Get Rid Of The Money In The Bank Briefcase

[sharpsh00ter23]

...and replace it with the Million Dollar Championship belt. I'm not saying get rid of the concept of MITB, but change the prize image. I think the Million Dollar Belt should be suspended above the ladder and whoever grabs the belt gets a guaranteed shot at a title.

Overall, I think it would bolster the credibility/worthiness of being an instant #1 contender. If you were a MITB winner, wouldn't you like to strut around with that belt over your shoulder/on the waist; rather than carry around that clunky & royal blue briefcase? The belt's design alone fits like a glove with the MITB concept. Just a cosmetic upgrade to an already waning WWE product. It sure wouldn't hurt.

Thoughts please and let's be adults. (i.e. - NO childish insults, put-downs, declaring the thread stupid, etc.)

 

[Skinsley]

Well for starters the Million Dollar Championship is a belt for the Millionaire.... Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase Sr. Passed down during a storyline to his son, the rich by association Ted Dibiase Jr.
The Million Dollar belt is not something that the WWE can just use as a prop for other wrestlers who are none related storywise to the Dibiase legacy.(ofcourse they can but KayFabe they can't)

There is nothing wrong with the Briefcase concept....if they are going to do anything with the Money In The Bank they should remove it altogether or just keep it as the ONE WM match and not the PPV that made the whole concept common, repetative and no longer suprising. The briefcase holds a CONTRACT for a future title shot, the briefcase concept seems pretty sound to me.

Plain and simple, the MITB matches are more often than not phenominal matches and thoroughly entertaining. Plenty of high risk spots and heavy bumps. It gives relatively unknown characters the chance to become relevant again and can be the spark that begins a good feud between two wrestlers that may not even have won the match.
Potentially the MITB has plenty in common with the Royal Rumble as it then means a title feud will eventually happen and the match gives plenty of excuses for feuds to begin in the future.

 

[Radio GaGa]

No. First of all, It'd be a Major put down for all champions who would win (midcard, naturally... I wouldn't like somebody to walk around with two titles constantly...) also, what would happen to the belt? They'd rush in to the ring and give it to the ref? Kind of stupid, isn't it. There's a contract in the briefcase that allows some1 to cash in... I'd like if Ted DiBiase sr. would throw something in there and have the belt for one year, but long-term, this isn't good.

 

[Foshinzo]

Seriously?

What does it matter? The briefcase works fine, it's the concept that's bad. The Million Dollar Championship never had any real significance, it was just Ted DiBiase's BS championship to call himself one. Don't get me wrong, it created matches and served as a valuable prop, but let's not even bring it back. Goldust and Ted DiBiase tried to and it was just uninteresting. Sure, it was Ted DiBiase v Goldust, but it's just that the whole idea was stale.

I thought that this was about getting rid of the MitB concept. The whole idea needs to be thrown out the door, unless you give the briefcase to an experienced veteran who you're sure will do well as champion (i.e. not ADR, Jack Swagger, Mr. Kennedy, maybe even Daniel Bryan, etc.,) and only cashes it in for a real match like RVD did. Otherwise, for young stars, MitB is a career killer. It pushes them too far, too fast, and cements their first title run usually as a bad one.

If they keep the concept, I don't mind so much when Miz won. He pretty much did get a match out of it, and he was really at the apex of his time. Also, he had a good 6 month run, a win at WrestleMania, and established himself as a man of the future. He couldn't have done better with it. Guys like ADR, though, who aren't ready for it and win it in a chicken shit manner are really the ones who this concept kills.

It worked when Edge did it, it worked when RVD did it, it worked when Kane did it, it worked when Miz did it...it works for established talent, but only those who have age to accompany it. I always thought Christian would have done well with the briefcase, for example.

Long story short, briefcase v M$C doesn't matter and it doesn't change anything. I get wanting the M$C back because it's a nostalgic thing, but you either need to establish new ground rules for MitB or do away with it completely, or even just save it for special occasions like WrestleMania. Giving out two briefcases and giving the match it's own PPV don't really help anything or anybody.

 

[justinsayne]

First off Dibiase "owns" the Millions $ Championship, why would he just give it to someone else to hold until they wanted to cash in their title shot? Second the reason they carry a briefcase is because inside the briefcase is the the contract for the title shot, you can't put the title shot contract inside a championship belt. Third, It's just doesn't make sense, why would cash in a title belt for another title belt?

 

[The Architect of Anarchy]

I really think the Million Dolar belt has nothing to do with MITB - the belt is suppose to being something to do with legacy. It'd just decrease the value of the World Heavyweight and WWE championships.

It wouldn't make sense if MITB winners were wearing it and think about how WWE would implement this change. WWE have been practicing this briefcase for over 5 years and it would be nonsense to just replace it.

 

[One to Remember]

Third, It's just doesn't make sense, why would cash in a title belt for another title belt?

i know right? lmmfao

OP the phrase "money in the bank" is a FIGURE OF SPEECH. It does not in most circumstances actually refer to money or curency it means you have back up, an ace up your sleave, a trump card, a safety net..

When I first saw this thread on the main forum listings I thought it meant should we keep the concept. I'm starting a thread about that in a second. The briefcase isnt even the MITB, its a simply encasing, an enclosure, the contract which is hard to carry around as its paper is the MITB.

FOSHINZO thank you for those historical notes on RVD, I was about to say no MITB winner has cashed in in an honorable way but in fact Mr. PPV did cash in the RIGHT WAY. Thats a distinction for him I forgot. He not only cashed in right but used it as an opputunity to jump start the ECW Title's new lease at life and put it on par with the other 2 titles in WWE. Edge could do it because it fit the ethics of his character, Miz could do it because his cash in epitomized his war stragety and he needed a special boost to transition him into the title picture. some times its not how you climb the mountain but the time it takes for thos behind you to push you off, thats true for the Miz and his career in many regards so his cash in worked but after those 2 the nonsense and chaos really did run its course.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I've got to agree with the consensus that it just doesn't make sense. The Million Dollar Championship was a prop belt in much the same way that the TNA Legends Championship started out. It's only real purpose was to be used as a supporting factor in Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Man character.

As for the MITB concept, it's not going anywhere and there's no reason it should. Why? Because the vast majority of the WWE audience enjoys the general unpredictability that comes with being owner of the MITB briefcase. The MITB match in and of itself is probably wrestling's most popular gimmick match at this time as well. As for how it's applied, whoever said that the MITB briefcase was ultimately intended for it to be used the way RVD used it? Just having the winner announce every single time when he's going to cash in and where would no doubt become boring before long. I will say that it'd be a nice change of pace to have the winner cash in the briefcase and have an actual match. If I'm not mistaken, that was the plan this time around before Mark Henry was injured. Things pop up sometimes in life and plans have to be adjusted.

 

[BK Styles]

...you serious, bro?

Seriously, no. Not in any way shape or form. There is no relationship between Money in the Bank with the Million Dollar Championship, so why, dare I ask, should the belt replace the case? The point of money in the bank is that it's a guaranteed shot at a title; why should that shot be represented by a title itself?

This is far from the worst idea in the world, but it is pretty damn bad. It makes no sense, would add nothing to the concept of MITB and brings back a gimmick title that really isn't needed. Just...no.

 

[WORD-LIFE-16]

Your idea is dumb, I'm not being immature but why would they bring back something that worked only in the 80's? It may of worked back then but now? Trying to revive it, we have seen that with dibiase and it failed miserably so that is a dumb idea. Anyway money in the bank is a great idea for the next main event star to break out to the next level and step up and also gives them the opportunity to main event the grandest stage if em al,,WrestleMania. Taking it away means no more WWE championship!

 

[SomeAreSet]

No,the briefcase makes perfect sense. The MITB is the contract.The briefcase is just what holds the contract. As a wrestler,I wouldn't give two tosses about giving it to the referee.

If it were a title belt,then it would be like "Hey,you won a title belt and you can trade in your title belt for the chance for another title belt." Why would anyone give up the Million Dollar Championship? If I won the Million Dollar title,then used my title match to win the World Title,then why wouldn't I carry both titles? I did win the Million Dollar Championship after all,which means I am a champion,except I have a match for the World Title to boot. Then I'll carry the title around until next year,and then the WWE would have to make another Million Dollar championship belt,then who's to say the next winner wouldn't like the belt too much to give it away? After 3 years there would be 6 guys carrying around the same title belt. Even if I were to challenge for the world title and lose,I would still carry around the belt because it symbolises that I'm a champion of some sort.

On the other hand,if I were holding a contract and then cashed it in for my World Title match,what interest would I have in keeping the contract and carrying it around? It would make as much sense as having 2 guys sign a contract for a World Title match,and then the challenger won the title and started carrying the contract around to show off the fact that he had a world title match and won.

Bottom line,we should leave the title belts to champions. If I had a contract for a world title match,it would make no sense to have me carry a title belt instead. The belt's not a legally binding contract either. Of course,they could just write it in a way that makes all the MITB winners drop the title belt,but really,it makes very little common sense. Way too many people would see the Million Dollar Championship and say "Man,that's way too pretty to give away."

 

[hatehabsforever]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the concept of the MITB briefcase. It is an excellent way to take a guy who is on the verge of the main event and boost him ever so slightly into the main event scene. Or it can be used to take a guy who the brass are high on (rightly or wrongly) and give them a significant push.

The problem with the MITB has been the manner in which it has been utilized. The whole concept is that it gives the holder of the briefcase an opportunity at the title. In reality, it has degraded into the scenario whereby the holder of the briefcase always wins the title. If the MITB is going to continue to be utilized, and if it is going to maintain any shred of validity, eventually someone has to win the briefcase, cash it in, and lose. The MITB cannot become a 100% guarantee of a title, if so, it is just as well to award the belt to the winner of the MITB match and avoid the briefcase altogether.

This year, I feared that would happen to Daniel Bryan. I'm glad it didn't happen to him. But it does have to happen to someone eventually. Otherwise it becomes a prop, a stepping stone to an assurance of a title reign. Once they have someone win the briefcase, cash it in and lose, it will regain some of it's luster, and once that happens, the concept will be just fine again.

 

[The Heartfix Kid]

I really don't think its the briefcase or the concept behind the MITB that's the issue. Its what plagues every title and gimmick: uncreative creative and just poor booking.

 

[King of the Words]

I love the MITB PPV. It is one of the best PPV's of the year. The only problem with it, to me, is that who ever wins the briefcase, their career seems to stall until they cash it in. To make it more interesting, they should have to defend the briefcase in a match every week they hold onto it. They should have done this with Bryan to keep him relavant while were waiting for him to cash it in. This would be better then being the MITB winner and just having meaningless matches every week that does nothing to raise your star level in the WWE. So, if anything were to change about the MITB briefcase scenario, I think it should be this. Cash in right away or defend it once a week until you cash it in. This way the briefcase could be passed back and forth for a while and a great feud could come out of it. I think they should have done this with Bryan and Wade Barrett with Bryan eventually winning the briefcase back and cashing it in. That would have been more interesting then seeing Bryan losing almost every match since he won the briefcase and lowering his star appeal and making him look like he doesn`t even deserve to be Champion.IMO.

 

[One to Remember]

Another thread has inspired me to make this post. Is the Money in the Bank concept still needed or credible? I ask this due to the amount of rediculous cash ins. Originally the concept provided oppurtunities to propel certain starts to stardom and to keep others relevent. It also served the purpose of providing spontaneity and fast paced storyline telling. This was the situation early on but as guys like Swagger and Del Rio took the ball then dropped it we started to see the down falls of the concept. It increasingly became suseptable to abuse by wrestlers lacking skills and ethics. The briefcase would come to represent (arguably) a symptom of the decay of a sport suffering the effects of several cancers. Only three briefcase holders have in my opinion made strides (in WWE) in events or actions derived from the Money in the Bank contract:

1. RVD

Mr. PPV's innitial cash in was a shining moment for the concept for several reasons. The first being the X factor. No one knew when he would cash in or what champion it would be against keeping fans at the end of their seats whenever Van Dam made an appearence with the briefcase in hand. The second was for the most part the match was clean and showed that gimmicks don't always have a negative effect on tradition. The third was RVD was able to chose his setting which was his home turf adding to the reigns credibility. He used this as a means to then reactivate the ECW World title with the then 12 year old championship making its redebut ON PAR with the other two brand titles. Everything, and everyone came off stronger from the way it came down. The ECW title was splintered off later, but not without moment created thanks to Van Dam and the MITB. He would loose both titles very soon after capturing them due to legal troubles..

2. The Rated R Superstar

Edge cashed in his MITB at New Year's Revolution after Cena completed his Elimination Chamber match against Kurt Angle, HBK, Kane and others. Why Edge has been known to cheat a lot in his defense he had fought a bout earlier that evening against Ric Flair for his WWE I-C title. The suprise move meshed well enough with his character to not come off as a cheap stunt and gave him his first World title in WWE. It would be the first of nearly a dozen and arguably the only victory based on any merits what so ever.

3. The Miz

He cashed in his briefcase to began a half year reign. It was the tipping point in a career of rough transitions and credibility concerns. The MITB cash in allowed him to jump that hurdle. Some reigns aren't defined by the hike up the mountain but the dificulty and time it takes for those trekking behind you to pull it off of its peek. With this being one of Miz's main issues, the MITB worked perfectly for him. Without it I am not sure i Miz would had ever entered the mainevent picture or the title picture..

These are the only three true champions made from this idea in my opinion.. Everyone else has used the contract as a crutch to stove off stagnation...

 

[One to Remember]

well Mr. Kennedy did not get the title after getting the briefcase and they can always reference that I guess to show its not a sure thing..

 

[GameOver]

Can i add. DER someone misses the point
It's a "briefcase" that contains a "contract" for a world title at anytime

If they had left it as a WrestleMania match then it would still be sweet. The fact they made it a PPV so both shows could get one is ******ed. Both shows don't need there own, they aren't competing remember, they are all WWE, this isn't a war between 2 soap opera shows where they both have to copy each other every single show.

They really need to sort that out. SvR has for the longest time just been the same storylines copied to both shows with different talent playing the roles.

back to the OQ, why not just change the stipulations to say the title match can't be out of the blue on a PPV, it has to be pre-signed. OR MITB winner interjects themselves into an already existing match at a PPV. not during the match. Then atleast there's some chance of someone losing, thats another thing, someone has to lose.

 

[Rammsteinerteen]

Money in the Bank may have had its up and downs, and possibly have even been overused. But I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon and I honestly don't mind. Sure, not EVERYBODY's post MITB reign was credible, but they could be considered as stepping stones for younger stars. But of course, this is all my opinion.

And I kind of disagree with your list here.

 

[JVel]

Money in the Bank should kept around but it's definitely losing its unpredictability and shock factor. It usually leads to less than impressive title reigns as proven with Swagger, CM Punk 1, Edge 1, Del Rio, and greatly worried for Daniel Bryan. It's been used too much like a last resort at relevancy and to try to boom their popularity/heat back, but it tends to fail.

 

[crippler]

The way MITB is was great for the 1st 3 but now its lost what it had. Instead of maybe being able to cash it in anytime maybe make the winner get a title shot at any championship of his choice at a specific PPV like the Rumble winner gets a shot at Wrestlemania

 

[keehlnate]

MITB lose it's shock factor by the time they made it two briefcases. There should only be one, with the winner can cash in to any championship title he likes. I guess reducing it to just one will bring it's prestige (?) again. But totally getting rid of it is a bad idea.

 

[HBsam31]

MITB lose it's shock factor by the time they made it two briefcases. There should only be one, with the winner can cash in to any championship title he likes. I guess reducing it to just one will bring it's prestige (?) again. But totally getting rid of it is a bad idea.

When I saw this thread this is exactly what I was going to say. However I do think it should be reserved for the World or WWE championships. I mean I cant see the excitement in cashing in for any other title. Infuse Smackdown and Raw stars into one Mitb match, have it at Wrestlemania, and get rid of the MITB pay PPV. These actions I believe could help it gain its prestige back.

 

[Azane]

MITB has been a good way to toss midcarders into the ME from out of nowhere.

Edge, CM punk, Kane and a couple other MITBs have turned out fine, and even the bad ones like Swagger have kept the stars relevant after the failure.

Another midcard title doesn't give prestiege to anything, it just makes the other midcard titles worth less. The M$Championship is a concept that only works when a Dibiase is in the mix, Goldust and Ted's feud made sense and was actually really well conceived, but having Daniel Bryan running around as the million dollar champion? Can you explain how ANYONE fighting over the title w/o a Dibiase makes sense right now?


If they wanted MITB to stop being cheap, the best way would be to treat is like the Royal Rumble, and increase the contender list.

 

[Casket34]

They actually did have plans for Swagger...things just changed...But how can you say there the only true champions made from MITB? What about Kane? He had a great title reign, but how can you not say CM punk is not true champion made from the briefcase? His 1st two championships came from that briefcase...I like the MITB just as it is.

 

[Kenneth]

I think the current set up for the MiTB is okay. But I do think that they need to revert back to having just on brief case. Have three wrestlers from Raw and three from Smackdown go against each other and they can cash in on any title they want on either show. So for example if Sheamus won he could cash in on the WWE title even though it's a Raw title.