8. SmackDown Money In The Bank Ladder Match - Money In The Bank 2011
To say that his first year in WWE had not been kind to Daniel Bryan would be an understatement. He had shown tremendous promise, wowing fans with his undeniable in-ring ability but Creative had not backed him nearly as hard as one would have imagined. No, he was left to job out to the Cody Rhodes and Wade Barretts of the world, a critically acclaimed jobber. But then something unforeseen happened: He entered Money in the Bank in July 2011 and won. The Aberdeen native outlasted some of the brightest young talent imaginable, including Sheamus, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater and the aforementioned Barrett to retrieve the coveted briefcase and earn himself a shot at the world heavyweight championship whenever he damn well pleased. It was a huge moment for Bryan, even if he did manage to continue jobbing for a few months. Suddenly, fans had hope that their favorite wrestler was going to rebound, that he would eventually get a run with the world title. He did, cashing in on a prone Big Show to win the heavyweight title some six months later, but it felt like WWE was getting behind the world renowned technician. Little did they know how long they would have to wait for that to really happen.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
