Retro Review: WWE Money in the Bank 2011 – A Turning Point in Wrestling History

From the Pipe Bomb to the Main Event: Inside WWE Money in the Bank 2011Photo byWWE.COM

Quick Match Scores

• Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Kane, Sin Cara, and Sheamus (SmackDown Money in the Bank Ladder Match): 7/10
• Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella (WWE Divas Championship): 4/10
• Mark Henry vs. Big Show: 5/10
• Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio, Alex Riley, Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, The Miz, and R-Truth (Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match): 8/10
• Christian vs. Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship): 5/10
• CM Punk vs. John Cena (WWE Championship): 9/10

Twelve years ago, WWE presented their 2nd annual Money in the Bank PPV (this was before it was considered a premium live event), and it had been one of the most anticipated WWE events of that year and of all-time for that matter. The main event featured the hometown hero of Chicago, CM Punk, versus John Cena for the WWE Championship. This PPV was the precursor event that would eventually lead into the “Summer of Punk,” an unforgettable three-year hot run that CM Punk would embark on.

This PPV’s lead-up featured the infamous CM Punk “Pipe Bomb,” a scathing promo that harshly but justifiably criticized WWE, Vince McMahon, and John Cena as a shameful money-grabbing machine that put their own interests above what the fans of WWE deserved. CM Punk vowed to leave WWE and not re-sign while being their WWE Champion. John Cena’s job was put on the line by Vince McMahon, who believed CM Punk would take the WWE Championship to another company (at the time, the only realistic option besides WWE was TNA Impact). This storyline had fans hooked leading into the event and was a hot topic in the wrestling community. Twitter was just picking up momentum, and at this time, people lived by the word of Twitter without question. The match between Punk and Cena was probably the most fun and anticipated WWE fans had had in a while.

Other matches included the annual Money in the Bank matches from Raw and SmackDown. These matches featured future stars like Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, and future Hall of Famers like Kane and Rey Mysterio. It also included wrestlers who didn’t quite make it in WWE like Alex Riley, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Evan Bourne, and Jack Swagger. Other notable matches included Big Show vs. the rising Mark Henry, Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella for the Divas Championship, and Christian vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship. This was undoubtedly the hottest run that Christian had ever been on. Now, 12 years later, let’s look and see how these matches hold up in 2024.

Daniel Bryan's career skyrockets with a thrilling victory in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder matchPhoto byWWE.COM

The SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match for a World Heavyweight Championship contract was a hot opener, and little did we know at the time, it featured two men that would become two of the biggest names in pro wrestling down the line: Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan. This match was physical and featured one of the most memorable Money in the Bank spots when Sheamus power bombed Sin Cara through the ladder from the ring apron. This spot would go on to be featured in video games from that time forward. At the time, fans were heavily behind Wade Barrett winning. If this were 2024, a “we want Wade” chant would have broken out, and WWE might have called an audible to make him win. It was interesting to see guys like Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, and Sin Cara in this match. I actually lived through a WWE time where Sin Cara was a thing. He was posed as the new Rey Mysterio; it just didn’t work out that way. This match was physical and had many good spots. I believe this was probably one of the last years we saw good spots in a Money in The Bank match. There was not a lot of room to do much after this year. Daniel Bryan would go on to win this match and kick-start the career of one of the greatest characters in WWE. I give this match a 7/10. It was physical, fun, and hair-raising at times.

Kelly Kelly retains the WWE Divas Championship in a dramatic match that teases the potential split of the Bella TwinsPhoto byWWE.COM

Kelly Kelly (with Eve Torres) defeated Brie Bella (with Nikki Bella) for the WWE Divas Championship in a match that was actually okay. The story here was more about the potential split of the Bella Twins than it was about Kelly Kelly’s championship. Leading into this match, Brie and Nikki Bella couldn’t get on the same page; it seemed as if they were headed for a split. I don’t even remember if WWE ever proceeded with that split, but that was the story here. Eve Torres was Kelly Kelly’s assistant at this time. This match was when the women’s division was not really respected. I give kudos to these women who were in the trenches of that time, trying to break the stigma of women’s matches in WWE. No, this was not a bra and panties match, but it still wasn’t what we get today. At this time, WWE was giving the women about 5 minutes per PPV match. Kelly and Brie did all that they could do in this match. I gave this match a 4/10, and that’s being generous.

Mark Henry's rise to dominance begins with a decisive victory over Big ShowPhoto byWWE.COM

Mark Henry defeated Big Show in a match that was important because it marked the rise of Mark Henry. After Henry’s several feuds with the Undertaker from 2008–2010, many people asked what was next for him. Henry was drafted to ECW back in 2006 where he became the ECW World Champion. But after ECW closed again, Mark Henry was just a wandering talent on the WWE roster. He didn’t have enough momentum to move up the card, but he was famous enough that letting him go would have been a mistake on WWE’s behalf. WWE decided to move Henry up the card, starting with this feud with Big Show. The feud started at Capitol Punishment and was built into PPV. Leading into this event, Mark Henry shoved Big Show through a steel cage, making Henry look destructive and awesome at the same time. This match was the best you were going to get out of two power monsters the size of Henry and Show. This match was more about storytelling than wrestling. The story was about making Henry look like an absolute unstoppable beast. Henry defeated Big Show after two World’s Strongest Slams and two big splashes. After the match, Mark Henry would splash Big Show from the second rope onto Big Show’s ankle wrapped around a chair. This spot looked real for a minute. I had to remind myself that I am watching wrestling and this is not real. Surprisingly enough, Henry would capture the World Heavyweight Championship later that year. This match was the start of the best run of Mark Henry’s career. I gave this match a 5/10, not for the wrestling but for the story it was building.

Alberto Del Rio triumphs in a star-studded Raw Money in the Bank ladder matchPhoto byWWE.COM

Alberto Del Rio defeated Rey Mysterio, Alex Riley, Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, The Miz, and R-Truth in the Raw Money in the Bank ladder match. The most popular guys in this match that fans were predicting to win were Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, and The Miz, in that order. This match was one of those anticipated Money in the Bank matches where we really cared who was going to win. This match had heavy hitters in it. R-Truth was in the middle of his “Little Jimmy” gimmick. Alex Riley had some fire entrance music too. He was definitely a fan favorite after breaking away from The Miz. The Miz won the briefcase a year earlier, which was a great story to bring into this match. WWE noted that this was Rey Mysterio’s first Money in the Bank ladder match. This match was less physical than the SmackDown ladder match earlier but was more high-flying. Evan Bourne stood out in this match and was definitely the highlight. Alberto Del Rio won this match in a very creative fashion that involved Rey Mysterio unmasking. While rewatching it, I realized I was not fully happy with that. I actually wanted Kofi or Rey to win. I give this match an 8/10. It had more storytelling than the SmackDown match.

Christian outsmarts Randy Orton to capture the World Heavyweight ChampionshipPhoto byWWE.COM

Christian defeated Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship. Christian was on a run on SmackDown during this match, the hottest run he had ever been on. All he needed to do to win this match was get Randy Orton to lose his cool. Christian was a snake in his character and played it well. I honestly never thought Christian and Randy Orton had good in-ring chemistry to begin with. Their matches always seemed slow and never really picked up to me. I always felt like they were both too egotistical towards one another, which is why we never got a real good match out of them. Christian made Randy lose his cool and cost himself the title. I give this match a 5/10. The story here was good; I just didn’t enjoy Christian and Orton’s in-ring chemistry.

In one of WWE's most iconic matches, CM Punk dethrones John Cena and exits through the Chicago crowd as the WWE ChampionPhoto byWWE.COM

CM Punk defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship in the match we all paid to see, the main event of Money in the Bank. CM Punk vs. John Cena. As a fan at this time, you were thinking, “Will WWE do the right thing for fans and allow CM Punk to win?” or “Did they just trick us into spending money again?” Which would have been exactly what CM Punk was talking about in the first place. This match was over half an hour and was nail-biting. Vince McMahon, of course, had to insert his presence in the hottest story of the year towards the end. I really wanted a clean victory for Punk, but I’m not in the WWE writers’ room, so that couldn’t happen. CM Punk would defeat John Cena and leave the arena through the hometown crowd as the WWE Champion who was not signed to WWE at the time. This match earned a 9/10 from me. I really did want Punk to win clean.

Watching this PPV again, I got the 2011 feeling of knowing WWE was great but at that time was not giving their best efforts. This PPV changed that for WWE as they started listening more to fans, with CM Punk as the catalyst. It was interesting seeing guys like Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, and Daniel Bryan being mid-carders then, now knowing who they would become later down the years. I give this PPV a 6/10. The main event and the Raw Money in the Bank carried this PPV. Christian vs. Orton was good storytelling just slowpaced match. Mark Henry build up was sweet to watch too.

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