Money In The Bank Is Rated R (2006)
The ingredients for a standard MITB cash-in are simple: the current champion lays beaten and battered in the ring, and the briefcase holder seizes the opportunity to collect their prize.
We can thank Edge for pioneering the recipe. At New Year’s Revolution, WWE ChampionJohn Cena competed in a grueling Elimination Chamber match in which Kurt Angle took him to Suplex City (no, Lesnar wasn’t the first!), and Chris Masters DDT’d his head onto the steel outside the ring. A bloodied Super Cena miraculously survived the onslaught and emerged victorious because, well, that’s what Super Cena did.
Before Big Match John could rise to his feet, Vince McMahon announced that Edge would be cashing in right then and there. Could he do that? Was that even allowed? To quote a future MITB winner, “YES!”
Edge speared what was left of Cena, and Cena kicked out because, well, did I mention the Super Cena thing? He then speared him a second time and captured his first WWE title.
We’re desensitized to this type of MITB moment now because it’s the norm, but at the time, the WWE Universe hadn’t experienced anything like it. It broke their collective brain.
