Jericho Reveals How the Money in the Bank Match Was Created
08/31/2017 04:36 pm EDT
On a recent episode of his podcast, Talk is Jericho, Chris Jericho sat down with the current Mr. Money in the Bank, Baron Corbin. Since the topic was so relevant, the conversation steered towards the creation of the actual Money in the Bank match.
For those that don't know, it was Jericho who invented the Money in the Bank Match in 2005. He explained to Corbin how he got the idea:
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"It was for WrestleMania and there were a bunch of guys with nothing to do, and some pretty big names, Kane, Edge, Christian, [Chris] Benoit, like, Shelton Benjamin, who was getting a push at the time. And they didn't know what to do with us, so they were trying to come up with a bunch of ideas. Then they said, 'well, maybe a multi [person] ladder match' and Brian said, 'well, there's really nothing to go for.' And I said, 'well, what if we went for a piece of paper, like a contract, where you would get a title match the next night?'"
WWE Creative official, Brian Gewirtz, served as a liaison between Jericho and McMahon during the process. As expected, Vince had to tinker with Jericho's idea:
"[Gewirtz] went and talked to Vince about it and he came back and he said, 'well, Vince loves it, but it's going to be a title match for a year that you can cash it in.' And Vince's only demand was it had to be in a briefcase."
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Jericho's anecdote is a fascinating look into the creative process in WWE. Although the Ayatollah of Rock N' Rolla's original concept of the MITB match was compelling enough, Vince adding his own elements (the briefcase and year-long window) enhanced the spectacle behind the idea.
It's hard to believe that the Money in the Bank has already been around for 12 years. In that time it's evolved from being an explosive way to open WrestleMania to having its own PPV. One could make the argument that the Money in the Bank show has surpassed Survivor Series - moving it into WWE's trophy room with the Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and WrestleMania.
While some older schools of thought don't like how the MITB creates a vulnerable champion, the lurking concept of an open contract instantly sparks intrigue for both casual and dedicated fans. Look no further than Carmella and James Ellsworth to understand how poignant the MITB contract has become.
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