10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 21 Facts
7. Chris Jericho & Writer Brian Gewirtz Proposed The Money In The Bank Concept
Money in the Bank ladder matches were a surefire way to get valuable superstars onto the WrestleMania main card, without actually having to come up with storylines for any of them. For Jericho, the idea of the multi-participant ladder match couldn't have come at a better time. He realized that he had no set match for WrestleMania 21, nor did he have an angle that could conceivably lead to one.
Jericho contacted lead WWE scribe Gewirtz, who had designs for a "Hollywood Dream Ladder Match" for multiple wrestlers, where the winner would get whatever he so desired. McMahon disliked the vague idea, leading to Jericho suggesting that the victor's prize be a World title match for the next night on Raw. Gewirtz tweaked that into a future title match at the winner's convenience. McMahon approved, adding that the winner should carry the championship match contract in a briefcase as a visual token. Thus, Money in the Bank was born.
It should be noted that the "Hollywood Dream" match would've been a vehicle for Rob Van Dam (who was injured earlier in the year and unable to perform) to win. His "dream" would've been the return of ECW.