MITB 2011: Reminiscing ‘The Best’ Money in the Bank PPV

Money in the Bank pay-per-view, since its inception in 2010, has given us a lot of stellar matches and countless jaw-dropping moments. It’s one of those memorable PPVs that showcases the excellent athletic abilities of WWE Superstars by testing their limits. Simply put, it is an important platform that could transform a star into a Superstar.

Of all the eight times that this event has been held so far, one year, in particular, stood out for being the critically acclaimed and most-remembered PPV of the modern era. We're talking about Money in the Bank 2011.

MITB 2011:

Other than two forgettable bouts on its match card, the second installment of the MITB PPV played host to three solid matches and one classic main event. Let's relive those six matches one by one.

The match card looked like this:

1. SmackDown MITB Ladder Match

2. Diva's Championship Match

3. Mark Henry vs Big Show

4. RAW MITB Ladder Match

5. World Heavyweight Championship Match

6. WWE Championship Match

Forgettable Matches:

Second match: Divas Championship Match

Back in those days when WWE women were called 'Divas' and seldom had quality matches

This is definitely one of the two forgettable matches of that night. Kelly Kelly successfully defended her Divas title against Brie Bella in a 5-minute short match. The crowd was dead for the entire match. This was definitely one of those matches that didn't belong in the PPV.

A few snapshots of the match:

Third Match: Big Show vs Mark Henry:

This was another short match that didn't have much to it. It was what you would expect from a battle between two giants. Mark Henry was the one to seal the victory against Big Show with two 'World's Strongest Slams'. For a PPV packed with stellar performances and quality matches, this match was a let-down for sure.

A few things happened after the match which garnered more attention.

But let's give compliment the Superstars where it's due. 'Hall of the Pain' gimmick of Mark Henry was critically acclaimed and had its share of appreciation from fans. The match just happened to be at the wrong place where cards are stacked pretty high.

Note:

The reason why these two matches were forgettabledespite the PPV still being talked about, is that they lacked two most important things that a pro-wrestling match requires: A compelling story and the skill set required in the ring by the Superstars to complement it.