Thursday, March 28, 2024
EditorialMidcard Money in the Bank: Good or Bad Idea?

Midcard Money in the Bank: Good or Bad Idea?

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Part 2 of our series on adding more Money in the Bank ladder matches is going to follow in the footsteps of part 1 (women), but switch the attention back to the men—more specifically, the ones who are in the midcard.

Before we get started with the pros and the cons, it’s important to note that unlike the current Money in the Bank or even the proposed women’s version, this variation has two championships that would be up for grabs, which could be the biggest factor working in favor or against it. What are the reasons why WWE should and shouldn’t go along with this concept? Let’s see…

* NOTE: All of the following is taken into account without factoring in the upcoming brand split. We don’t know exactly what WWE is planning with that and how it could affect things going forward, but we know the rosters won’t divide until after this year’s Money in the Bank has been decided.

Positives

The absolute simplest argument is that ladder matches are fun, so having a second one would be a welcome addition to the card. On top of this, it allows more people to participate in a match that has the ability to jump them to a better spot on the roster. Right now, only a handful of wrestlers can fight for the world title shot (usually 7 seems to be the magic number) and that leaves some others who are still worth something but are sitting on the sidelines. With this match, they could be in contention for the other titles.

One of the most fun aspects of a midcard MITB match would be the flexibility of the cash-in. We’ve seen scenarios before where the man with the briefcase had his choice between two different world champions to cash in on, making it so both of them had to watch their backs. The same would apply here with the Intercontinental and United States Championships. If a situation popped up where one of those champions was injured, WWE has an easy “out” with the cash-in, but if that doesn’t happen, then there is still room to play around with who will be in danger.

For that matter, you could even have those current champions participate in the match in the hopes that they’ll have a chance to cash in on the other champion. Why wouldn’t the United States champion want to also own the Intercontinental Championship? Just picture how much of an ego boost a heel would have if he was already a midcard champion and had a guaranteed title shot to the other title, or possibly even his own if he lost it (and his subsequent obligatory rematch).

Negatives

The biggest problem I can see with having a midcard Money in the Bank ladder match is that it takes away from the main one in two regards: competitors and wow factor.

When the roster is thin from injuries and releases, or just a lack of worthwhile talent, it would be a stretch to have between 15 and 20 guys who could fight in two different ladder matches and seem like actual contenders. Would you really want to see Darren Young fighting for a midcard title shot right now? Doubtful, and if the midcard MITB match was filled with people on his level and then one or two decent guys, we would know for sure who would win anyway, killing half the fun. If you add too many good guys to the midcard match, you take them away from the main event, which is far more important.

Also, WWE has a tendency to limit the fun of duplicate matches on the same show. If the card has more than one gimmick, everything before the main event is a little more tame in comparison. Just look at how pointless the pre-show No Disqualification match was for Extreme Rules. Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler could have had a wild match, but then there would be no room to grow while watching the show and they’d be upstaging the more important things to come later. If a midcard ladder match would fall victim to the same booking ideas, why bother putting it on?

Judgment Call

Yes, I definitely think this should be at least considered. If the world title briefcase is gold, why not have a secondary silver briefcase for the midcard belts to go along with it? There are so many different ways the cash-in could go with the two titles and since it’s only a midcard championship shot, there’s also room for more failed attempts because the fans won’t be as upset if someone comes up short as if that were to happen with the world title contenders. Booking someone to win this lesser equivalent to the true Money in the Bank, despite it being minor in comparison, would still give that person a big boost and could possibly make a difference between them being a midcarder and an upper midcarder or main eventer over the next few months they have it.

I’m all-in for this concept, but where do you stand? Should WWE have a second Money in the Bank for the midcard titles, or is it too much to ask for and they should just stick to having one so all the attention can be focused on keeping that one special?

Sound off in the comments below!