WWE: 7 Quickest Money In The Bank Cash-Ins Ever
Could the record for the quickest cash-in be broken this Sunday?
WWE.comSunday, WWE will hold its 15th Money in the Bank contact ladder match in the past decade (along with a separate ladder match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship). During the past 10 years, the MITB contract has become as much a part of the WWE title picture fabric as winning the Royal Rumble -- the winner and holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase can cash it in at any time within a year for a title match. Since the MITB winner can pick the most opportune time to cash in, they are virtually guaranteed a title win. Twelve of the 14 previous briefcase-holders have cashed in their title shots unannounced, winning 11 of those matches. What isn't clear is when that opportunity will strike. Some wrestlers have waited six months or longer (the record is 280 days), while others have waited mere days, or even less, before taking their shot. Lately, the trend has been toward shorter waits before cashing in the briefcase. Whoever wins the briefcase Sunday night could wait until WrestleMania XXXI to main event on the grandest stage of them all, or they could cash in later that night to take advantage of a weary, worn-down new champ. Who has staked out their title opportunity the quickest? And how did they fare?
7. CM Punk (2009) 63 days
WWE.comCM Punk became the first (and to date, only) superstar to win two Money in the Bank ladder matches in 2009, when he defeated seven other men at WrestleMania XXV to claim the briefcase for the World Heavyweight Championship. Two months later, World Heavyweight Champ Edge was defending his title against daredevil Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules in a ladder match that harkened back to their tag team title TLC matches. Hardy emerged victorious (in a clever visual with Edge pulled between the ladder rungs and hanging there helplessly watching Hardy retrieve the title), only for Punks music to hit. Two Go to Sleeps later and Punk had captured his first WHC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtqaazFhGPw That cash-in served a huge purpose in the career of Punk, turning him heel for the first time in his WWE career. It also pitted him against Hardy, which led to Punks Straight Edge Superstar persona to emerge as he battled a wrestler with a checkered past. Punks ensuing feud with Hardy elevated Punk and set the stage for the Straight Edge Society. Months after that group disbanded, he took over the New Nexus, which ended when he dropped a pipebomb.