-- 7/18 WWE Money in the Bank PPV Reax

Lee, PWTorch reader: This PPV is here to stay. WWE made a very convincing appeal to the audience for next year by using a Money in the Bank contract straight away during the PPV. It provided viewers with a good reason why to buy this PPV. Also, the match quality was often very good with both MITB matches. I thought the Raw match provided a slightly better and possibly more surprising ending to the match. Both the Smackdown and Raw title matches started pretty slowly, but both got going well at the end. I thought it was a very good thing that Rey lost the belt because I didn't think he deserved it with a weak performance as champion. Also, it was good to see Kane finally get a second chance ten years in the making. ... Cena vs. Sheamus had everything there to be a solid main event, but they should have made more of a fuss with Nexus. It's what everyone wants to see right now and they should prove to the audience they're capable of a huge impact. Fair enough, they affected the match result, but they should have dominated further or Cena should have done something more drastic and risky. Overall, for a secondary Pay-Per-View, I thought this set up nicely for Undertaker vs. Kane at Summerslam for the World Title as well as The Miz finally being a main event player. Summerslam is going to be star-studded in talent compared to recent events. I hope Summerslam lives up to the impact that this one had.

Elliott R. of Atlanta, Ga. (9.0): Best Match: Raw MITB. Worst match: Hart Dynasty vs. Usos. I thought the PPV was entertaining from start to finish. I think Money in the Bank should live on as a PPV event; it has a similar appeal to the Royal Rumble - a spectacle with a huge prize
at stake. The two MITB matches themselves were the best I've ever seen and the Divas matches were good, albeit a bit short. WWE teasing Maryse grabbing the briefcase and Michael Tarver coming out with the wire cutters, but not following through, was great. The focus of the PPV being on matches and winning championships was great as well. Raw's MITB match especially had me on the edge of my seat, which isn't something that happens when I watch WWE or TNA all that often anymore. I'm glad Kane won the World Title; I'd like to see even a brief title run after his long journey in WWE.

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (7.0): Best: Eve vs. Alicia; Smackdown MITB. Worst: Kelly vs. Layla. This turned out to be an interesting PPV. Eve and Alicia turned out a really good women's match. It's just too bad that the women's division is suffering this much with injuries and bad creative work. If WWE is so PG, why was Kelly constantly on the verge of falling out of her top during her match? And what's with the hair extensions? The Usos and Harts turned in a good match; too bad there wasn't much build-up. Swagger-Mysterio had some sloppy spots, but they otherwise put in a decent effort. But, can WWE please lay off the Eddie Guerrero references? He's been dead almost five years now. Kurt Angle is not in the company so why reference WrestleMania 20? ... Nexus's involvement was on the wall from the get-go, so regardless of the winner, things fell about right. Regarding Miz winning MITB, I can't think of any different happening but him being the statistic of the first wrestler to lose on a cash-in. Kane cashing in has all kinds of potential. It raises my "Kane did it" flag higher on who put Undertaker in a "vegetative state," especially with Taker prominently in the Summerslam commercial. That said, the fact that Kane hasn't had the top title in years is a big deal that should be paid attention to. His recent targets are past MITB winners (Punk and Swagger), who were also in the Four-Way match. All of that was nicely tied together. I didn't think the feuds going into both MITB matches were really followed on, which could mean some shifts come this week on WWE TV.

Justin James of Columbia, S.C., IT professional/author (5.0): Best Match: Mysterio vs. Swagger. Worst Match: Eve Torres vs. Alicia Fox. I bought this PPV for three reasons. First, I thought that the World Hvt. Title match would potentially be excellent, depending on how much Kane interfered and how the ankle injury story played out. Second, I was hoping that they would reveal the anonymous Raw GM since the laptop gimmick is quickly losing its limited appeal. Third, the Nexus angle has had me intrigued. Based on these expectations, the PPV was a disappointment. I thought the Smackdown MITB match was boring. During the ring intros, I had the sudden realization that Kane was winning and cashing in that night to set up a program with Taker. I was rooting for Christian, Rhodes, or Ziggler, though. Ziggler deserves a medal for most bumps of the night. Rhodes did a good job too, as did Kofi Kingston. Drew McIntyre deserves a bonus for taking that vicious Boom Drop (spot of the night). ... The Divas Title match was awful, I thought. I'd rather see Natalya and Beth Phoenix go for ten minutes. ... Mysterio vs. Swagger was very well done and told a good story. Jack looked like a monster heel, Rey played the underdog to a T, and while I hated the result, I liked the finish. I almost expected Jack to win and have Kane cash in on him, continuing their feud. The rest of the card was downhill from there, I thought. The tag team match was decent, but there just is not enough heat on the Usos right now to get emotionally invested. I also thought the Raw MITB match was okay, but nothing really stood out about it other than Evan Bourne's excellent work. Too many veterans trying to not take too many risks. Both MITB matches suffered from having too many people "incapacitated" outside of the ring for too much of the time. It really came across fake and scripted. Maryse's involvement was good for a laugh, though, but it was not appropriate. I liked The Miz winning and his promo. ... The WWE Title match was long and drawn out. Well done, but it felt really plodding, and I was waiting for the Nexus interference. Then, I was really disappointed with it. Michael Tarver just let a pencil-thin referee take the bolt cutters and they just stood there watching? Are you serious? And then the next ref threw the keys into the audience, and Nexus didn't demolish him? Since when did the referees have so much gumption? I liked that they were also trying to keep Sheamus in the ring, or so it looked, but I think they should have been much more effective. They came off as Keystone Kops instead.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE PPV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on the PPV, click here.

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