10 Best Money In The Bank Cash-Ins Ever
3. The Miz
As hard as it may be to believe that The Miz once successfully defended the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania, his improvement from 2008 to 2010 was even more implausible.
Once considered a joke wrestler and a reality show boob, Miz first started to show greatness in a team with John Morrison. When they split, fans expected Morrison to reach the top of the card, but it was Miz who worked hard to improve and clawed his way to the top. In 2009, he won the United States Championship, and his ring work and personality only got better.
In 2010, WWE's higher-ups decided that Money in the Bank was worthy of its own Pay-Per-View event. That July, "WWE Money in the Bank" debuted on PPV, highlighted by two of the titular matches (one for Raw's WWE Championship, and one for Smackdown's World Heavyweight Championship). Though the Raw match boasted former world champions like Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Edge, The Miz would not be denied. He claimed the briefcase and took his ascendancy one step further.
The Miz was a made man. Still U.S. Champion, he hired NXT rookie Alex Riley as an assistant, and Riley would often hold the briefcase as Miz came to the ring. His eyes were still on the prize, though, and he got his opportunity on the Raw after Survivor Series.
WWE Champion Randy Orton had been feuding with Wade Barrett, and despite two straight PPV losses to the champ, Barrett got one final shot on November 22's Raw. Orton won, but The Nexus attacked him afterwards, injuring his leg. That allowed Miz to claim his title shot, hit the Skull-Crushing Finale, and bring his rise full circle before an angry crowd.