10 Best Non-Ladder Matches In WWE Money In The Bank History
Great matches on the ground level.
WWE's annual Money in the Bank event is this Sunday live from Columbus, Ohio. It's one of the more exciting shows of the year thanks to the presence of ladders. The MITB contract match alone can usually pique plenty of fan interest.
The ladders are rightfully the focus of the night but other matches fill the card. Titles are defended and occasionally other gimmicks are utilized. Simply looking at this year's upcoming event and a few highly anticipated matches will occur without the eponymous gimmick, particularly John Cena vs. Kevin Owens.
This article will focus on the best matches to take place at this show that haven't required wrestlers to climb and retrieve a prize. Money in the Bank has only been in existence as a standalone show since 2010. In that short time, there have been many good to great contests.
Top stars of recent history like John Cena, Sheamus, The Usos, Alberto Del Rio, and CM Punk all appear more than once on this list. Those stars have used this event as their platform to consistently deliver action that fans enjoy. And all without having to make a trip to the local hardware store prior to the bell ringing.
The following 10 matches are the very best bouts in Money in the Bank history to not include a ladder...
10. Sheamus vs. John Cena - Steel Cage For WWE Title (2010)
Sheamus was the WWE Champion going into this match. Even though he and Cena weren't friends they found themselves to be sort of aligned against the common enemy of those rowdy Nexus fellows. On this night they faced off inside the confines of a steel cage for Sheamus' title.
The idea that Cena and Sheamus were together in a cage for over 20 minutes seems like it should have been a solid recipe for an above-average match, but it really never reached that level. It was still good, just not great. Truthfully, this is the one match to barely make it onto this list.
The cage wasn't used like a cage should be. Sheamus had Cena locked in a headlock for a long three minutes or so in the middle of this match. Headlocks are fine but they can seem out of place in a match that's traditionally a violent affair.
Nexus came out near the end and helped kick up the excitement a little. They cost Cena the match when Sheamus was tapping out to the STF but no ref was conscious to see it. They also cost him the match when they prevented him from escaping the cage but only sent a lone Heath Slater to stop Sheamus from exiting. The Irishman was able to get past his one Nexus roadblock quicker than Cena.