Money in the Bank Vault Wide Open
This years edition of a chance for a title of the winners choice has been throw wide open due to the suspension of Jeff Hardy. All indications were pointing at Hardy wining this and going on to become champ sometime in the summer of 08. But now with him out of the picture, the other 7 competitors all have an equal chance of walking out of the Citrus Bowl with the coveted brief case. Yes I know there are some who are more likely to win this than others, but there really is no clear cut favorite like Hardy was. This will no doubt lead to a great match and hopefully a surprising ending like last year when Mr. Kennedy walked away the big winner.
Speaking of him, last year was somewhat of a disappointment as he was not able to cash in on his chance due to injury and forfeiting it to Edge. Since his return he has been working very hard to reestablish the momentum he had coming out of Mania last year. A win here would bring that voyage full circle.
Most likely he will end up in a program for the Intercontinental belt held by Jericho. This match can be used to start this feud. It would be great for both individuals as they most likely will not be in the WWE title picture for awhile as the WWE will not doubt milk Cena and Triple H as long as they can. This is also a great opportunity for Jericho, as it puts him in one of the high profile matches at Mania an helps him keep the momentum of his return.
For Carlito and Shelton Benjamin it gives them the opportunity to reestablish themselves as future players in the game. Both have fallen to the wayside over the past couple of years but it looks like the WWE is giving them one more shot. Both have proven they can shine in this type of match. Carlito had a great ladder match on Raw against Jeff Hardy. While Shelton Benjamin had one of the more memorable moments in this match two years ago. He jumped from the floor onto the top rope than onto the ladder in the middle of the ring. Suffice to say these guys can handle themselves when ladders are involved. Look for both to increase their profile coming out of Mania.
John Morrison will be looking to use this match as his break out performance much like Batista and MVP did last year. He is another man who knows a thing or two about ladders as he encountered the Hardy's while a member of M and N in a few TLC matches. There is no doubt the has the talent to succeed in the WWE, but his time as tag champ with the Miz has hurt his development lately. By having a strong showing here, hopefully they will get him back to singles competition and a move to one of the bigger brands.
As I stated above, MVP used Mania last year to break out an become a top performer as evidenced by his US title. This match only furthers this by placing him in one of the showcase matches. Other than being a participant in this match, I don't think much will come out of it for him. Most likely after Mania we will see the rekindling of the Matt Hardy feud, so MVP really had nothing to lose or gain by being in this match.
Last but not least brings us to CM Punk, the man I feel will walk away with the briefcase. His momentum has been building for at least the past year and a half and we all no it's a mater of time before he moves off ECW. Over the past month they have been auditioning him on both Raw and Smack Down, which leads me to believe his time is now. Of all the competitors in this match, Punk has the most to gain. There really is nobody who can further his development on ECW, so he needs to move to a bigger program to take the next step. Plus as of right now, besides Triple H, HBK and Cena, he gets the the most reaction out of the crowd. If the WWE is serious about making him a star then it needs to start with a win at Mania.
Speaking of him, last year was somewhat of a disappointment as he was not able to cash in on his chance due to injury and forfeiting it to Edge. Since his return he has been working very hard to reestablish the momentum he had coming out of Mania last year. A win here would bring that voyage full circle.
Most likely he will end up in a program for the Intercontinental belt held by Jericho. This match can be used to start this feud. It would be great for both individuals as they most likely will not be in the WWE title picture for awhile as the WWE will not doubt milk Cena and Triple H as long as they can. This is also a great opportunity for Jericho, as it puts him in one of the high profile matches at Mania an helps him keep the momentum of his return.
For Carlito and Shelton Benjamin it gives them the opportunity to reestablish themselves as future players in the game. Both have fallen to the wayside over the past couple of years but it looks like the WWE is giving them one more shot. Both have proven they can shine in this type of match. Carlito had a great ladder match on Raw against Jeff Hardy. While Shelton Benjamin had one of the more memorable moments in this match two years ago. He jumped from the floor onto the top rope than onto the ladder in the middle of the ring. Suffice to say these guys can handle themselves when ladders are involved. Look for both to increase their profile coming out of Mania.
John Morrison will be looking to use this match as his break out performance much like Batista and MVP did last year. He is another man who knows a thing or two about ladders as he encountered the Hardy's while a member of M and N in a few TLC matches. There is no doubt the has the talent to succeed in the WWE, but his time as tag champ with the Miz has hurt his development lately. By having a strong showing here, hopefully they will get him back to singles competition and a move to one of the bigger brands.
As I stated above, MVP used Mania last year to break out an become a top performer as evidenced by his US title. This match only furthers this by placing him in one of the showcase matches. Other than being a participant in this match, I don't think much will come out of it for him. Most likely after Mania we will see the rekindling of the Matt Hardy feud, so MVP really had nothing to lose or gain by being in this match.
Last but not least brings us to CM Punk, the man I feel will walk away with the briefcase. His momentum has been building for at least the past year and a half and we all no it's a mater of time before he moves off ECW. Over the past month they have been auditioning him on both Raw and Smack Down, which leads me to believe his time is now. Of all the competitors in this match, Punk has the most to gain. There really is nobody who can further his development on ECW, so he needs to move to a bigger program to take the next step. Plus as of right now, besides Triple H, HBK and Cena, he gets the the most reaction out of the crowd. If the WWE is serious about making him a star then it needs to start with a win at Mania.
