10 WWE Money In The Bank Firsts You Need To Know

When you talk about innovations that have had a lasting impact in the world of professional wrestling, you could make a list as long as both arms. Even when you narrow it to ideas and concepts WWF/E have created in the modern era, there still are many innovations that bear mentioning.

Probably two of the most notable match concepts that should be noted are the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series, but another that isn’t far behind – and might even be gaining – is the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Sunday will feature the 17th MITB match in WWE history. During the past 11 years, we have seen some unreal moments, whether it’s in the Money in the Bank match itself or in the act of cashing in the briefcase for a title shot. Money in the Bank has become an integral part of WWE. Many storylines have been focused on the briefcase, and several characters have been defined by how they carried and ultimately used the briefcase.

Given all the history that has happened during the past decade, it’s only fitting to take a look back at some of the firsts involving the Money in the Bank ladder match. While some of these shouldn’t come as a shock to many, there are some firsts that might cause people to take notice of who could win the briefcase on Sunday.

Let’s take a look at some of the big firsts that have accompanied WWE’s version of the golden ticket…

Let’s start with a downer, as WWE has been bragging recently that 14 of 16 Money in the Bank winners have gone on to successfully cash in and become a world champion.

After 10 straight successful MITB briefcase cash-ins, you had to know that eventually someone would cash in unsuccessfully. Even with most wrestlers taking advantage of a knocked-out champion, the law of averages said that one of those champs would manage to pull off the upset.

However, the first unsuccessful cash-in came from an unlikely source, and in an unlikely fashion. When John Cena won the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2012, he wasted little time in announcing the next night that he would cash in the briefcase the following week on Raw against WWE Champion CM Punk. The two had had epic battles in the past, and with this being Raw 1000, expectations were high for a PPV-quality match.

What we got instead was a 15-minute match that ended in a disqualification when Big Show lumbered out and attacked Cena, ending the match. The aftermath saw Rock save Cena and Punk turn heel by assaulting Rock.

So basically, the MITB briefcase was used as a plot vehicle to turn Punk heel and sow the seeds for the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania main events. Lame.