When WWE SmackDown star was supposed to win Money in the Bank before Vince McMahon changed his mind
Vince McMahon frequently changed storyline plans at the last minute during his 40 years in charge of WWE creative. In 2016, current SmackDown commentator Wade Barrett disclosed details about the time McMahon nixed his Money in the Bank victory.
Barrett participated in the 2011 Money in the Bank ladder match for an opportunity at the World Heavyweight Championship. Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Kane, Sheamus, and Sin Cara were also involved in the eight-man contest.
Five years on from the match, Barrett told WhatCulture that he was supposed to win before McMahon booked Bryan to capture the briefcase instead:
"That's actually one of the rare matches that we rehearsed because there's ladders involved and timing has to be perfect. We went into rehearsal the day before that and the rehearsal had me winning the match." (H/T Fightful)
Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Heath Slater vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Sin Cara vs. Wade Barrett
WWE Money In The Bank 2011
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A year earlier, Barrett burst onto WWE's main roster as the villainous leader of The Nexus. At the time, he was widely viewed as one of the company's top main-event singles stars of the future.
When Wade Barrett found out about Vince McMahon's new plan
On the day of the show, the match participants were informed that Daniel Bryan was going to win the match instead of Wade Barrett.
Winning Money in the Bank 2011 didn't really do Daniel Bryan any favors. In my opinion, someone like John Morrison (who was starting to lose momentum by then), R-Truth or Wade Barrett would've done much better with it. It almost seemed like it was exactly what the latter needed. https://t.co/3IyvSM1XmU
Barrett had no issue with Bryan becoming Mr. Money in the Bank, but he was understandably frustrated that Vince McMahon changed his mind:
"Then about an hour [before] we went live on the pay-per-view, we had a meeting and Vince had changed his mind and wanted Daniel Bryan up. Obviously, it was disappointing for me at the time, but Daniel Bryan did a great job with it, so fair play, but at one point, I was supposed to win it."
In December 2011, Bryan successfully cashed in the Money in the Bank contract on The Big Show at TLC to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
Do you think Vince McMahon should have booked Wade Barrett to win at Money in the Bank 2011? Let us know in the comments section below.