Ranking Every WWE Money In The Bank Winner’s Run With The Briefcase
4. Daniel Bryan - 2011
Daniel Bryan was another whose Money in the Bank push propelled him from the middle of the card towards its higher echelons. Admittedly, during his 154 days with the briefcase he lost his fair share of matches, but in this instance the losses helped play into the storyline that underpinned the whole endeavour.
Bryan had vowed to save his title shot for the grand old stage of WrestleMania, despite being urged by buddies like the Big Show to cash-in sooner if the opportunity presented itself. For the most part, he remained steadfast in pursuit of that WrestleMania dream, until of course the aforementioned Big Show got his hands on the title at TLC 2011.
Having beaten Mark Henry to become World Heavyweight Champion, Show was then laid out by his opponent in a post-match beatdown. Clearly, this was an opportunity presenting itself, the very kind that Big Show had previously advised Bryan about. Bryan swooped in to pin a prone Show and finagle the title for himself.
Bryan’s deceit made the cash-in and his heel turn all the more effective, providing a satisfying pay-off to the preceding months of build. A nice piece of storytelling, and one that eventually transformed him into that pompous heel champion who would later spawn a certain ‘Yes!’ chant you might’ve heard…