Photo- Bleacher Report.com
Ziggler was left frustrated with AJ Lee. Photo- Bleacher Report.com

Analysis: That was a good match that was spoiled by the interaction of AJ Lee. The way she got involved in the match made no sense as she knew it would cost a disqualification and it was clearly in-front of the referee which was strange. It was a shame as both men were putting on a very good match and the fans were firmly invested in Ziggler. 

WWE Championship Match- John Cena (c) - Mark Henry 

Mark Henry started the match comfortably in control, throwing Cena rib first onto the stairs as he takes his time in a slow and methodical pace. The World's Strongest Man then ran and jumped into John Cena who was laying on the ropes, crushing him against them.  

Cena finally managed to get some offense in after finally knocking the big man down with several shoulder tackles the champion managed to hit a 5 Knuckle Shuffle but he failed to be able to hit the AA with Henry's weight crushing his back.  

The champion then went back for an AA and managed to hit it but Henry powered out, refusing to give in. After catching Cena in mid-air Henry hit the Worlds Strongest Slam but this time it was Cena's turn to power out.  

Henry was in dominant fashion. Photo- WWE.com
Henry was in dominant fashion. Photo- WWE.com

Henry then exposed a turnbuckle and grabbed several chairs which distracted the referee as he exposed another turnbuckle, but his plan backfired as Cena sent Henry face first into the metal before locking in the STF but Henry managed to reach the ropes.  

Henry then shoved Cena into the official and hit a low blow but that still wasn't enough to get the job done. Cena would then reverse the Worlds Strongest Slam into the STF and this time the challenger would tap out.  

Analysis: This match was always going to be a limited one that was performed at a slow pace and that is exactly what happened. Yet, both men worked very hard to make this an entertaining one and the fans bought into several of the near falls in what was a strong performance for Mark Henry. 

Raw 'All Star' Money in the Bank - RVD - Sheamus - Christian - Randy Orton - Daniel Bryan - CM Punk 

Everyone immediately goes after RVD to silence the crowd and after a brawl it ends between the two other fan favorite, CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan but Sheamus would introduce a ladder and quickly end the technical wrestling.  

RVD finally managed to get some offense in as he took out every single star with some of his most famous moves before getting a loud "Rob Van Dam" chant. The returning star was setting up Randy Orton for a Frog Splash onto a ladder but Christian was on hand with a small ladder knocking the former ECW star into a pile of steel from the top rope.  

Sheamus was quick to take out Captain Charisma with a right-hand punch, but RVD would then take out the Celtic Warrior pulling the ladder from his feet. RVD paid for that with a Rolling Senton onto the steel ladder and then Sheamus targeted Bryan.  

Back in the ring and all six men would position themselves onto two ladders but everyone went crashing to the floor as both ladders caved under the pressures. Sheamus ensured RVD tasted steel on his return before hitting him with a Brogue Kick before Bryan failed to stop him grabbing the case, a responsibility that fell to CM Punk.  

The 'All Stars' all went falling. Photo- WWE.com
The 'All Stars' all went falling. Photo- WWE.com

Orton returned to action hitting a T-Bone Suplex into the ladder on Punk but Christian would get back involved taking control of the ring by cleaning house of everyone else. RVD would be the man to stop him before hitting a Frog Splash from the top of the ladder onto Christian.   

Daniel Bryan re-entered the ring with a series of kicks and chops before a running dropkick onto Orton with the ladder and then diving through the ropes onto Punk who crashed into several ladders. Bryan continued his momentum by hitting Sheamus from the top rope with a ladder which sent him crashing through a ladder on the outside.  

Just as Bryan had the match won Curtis Axel appeared with a chair taking him out of the match for an unknown reason with Punk the man to get revenge hitting the GTS. Paul Heyman then made his way down to the ring and wasn't happy with Axel for getting involved with Punk, the guy he claimed he was to win.  

Punk then began to climb the ladder until Heyman took him out by throwing a ladder at him, turning on Punk in the process and busting him wide open. Back in the ring and RVD climbed the ladder only to be RKO'd off the ladder as the Viper went on to win the match.  

Heyman with a look of betrayal in his eyes. Photo- Twitter.com
Heyman with a look of betrayal in his eyes. Photo- Twitter.com

Analysis: This was arguably the most star-packed Money in the Bank in history and it didn't disappoint. The WWE Universe would have happily seen any of these men win and the reactions they were receiving made everything even more impactful. With some huge bumps as well as well timed story telling the match worked brilliantly. Two run-ins were perhaps one too many but again it didn't take anything away from what was a brilliant main event worthy match.  

Overall this was a brilliant PPV event with every single match having a purpose with no filler taking place on the show. Every match delivered with a very hot crowd adding to every single match.  

Match of the night: The 'All Star' Money in the Bank had a lot of hype going into it and it delivered on every level making for a brilliant match to close a great PPV. 

RVD reminded fans what he is capable of. Photo- WWE.com
RVD reminded fans what he is capable of. Photo- WWE.com

Star of the night: RVD. This was his big return to the company in Philadelphia and he got a hero's return and looked like he hadn't missed a beat putting in a fantastic display.  

Rating: 8/10  

2012: 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