The Money in the Bank match is dead.

Everywhere I go, I see people speculating "who's gonna be in MITB 2?" The "Save Wrestlemania" thread here at TSM is full of people speculating over our next six contenders. The sentiments range from Money in the Bank being a "good idea" to "something that worked" to "a new Wrestlemania tradition." And yes, last year's match was memorable and special. And the stipulation attached resulted in a change that shook the WWE to its core. Money in the Bank was a real winner. It WAS a real winner.

For those unfamiliar, the Money in the Bank match is a multi-person (six, last year) ladder match. The object of desire in this contest is not a title belt, but a briefcase, in which is contained a guaranteed contract for a World Heavyweight or WWE title match. The winner of this opportunity can "cash it in" at any time between the match and one year thereafter. This was used in the smartest way possible this year, as Edge challenged John Cena after his victory in the Elimination Chamber, a match sold as being even more exhausting than Hell in the Cell. Edge made good on his shot, and a new champion was crowned.

Now, here's the problem. Say the WWE runs another Money in the Bank match at Wrestlemania 22 (Big Time!). The winner, then, barring any unusual circumstances, would be a fool NOT to use it after the Elimination Chamber match at New Years' Revolution, assuming they continue that new tradition. So the intrigue of "when" is effectively gone. From there, you have two possible outcomes. Either this person wins the WWE Championship, which sets a precedent of MITB = Champion, or you have the person lose the match, burying them deeper than Paul Bearer in a tank full of cement.

The reason Money in the Bank worked is because it was new. Nobody knew what to expect. Nobody was thinking "hey, there's an Elimination Chamber match in January, I'll bet he uses his shot then!" And NOBODY knew he would win the WWE Championship. We all speculated, but nobody knew. Now, we know how it works. We know what the winner of the guaranteed title shot should do. And that takes away the intrigue. What made the WWF great in the "Attitude" era was unpredictability. Anything could happen on any given day. If they do MITB again, it's a given how it will work, and if they deviate from that template, the booking makes very little sense, because, why wouldn't someone do what Edge did? They'd be a fool. And so they'd be booked into a corner.

It was memorable, but part of what made is special was that it will never be duplicated. The WWE would be wise to think things through very carefully, because they have a history of running things into the ground. This is one of the many times that they need to be content with what they've done, sit down, and try to think of something new. Otherwise, the people will get bored, and bored people turn off the TV. Or, worse, turn to TNA Impact...

Go Monty Brown!

-Hoff