Instant Reaction - WWE MITB PPV 6/29
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score Live at PPV - 7.0

Money in the Bank has traditionally stood out as a pay-per-view (and as a gimmick match) where anything can happen. Just look at last year, where floundering mid-carder Damien Sandow won the Smackdown Money in the Bank briefcase. And yet, the 2014 edition of the show stands out as three hours of predictability, both in terms of results and match quality. The three main matches on the program delivered, while the rest came across as meaningless and forgettable as they seemed on paper. Much like a three-hour Raw, Money in the Bank was a fantastic two-hour show stretched to three.

The biggest surprise of the night was the quality of the Tag Title match that opened the pay-per-view. While I was expecting a fun match based on the quality of the Usos's and Wyatts's previous outings, I didn't know how much they were holding back in their previous encounters. What we saw between the two teams was pay-per-view main event quality. With innovative spots, fantastic nearfalls, and a clever finish that made both teams look strong, the opening bout featured some of the best tag team wrestling WWE has seen since the turn of the century.

In fact, the opening match was so impressive that I would have rather watched a replay of it than the five filler matches on the broadcast. Not since December to Dismember 2006 has a WWE pay-per-view featured so many inconsequential filler mid-card matches. It speaks volumes of the dire situation of the state of WWE's roster when a proper pay-per-view card can't be assembled if ten upper-tier talents are tied up in the two main events. The amount of wasted time on this show was atrocious, from the Paige-Naomi match that was filled with miscommunications to the Rusev-Big E re-match that didn't surpass the quality of their initial outing.

Deeper in the mid-card, Stardust isn't getting over with the live crowds, Curtis Axel looks like an extra from "Ready to Rumble" with his new oversized tights, and Summer Rae and Layla had the worst women's pay-per-view contest of the year, with awkward shoving, hair pulling, and kicks prolonging the torture of the match. And just imagine, all of this was on the same show. With Damien Sandow dressed as Paul Revere to cap it off!

So why is this show still a 7.0/10? Because the main matches still delivered. While the MITB contract ladder match was arguably (definitely) the stronger of the two ladder matches, the main event showcased many unique spots (such as the pendulum ladder moment with Cesaro and Sheamus) and featured a nice amount of tension down the stretch. That being said, both ladder matches suffered from having too many people resting at ringside at one time, which turned the contests into a bit of a revolving door of wrestlers hitting big spots on other wrestlers to give them a few moments to breath. In a sense, that's what Money in the Bank is all about, but more should be done to mask that fact.

That being said, both matches were still very entertaining, with the first of the two ladder matches simply entertaining the most. The main event didn't feature as many impressive spots or as much tension as the contract ladder match did (which just happened to have more athletic Superstars who could take more risks than bonafide main eventers like Cena or Orton). At the same time, the WWE Title match didn't succeed in spotlighting every wrestler in the same way that the previous match did; talents like Wyatt and Del Rio felt like afterthoughts by the end. What matters is that the contract ladder match was clearly the stronger of the two, despite the cheap finish that was telegraphed due to Kane's pyro sitting on the ringposts the entire time.

As far as Cena winning the title is concerned, I have to say that I'm not surprised. Cena is the best pick to be champion if Brock Lesnar is going to pick up the belt at Summerslam. The sheer fact that Cena has won a World Championship 15 times is what really shocks me. Ric Flair, get ready to kiss your record good-bye.

In the end, this is a perfect show to watch later on the WWE Network. Watch the opening tag team match and the two Money in the Bank ladder matches. The rest feels like Main Event. Quick and easy!

Questions? Comments? Reactions? Find me on Twitter @BTuckerTorch, where I talk about wrestling and... stuff!

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