3. Heel Versus Babyface
Copyright: WWE Top Rivalries 2005 Blu-rayWhen you think of Mr. Money In The Bank, the first thing most people think of is the model that Edge made famous. You know the one the heel wins the match, and holds the briefcase for a good long while, bringing it to every match, occasionally using it as a weapon when he cant get the win (even more occasionally teasing cashing it in) and finally cashing it in for real on a vulnerable and unsuspecting babyface champion to pick up the title they crave so much. Its a tried and tested approach now, right? Wrong. Out of 14 winners, 8 have been heels, but 6 have been babyface stars, making it roughly level pegging for good guys or bad guys winning the match. Of the two that have failed to win after cashing in John Cena and Damien Sandow we have one babyface and one heel. That tends to indicate that winning Money In The Bank isnt an angle that suits villains over fan favourites. But its the heels that hold onto the briefcase and pick their moments to lunge in for the kill, right? For this, weve classified goalhangers as anyone holding the MITB briefcase for three months or longer, as we think thats enough time to be considered a proper storyline. Taking this into account, 6 WWE superstars have held onto the briefcase and bided their time before cashing in. A babyface CM Punk (following his first win) and a heel Sandow and Miz all held the briefcase for between 3 and 4 months. Despite claiming that he'd cash in at Wrestlemania XXVIII, 10 months after winning it, babyface Daniel Bryan actually held the briefcase for 5 months, teasing cashing in on repeated occasions just like a heel might. All four superstars, good guys and bad guys, opportunistically cashed in the briefcase on vulnerable champions. But only two superstars held it for genuinely long stretches Edge and Dolph Ziggler at 9 months each, both heels. Interestingly, by the time he actually cashed in on the tumultuous RAW after Wrestlemania 29, Ziggler might as well have been a babyface given the reactions he was getting, and of course he would finally turn only two months later. To us, all of this tends to indicate that the unique selling point of the Money In The Bank win isn't limited to a heel or babyface superstar or storyline, and the tradition of the long-running Mr. Money In The Bank isn't purely a heel angle. As an aside to all of that, WWE have seen fit to have the Money In The Bank briefcase cashed in on 11 babyface champions and only 3 heel champions. This suggests that having the MITB briefcase cashed in on you should be seen as an obstacle to overcome for a babyface, and not a random comeuppance for a heel champion. This follows accepted pro wrestling booking wisdom, that a heel should be punished appropriately by the wronged babyface, not by some arbitrary turn of events.