Maybe it needs a big shake up or a big overhaul in how it's done, but I think the MITB briefcase/contract has run its course for well over a decade now.
When they first presented the idea way back in 2005, it sounded intriguing because you could theorize the best time to cash it in. At the time the idea of using a guaranteed title match most likely meant the holder of the briefcase issues a challenge and gets a free PPV main event out of it. I remember a lot of people saying that though the logical thing is to cash it in when the champion is half dead after a long match, nothing had ever been done like that and it'd also take away initial buzz/excitement of a traditional build up.
But then NYR 2006 happened and Edge did what everyone said: he cashed it in on a broken, bleeding and battered Cena at the very end of a pay per view main event. This was at the time genius and a character building moment for Edge that catapulted even more heel heat for him to coast off of since he cashed it in "fairly" but in the most bitchmade way possible.
Here's the thing: first time it happened was legendary. Regular fans at the time didn't see it coming, it cemented Edge as an easy main event player, it made the whole near year long anticipation feel worth it in the end and most importantly it was used in the best and most advantageous way possible.
Now the dozens of other times since then it has lost its appeal. If the plan was for the MITB to always be an annual thing then sadly, WWE blew their load with the very first cash in because it "showed" how everybody should be using it. This has made it so face, heel, whatever, with very few exceptions like Rob Van Dam, everybody is cashing it in like it's NYR 2006 all over again. There's no nuance or thrill to it anymore.
Even as much as I enjoyed Rollins cashing in at WM31 at the very end it all goes back to that feeling of deja-vu and trying to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle that was Edge's first. At this point I've come to dislike the whole thing entirely because it is simply uninteresting and overdone. Even the fake cash ins have been done to death. It's pretty much a guaranteed title victory at best, or the person cashing in loses against a nearly dead champion and ends up looking like a total loser (Damien Sandow).
What do you think? Are you tired of it? Do you think the rules or concept of the MITB briefcase should be changed to try and salvage and keep it fresh?
When they first presented the idea way back in 2005, it sounded intriguing because you could theorize the best time to cash it in. At the time the idea of using a guaranteed title match most likely meant the holder of the briefcase issues a challenge and gets a free PPV main event out of it. I remember a lot of people saying that though the logical thing is to cash it in when the champion is half dead after a long match, nothing had ever been done like that and it'd also take away initial buzz/excitement of a traditional build up.
But then NYR 2006 happened and Edge did what everyone said: he cashed it in on a broken, bleeding and battered Cena at the very end of a pay per view main event. This was at the time genius and a character building moment for Edge that catapulted even more heel heat for him to coast off of since he cashed it in "fairly" but in the most bitchmade way possible.
Here's the thing: first time it happened was legendary. Regular fans at the time didn't see it coming, it cemented Edge as an easy main event player, it made the whole near year long anticipation feel worth it in the end and most importantly it was used in the best and most advantageous way possible.
Now the dozens of other times since then it has lost its appeal. If the plan was for the MITB to always be an annual thing then sadly, WWE blew their load with the very first cash in because it "showed" how everybody should be using it. This has made it so face, heel, whatever, with very few exceptions like Rob Van Dam, everybody is cashing it in like it's NYR 2006 all over again. There's no nuance or thrill to it anymore.
Even as much as I enjoyed Rollins cashing in at WM31 at the very end it all goes back to that feeling of deja-vu and trying to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle that was Edge's first. At this point I've come to dislike the whole thing entirely because it is simply uninteresting and overdone. Even the fake cash ins have been done to death. It's pretty much a guaranteed title victory at best, or the person cashing in loses against a nearly dead champion and ends up looking like a total loser (Damien Sandow).
What do you think? Are you tired of it? Do you think the rules or concept of the MITB briefcase should be changed to try and salvage and keep it fresh?
![[The_Game]](/d2/avatars/m/168/168133.jpg?1675449703){kind=avatar}
