10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE Money In The Bank

7. The Match Proves That Dave Meltzer ISN'T Biased

Cody Rhodes Money In The Bank
WWE.com

All Elite Wrestling, the promotion to which the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer shows an apparent bias, has promoted six multi-man ladder matches (in addition to singles and tag variations) which are effectively Tony Khan's response to the WWE Money In The Bank ladder match.

On the March 1, 2023 Dynamite, Powerhouse Hobbs won a Face of the Revolution Ladder match to earn a shot at Wardlow's TNT title. Meltzer awarded it ****1/4. This rating was higher than that awarded to the October 6 Casino Ladder match (****) the Double Or Nothing 2020 Casino Ladder match (***), the Revolution 2021 Face of the Revolution Ladder match (***3/4), the Revolution 2022 Face of the Revolution Ladder match (***3/4), and the All Out 2022 Casino Ladder match (***1/4).

Not a single AEW multi-man ladder match has bettered the star rating Dave Meltzer has awarded various MITB matches over the years.

At Money In The Bank 2021, Meltzer went ****3/4 on the men's titular bout won by Big E. He awarded the 2019 men's match ****1/2, the 2018 match ****1/4, the 2017 match ****1/2, and the 2016 match ****1/4. The 2015 version, won by Sheamus, only notched ***1/2, just beating the lowest men's score (WrestleMania XXIV MITB match (***1/4)).

This is as low as Meltzer has gone on a men's MITB match, an aberration of his general outlook on the stipulation, and it is still "better", from his point of view, than the worst AEW attempt.

In short: the worst WWE MITB match received a higher WON rating than the worst AEW equivalent, and the best MITB matches, plural, were awarded higher scores than the best AEW equivalent.

Still, it seems unlikely that you'll read any "extra star if there's a briefcase hanging from the karabiner" takes.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!