7 Match Star Ratings For WWE Money In The Bank 2021

2. Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match

John Morrison
WWE.com

This was the best Money In The Bank Ladder match in years. Possibly ever.

Even the most cynical WWE critics can still feel euphoric recency bias on this evidence.

A creative, unhinged crowd-pleaser that delivered spike upon spike of jaw-dropping delirium, it was constructed brilliantly and performed admirably. It was built intelligently, or at least as intelligently as these matches with their suspicious selling trope can be built.

Consider Drew McIntyre's outrageous somersault senton. It was a mind-blowing move in itself elevated by the colossal frame that delivered it. It generated a monster reaction and if it didn't reduce the crowd that had jeered him earlier into pangs of guilt, it should have.

It seemed impossible to better in terms of an awe-struck crowd reaction, but this, again, was laid out elegantly. Ricochet, who was unreal throughout, conspired to generate an even more ballistic reaction; in a superb fusion of two amazing standards, he embodied both Fénix and Nick Jackson by running across the top rope, leaping onto a ladder, and then, as he was sent tumbling to the outside, using the top rope as a springboard to launch a dive onto the field.

Kevin Owens grounded the match with a real sense of danger by taking bumps in the nastiest of places. John Morrison, one glaring timing error notwithstanding, was in mesmeric form, channeling all of his creativity and agility to create as much excitement as Owens had elicited anxiety.

Everybody worked to an exceptional standard in a match that teased several viable winners through several heart-stopping near-breakthroughs. In the end, the man most deserving of a proper main event push, Big E, unhooked the carabiner.

Astonishing, committed, undiluted: this was so pulsating that it absolved WWE from running Hell In A Cell in June.

This is what wrestling fans are for, and those fans were rewarded big.

Star Rating: ★★★★½

 
Posted On: 
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!