CM Punk was far further back than he thought despite claiming the fourth Money In The Bank briefcase in another banger of a battle.
The returns were starting to finally feel diminished at this point (and would descend further when the company introduced a pay-per-view dedicated to the gimmick two years later), but the wrestlers themselves still worked to come up with unique ways to keep the match interesting beyond the bruising bumps.
John Morrison used a small ladder to supercharge a moonsault, whilst Matt Hardy's return from injury was saved until fierce rival MVP had the match won - his run-in's impact was maximised by the short sharp shock of his appearance on the night.
Ultimately, Punk's cash-in didn't see him punch his ticket to the main event for good. 'The Straight Edge Superstar' never had it easy - this wouldn't even be his first attempt.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
