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A while back on the I Want Wrestling Podcast (definitely worth a listen), while discussing the rise of CM Punk, one of the former creative team writers – it was probably Dave Lagana – brought up that Punk was the person Kennedy knocked off the ladder to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 23. This got me thinking – indeed, being the person knocked off the ladder (effectively, the “runner up”) is an honor in and of itself. Essentially, you’re the person the front office is picking to “tease” the audience into thinking that you’re going to win.

As we prepare for the second Money in the Bank PPV (a show I’ll actually be ordering), let’s take a look at the runner ups to each MITB Ladder Match, and the year they had following the match.

WrestleMania 21: Runner Up - Chris Benoit
Benoit arguably made the ladder match with his incredible selling of his arm injury. He feuded with Edge for the following month, and was an early draft pick and moved over to Smackdown. From there, he won the United States Championship and feuded primarily with Booker T. Truth be told, considering his prior year, Benoit’s year was probably a bit of a disappointment.

WrestleMania 22: Runners Up - Shelton Benjamin and Matt Hardy
I’d hate to say it, as it hurts the credibility of this post, but I think this may be the one case where the final moments of the match were designed for somebody to take a great bump. What makes me say that? Well, for one, neither Benjamin or Hardy were being heavily pushed during this period. And following WrestleMania, they were both left off of the majority of PPVs. From my recollection, the peak of Benjamin’s year was being on the loser’s end of an Intercontinental Title feud, and Hardy had a fairly meaningless feud with Gregory Helms. Ultimately, both of them ended up reuniting with their former partners just before the next WrestleMania, proving that (at that time) their singles careers would not skyrocket like they had hoped.

WrestleMania 23: Runner Up - CM Punk
CM Punk most certainly had a breakout year after being knocked off that ladder, deprived of the Money in the Bank prize. While Bobby Lashley was still the centerpiece of ECW for the months following WrestleMania, Punk was clearly the one to watch. First, as the intriguing middle man in the war between the ECW Originals and the New Breed and then as the brand’s top babyface following the departure of Lashley and RVD. And by the end of the summer, Punk had finally the ECW Championship. And after a fairly lengthy reign, it seemed he only dropped the title so that he could move onto bigger and better things (believe it or not). This included a spot in the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches, conceivably so that he could challenge for one of the two “real” World Titles.

Punk is the first – but arguably not last – runner up who seemed to have a more successful year than the actual winner (who, incidentally, didn’t even ultimately end up with the briefcase).

WrestleMania 24: Runner Up - Chris Jericho
This would be the second case where the runner up ended up more successful than the winner – although it’s definitely up for debate. Actually, Jericho’s presence in the Money in the Bank match was pretty compelling to begin with. Of the competitors, he was undoubtedly the highest on the card, yet it was Jeff Hardy that was destined to win. When Hardy was removed from the equation, Jericho still didn’t get the nod. Instead, it went to CM Punk. Saddled with the Intercontinental Championship – Jeff Hardy’s sloppy seconds – you had to wonder about Jericho’s stock in the company. However, following an entrancing feud with Shawn Michaels, a slow burn heel turn, and a brilliant complete shift of character, Jericho skyrocketed back to the top of the card. Incredibly, he even managed to win the World Championship in a match he wasn’t even scheduled to participate in. Actually, he won the belt twice before the end of the calendar year, and spent much of the rest of the time competing for the championship (before a fairly understated match at WrestleMania against the WWE Legends).

Punk’s year was nothing to sneeze at, of course. He won the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge in an awesome Raw moment (which saw the Rated R Superstar get his comeuppance), but with both Cena and Batista on the Raw brand, you could tell that the company never fully got behind him as champion.

WrestleMania 25: Runner Up – Kane
Sorry to say, I don’t think there was any significance to Kane being in the role this year. As best as I can tell, he really didn’t even appear on another PPV following Backlash, I believe, until SummerSlam. And that was in a nothing match against the Great Khali. And he was one of the captains of Team Smackdown at Bragging Rights. CM Punk, meanwhile, had an awesome year (mirroring Chris Jericho the year before) by turning heel and reimagining his character. And then he wore jeans instead of a suit or something, and his push died.

WrestleMania 26: Runner Up – Christian
I’d like to think that Christian’s role as the “runner up” was quite deliberate, as of the competitors I think many fans felt he had a good chance of winning (after carrying the ECW brand on his back) and the audience genuinely wanted him to win. However, for whatever reason, things didn’t really pan out for Christian. If I’m not mistaken, Christian’s next PPV appearance wouldn’t be until, ironically enough, the Money in the Bank show. It’s a little surprising, actually. With the departures of Edge and Chris Jericho, there was room up top for Christian. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

Money in the Bank (PPV): Smackdown Runner Up - Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre is in essentially the same exact position that Christian was in several months earlier. While the fans certainly weren’t festering for McIntyre to win, there was a strong possibility that he would (he was being pushed rather heavily at the time). I might even go as far as to say that fans feared he would win. So with a combination of the live audience actively believing Drew could win, and REALLY not wanting that to happen, having Kane prevent that from happening was probably the best way to get the stadium to react when he nabbed the briefcase. Of course, like Christian, McIntyre was basically banished from the PPV scene following this match.

Money in the Bank (PPV): Raw Runner Up - Randy Orton
Randy Orton had a pretty incredible latter half of 2010. He had emerged as a major babyface, even rivaling John Cena’s spot as the face of the company. So it’s not surprising that he was the teased winner. However, things came out pretty rosy for Orton anyway, as he won the WWE Championship at Night of Champions just a few months later. Appropriately, he would be the victim of Miz’s briefcase cash in.

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