What if WWE never had the Money in the Bank Match?

At Wrestlemania 21, WWE introduced (which was suppose to be a one time thing that turned into a staple of Wrestlemania) the Money in the Bank match. Originally six Raw superstars, fought in a ladder match, and the first to get the briefcase, got the chance to cash it in for a world title shot anytime from then next years Wrestlemania. Later, it became a match between all brands and added two more superstars to it as it became a staple of Wrestlemania. So, what would happen if this match never happened? I'll explain my thoughts after a few responses.

I'm sure guys like Edge, RVD and Punk would have still gotten their shots another way. Edge was on the cusp of the main event after his feud with Matt anyway and RVD would have been used to re-launch ECW as well. Punk might of had the hardest time of anyone. Kennedy really never got there, due to injuries and everything obviously. But given Punks size and all, would of been hard for him to climb the ranks but I'm sure he would of gotten there if they had the faith to put the strap on him, briefcase or not. Regardless, I think the MITB match is definitely good to help guys break the glass ceiling. So long story short, if it wasn't around, I think certain guys would still get their shots eventually but this definitely helps speed up the process.

The short answer is, there would be a different way to of getting title shots. There would be Battle Royals and tournies, instead of the awesome MITB we have today.

That-Damn-Good wrote:

I'm sure guys like Edge, RVD and Punk would have still gotten their shots another way. Edge was on the cusp of the main event after his feud with Matt anyway and RVD would have been used to re-launch ECW as well. Punk might of had the hardest time of anyone. Kennedy really never got there, due to injuries and everything obviously. But given Punks size and all, would of been hard for him to climb the ranks but I'm sure he would of gotten there if they had the faith to put the strap on him, briefcase or not. Regardless, I think the MITB match is definitely good to help guys break the glass ceiling. So long story short, if it wasn't around, I think certain guys would still get their shots eventually but this definitely helps speed up the process.

Yeah, I think all those guys would of still got their shots, for the reasons you mention and I agree that MITB is a great catalayst for new guys coming into the main event.

With that being said, I think without MITB, Kennedy would of benefited from it. Kennedy losing the briefcase to Edge really hindered his career and personally I don't think he really ever gained back that momentum. However, without the Money in the Bank, he probably would of got the title shot another way and later on. Since this would most likely be after his injury, he wouldn't of had that huge momentum boost he lost like he did with the briefcase.

As for Punk, I'm postive he'd be just fine. I really don't think he'd have that hard of a time getting the Championship. I think WWE showed how much faith they had in him through the booking of the Money in the Bank matches alone. Besides being in three back-to-back-to-back, notice how he always gets really close to winning in 23 and how he won in XXIV and XXV. Why does it matter that he came close to winning in 23? Well, it seems that only people that WWE have faith in as world champion are close to winning. Take Shelton, he has been in most of them but he never really comes close to actually winning. Back when MVP was red hot durning XXIV, he came close to winning and when he cooled down at XXV, he didn't get close to winning. Plus, Punk winning two years in a row is a good sign. The final thing that makes me believe WWE would of pushed him, without him having too much trouble, is that the reigns he has when he cashes them in are the longest of any Money in the Bank winner. Well, actually, he is two days off from beating Edges but the point still remains. Albeit, Edge got injured and RVD got suspended but still.

Concrete Jesus wrote:

The short answer is, there would be a different way to of getting title shots. There would be Battle Royals and tournies, instead of the awesome MITB we have today.

If that's the case, and it most likely would be, I think the best choice would be the King of the Ring. Though title shots don't have to be awarded for the winner, I think that's a pretty damn good way of getting the breakout star.

Yeah we would most likely have had a tournament style event or some other type of match....What a great decision