Looking Back at past Money In The Bank winners

With Money in the Bank happening a couple of weeks back, I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at all the past Money in the Bank holders, and see how their winning the briefcase worked out for them, so, I took a look at when they won it, when they cashed it in, how long did they hold the title for (if they won it), and then a quick look at what happened in their careers post-MitB win.  Take a look, maybe you’ll find some interesting stats along the way!

2005 – Edge

Won Money in the Bank: April 3, 2005

Cashed in MitB:  January 8, 2006, defeating John Cena for the WWE Title

Held that title until:  January 29, 2006 (21 day title reign)

After MitB:  Edge went on to complete a Hall of Fame career, winning the WWE Title on 3 more occasions, and the World Heavyweight Title on 7 occasions, always remaining near the top of the card.

2006 – Rob Van Dam

Won Money in the Bank: April 2, 2006

Cashed in MitB:  June 11, 2006, defeating John Cena for the WWE Title

Held that title until:  July 3, 2006 (23 day title reign)

After MitB:  Van Dam never quite got back to that top level again, never holding the WWE or World Heavyweight Titles again.  He left WWE full time in 2007, made a few sporadic appearances after that, and then joined TNA Impact Wrestling, where he is still a featured performer today, including one run as the TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

2007 – Mr. Kennedy

Won Money in the Bank:  April 1, 2007

Cashed in MitB: Never cashed it in, lost the briefcase to Edge on May 7, 2007

After MitB:  Never quite made it back to the top, never holding the WWE or World Heavyweight Title during his time in the company.  He was released in 2009, and now works for TNA Impact Wrestling, where he has held the TNA World Heavyweight Title on two occasions.

2007 – Edge

Won Money in the Bank:  May 7, 2007 (in a singles contest with current briefcase holder, Mr. Kennedy)

Cashed in MitB:  May 8, 2007, defeating The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Title

Held that title until: July 19, 2007 (73 day title reign)

After MitB: See 2005 entry for Edge

2008 – CM Punk

Won Money in the Bank: March 30, 2008

Cashed in MitB: June 30, 2008, defeating Edge for the World Heavyweight Title

Held that title until: September 7, 2008 (70 day title reign)

After MitB:  Punk is one of the top two guys in WWE at the moment, having won the World Heavyweight Title 2 more times, and the WWE Title 3 times as well (which he currently holds as of this writing).

2009 – CM Punk

Won Money in the Bank:  April 5, 2009

Cashed in MitB:  June 7, 2009, defeating Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Title

Held that title until:  July 26, 2009 (50 day title reign)

After MitB:  See 2008 entry on CM Punk

2010 – Jack Swagger

Won Money in the Bank:  March 28, 2010

Cashed in MitB:  March 30, 2010, defeating Edge for the World Heavyweight Title

Held that title until:  June 20, 2010 (83 day title reign)

After MitB:  Swagger has not found near the success since losing the World Heavyweight Title.  He has held the US Title, but currently is used more as an enhancement talent who occasionally wins matches on Superstars.  He may be the Money in the Bank winner who has been helped the least in the long run after winning the briefcase (at least in this writer’s opinon). 

2010 – Kane

Won Money in the Bank:  July 18, 2010

Cashed in MitB:  July 18, 2010, defeating Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Title

Held that Title until: December 19, 2010 (155 day title reign)

After MitB:  Kane hasn’t won the World Title again, but is always a main stay in the upper midcard to main event level in WWE.  Kane was a guy who didn’t need MitB to push him up the card, and hasn’t been hurt after it either. 

2010 – The Miz

Won Money in the Bank:  July 18, 2010

Cashed in MitB:  November 22, 2010, defeating Randy Orton for the WWE Title

Held that title until:  May 2, 2011 (162 day title reign)

After MitB:  The Miz has had a quick fall from grace since that title reign, ending up in a tag team with R-Truth, and now is the reigning Intercontinental Champion, with no real return to the main event in sight.  After how The Miz performed as champion, it is beyond me why he has been buried so far, but it seems something happened to have him fall from the good graces of those in charge. 

2011 – Alberto Del Rio

Won Money in the Bank:  July 17, 2011

Cashed in MitB:  August 14, 2011, defeating CM Punk for the WWE Title

Held that title until:  September 18, 2011 (36 day title reign)

After MitB:  Del Rio has had one more month and a half run with the WWE title, and has battled injuries.  He has been near the top of the card since then when healthy as well.  He is currently involved in a feud with Sheamus, the current World Heavyweight Champion. 

2011 – Daniel Bryan

Won Money in the Bank:  July 17, 2011

Cashed in MitB:  December 18, 2011, defeating The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Title

Held that title until:  April 1, 2012 (106 day title reign)

After MitB:  Bryan has been near the top of the card and in major storylines since his title loss, including a short lived feud with CM Punk over the WWE Title (which he failed to win).  He appears to be headed towards some sort of showdown with Charlie Sheen at Summerslam. 

2012 – John Cena

Won Money in the Bank:  July 15, 2012

Cashed in MitB:  July 23, 2012, defeating CM Punk by DQ, but not winning the title, becoming the first man to fail to win the title when cashing in. 

After MitB:  Too early to tell, but let’s be honest, it’s John freakin’ Cena…it won’t hurt him in the least. 

2012 – Dolph Ziggler

Won Money in the Bank:  July 15, 2012

Has yet to cash in the briefcase, so the story is yet to be told with Ziggler.  Will he fair better than his recent tag partner, Jack Swagger?  Will he stay at the top like Del Rio, Punk, and Bryan?  Too early to tell, but this could be the moment that Ziggler finally gets his shot!

Just a few stats:

Shortest title reign after cashing in:  Edge, 2005

Longest title reign after cashing in:  The Miz, 2010

Average Title Length after cashing in:  77.9 days

Shortest time between win and cashing in:  Kane, 2010 (same day)

Longest time between win and cashing in:  Edge, 2005 (281 days)

Average time between win and cashing in:  71.27 days

John Cena, Edge, and CM Punk have all had the briefcase cashed in on them twice, though Cena and Edge are the only two to lose their title twice that way, since Punk retained against Cena this year. 

So, there are the stats, does Money in the Bank help a star get to the next level?  I’d argue that yes, more times than not, it has.  Many times (Punk, Del Rio, Bryan, Edge), they have been able to stay there, though there are stars like Swagger and Miz who have struggled to find the success again.  It all comes down usually to how WWE books the guys after they win the briefcase, and especially after they lose the title.  It can work really well when done right!