Mike Chioda may have spent decades as a referee for WWE, but the former official did once pitch an interesting idea for Money in the Bank.
During a recent episode of his “Mailbag” podcast, Chioda was asked about the Money in the Bank ladder match, a stipulation first introduced in 2005.
Chioda revealed that he once pitched an idea for the 2012 SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match to result in two winners, who would then have to face off. He said,
“It was always about Dolph Ziggler and somebody else … going for the briefcase. As they’re up there, the briefcase opens up. One falls down with the contract, [and] one falls down with the f***ing briefcase. So now, the case ain’t nothing without the contract, [and] the contract’s nothing without the briefcase, so now you gotta square off into a finals match. … I kept pitching that idea, but it never went through.”
Ziggler would emerge from the 2012 SmackDown ladder match as the sole victor and cashed in on the RAW after WrestleMania 29 to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Chioda was released from WWE in 2020 and has made appearances for AEW. Last year, Chioda officiated the final match of Ric Flair.
