A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: September 23rd 2013
Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk
Price:
DVD £12.99
Blu-ray £13.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)
Format Reviewed:
DVD
(Also Available on Blu-ray)
What It’s About:
WWE’s
annual Money in the Bank pay-per view event from the Wells Fargo Centre in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 14th 2013; including both Money in the Bank
Ladder Matches as well as Alberto Del Rio vs Dolph Ziggler for the World
Heavyweight Championship and John Cena vs Mark Henry for the WWE Championship,
plus much more.
Strengths:
The
match of the night, which in my opinion trumps both Money in the Bank Ladder Matches,
is the World Heavyweight Championship Match between Alberto Del Rio and Dolph
Ziggler – it is a fine piece of work. Dolph gets a thunderous ovation and the
audience are behind him from the outset, which Vince should listen to as it
tells him who we want to see in the main event picture. The bout is a master
class in ring psychology as, like their Payback effort, the action is centred
around Ziggler’s head with Del Rio seeks to exploit with a tremendous standing
‘Inzaguri’ and many kicks and moves which target Ziggler’s upper body and head.
The back and forth action is nothing short of inspiring and also a lesson in
how to make your match make sense – John Cena take note. The sell job by Dolph
Ziggler is flawless as he really makes you feel for him and want him to win,
whilst his ‘X Factor’ face buster from the top rope is nothing short of
awe-inspiring. The match is a slow burner which begins methodical but graduates
into a gripping main event calibre match. Reversals are perfectly timed and
Alberto Del Rio’s reversal of the ‘Fame-asser’ into a fantastic ‘German Suplex’
is magnificent. The move of the match however comes from Dolph Ziggler when he
hits a DDT out of a ‘Gut-wrench Powerbomb’ which is worthy of a standing
ovation. A.J’s interference is not necessary save for her role in the finale,
though it doesn’t really hinder the match at all. There is a cracking near fall
after Del Rio’s reverse suplex from the turnbuckle and the only down point of
the match is the lousy DQ ending when A.J blasts Del Rio with the Divas
Championship. Ziggler would have left this match with more credit and support
had he lost via pinfall. The ‘You screwed Ziggler’ chants are funny and if this
hasn’t proven to WWE that Ziggler belongs on top, then I don’t know what will.
Dean
Ambrose vs Fandango vs Antonio Cesaro vs Jack Swagger vs Cody Rhodes vs Damien
Sandow vs Wade Barrett in the Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match is quite
superb. Sadly thanks to time constraints, Dean Ambrose and Fandango don’t get
an entrance and are simply already in the ring when the pay-per view begins –
an oversight by WWE to treat their United States Champion that way – though
Ambrose gets a rousing reception when he’s announced. Zeb Coulter does his
usual Anti-Foreigner spiel which is beyond old now and the irony of managing
Antonio Cesaro – who hails from Switzerland – whilst preaching about non
Americans in the country is seemingly lost on WWE and Coulter. As for the
excellent brawl; Antonio Cesaro gets his fair share of the spotlight with a sublime
‘Gut-wrench Powerbomb’ on Cody Rhodes onto the ladder and an exceptional
mid-air ‘European Uppercut’ on Wade Barrett as he falls from the ladder.
Fandango is barely relevant in this match and apart from a few spots on the
ladder where he’s visible reaching for the briefcase and the odd back and forth
piece of action with the ladder, his biggest contribution is an accomplished
‘Slingshot Leg Drop’ onto the ladder and Wade Barrett and an excellent sunset
flip on Wade Barrett from the top of the ladder. Speaking of the United States
Champions, Ambrose is once again one of the stars of the match and is all over
like this like a rash – in the best possible sense. The third wheel of The
Shield executes an outstanding DDT on Jack Swagger off of the ladder; is the recipient of an impressive ‘Hangman’
with the ladder which he ably slips out of and gets a round of applause when he
takes a death defying fall from the top of the ladder into the waiting wrestler
brawl outside. Jack Swagger and Damien Sandow are kept to a minimum in this
match which is baffling and Wade Barrett is the recipient of a huge amount of
punishment. Including what has already been mentioned, Barrett gets a nasty
ladder shot to the head as he’s laying on the outside, though he does display some
much needed aggression when he beats Sandow with a broken part of the ladder.
WWE do very well to take the attention off those selling moves at ringside for
longer than they should and keep the camera focused on those in the moment.
Each interception of the briefcase is timed to perfection and the ladder is
used well and not excessively. However, the stand out star of this match is
Cody Rhodes. His aggression and talent comes to the front line at Money in the
Bank and it’s clear that this Cody Rhodes is one who belongs in the main event.
I have never been more impressed with him and WWE should push him hard when he
returns – as he inevitably will – from his storyline sacking. Just some of his
highlights involve breaking up the Swagger / Cesaro human ladder attempt and
taking each participant out on his own in a fluid sequence of moves much to the
audience’s approval. Rhodes bleeds hardway when he’s caught by a ladder shot to
the head which the camera try their best to cover up, and the audience, though
they give smatterings of applause for Damien Sandown’s victory are more annoyed
than pleased. The truth is, Damien Sandow isn’t ready for this spot and WWE are
to blame. His treatment before and since the victory has been appalling. Cody
Rhodes was the star of this show and he should have been given that final push.
A.J
Lee vs Kaitlyn for the WWE Divas Championship is another admirable effort by
both ladies. Their scrap here isn’t as impressive as their outstanding Payback
effort but it is enjoyable nonetheless. Featuring some good back and forth
action including a killer ‘Gut-buster’ by the beautiful Kaitlyn, the match is a
more methodical jigsaw than their all out fight the month previous. A.J is
again outstanding in the psycho role, trying to kiss and lick Kaitlyn as the
former champion is trapped in a headlock. The reversals are buffed up and the
cream of the crop is a sparkling sleeper hold reversal into a backbreaker by
Kaitlyn. The match has its share of bragging rights with heated near falls and
Big E. Langston makes a great catch of A.J at ringside as she comes tumbling to
the floor from the top rope. Unfortunately there are two problems with this.
The first is Kaitlyn’s selling which has reverted back to comical and
illogically, in the closing moments of the match, A.J applies the ‘Black Widow’
submission to the wrong arm of Kaitlyn totally ignoring the supposed injured
one. Apart from that, it’s another enjoyable effort from two women who are a
credit to the Divas Division. On a comical note and without wishing to be
coarse, in the front row someone hold up a sign which reads ‘I came for
Kaitlyn’. I imagine he’s not the only one.
The
Raw All Star Money in the Bank Ladder Match, pitting Daniel Bryan vs Randy
Orton vs C.M Punk vs Rob Van Dam vs Christian vs Sheamus is RVD’s WWE
homecoming after many years away and what a show he puts on. This match is more
low key than the Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match but because of the
calibre of wrestlers participating, it still holds together well. Rob Van Dam
impresses greatly and shows that TNA didn’t ruin him after all with a great
showing. Beginning with a heroes homecoming, the ECW crowd in Philadelphia
welcome him back like a legend, which he his in these parts. Though the match
begins with the group getting rid of the biggest threats one at a time –
beginning with Van Dam – making him look like a serious threat, RVD’s first
move gets a huge reaction and his ‘Rolling Thunder’ onto a ladder is good to
see in WWE again. Van Dam sells for the rest as well with a nasty fall into a
stacked group of ladders at ringside. The highlight of Van Dam’s return though
is the thoroughly sensational ‘Five Star Frog Splash’ from the top of the
ladder onto Christian – welcome home Rob. The beginning exchange between C.M
Punk and Daniel Bryan is spirited with some good flowing reversals and whilst
Punk doesn’t feature heavily until the end of the match, when Paul Heyman
expertly turns heel on Punk and cuts him hardway with a ladder – which turns
the ECW audience on Heyman – he does have a comedy moment with a bow after
nailing Sheamus with a ladder and takes the brunt of the fall when Randy Orton
executes a very good ‘T-Bone Suplex’. Daniel Bryan is a firecracker here and
his thrilling dive on Punk outside the ring sends the pair tumbling into the
stacked ladder pile. Out of everyone in the match, Sheamus seems to be the only
one going stale and needs a revamp when he returns from injury – which begins
here – when he takes a very nasty fall through a ladder at ringside and visibly
injures himself. Sheamus’ other impactful memory here is when he lands
awkwardly on a ladder as it falls from under him – it’s not pleasant to watch.
Randy Orton, the eventual winner, is kept mostly a bay through this encounter
which is baffling seeing as he would be thrust into the spotlight one month
later – though his victory is met with some congratulations and hope that this
will be the beginning of something unforgettable – which it was. Orton’s RKO
onto RVD in mid-air as Van Dam falls from the ladder is both stunning and
expertly timed. This match does have the spectacle of the Smackdown Ladder
Match, but we’ve become used to that by now. Though it lacks the regularity of
the high risk moves its still a very good outing.
The
one and only extra on the DVD release is the Pre-show match featuring Seth
Rollins and Roman Reigns defending the WWE Tag Team Championships against The
Usos in a cracking tag team affair. The match begins with some polished action
by Jimmy Uso as the RVD chants begin to rain down on the foursome. To their
credit though, the chants of RVD soon die away as the four men put on the burners
and the match hits previously unthinkable heights. Highlights include a lovely
‘Uso Flapjack’ on Reigns, a well timed pull off the apron by Rollins as the
Usos go for a tag – this looks excellent – and some very good back and forth
action until the stunning four man tower Powerbomb suplex which elicits the
well earned ‘This is Awesome’ chants. One of the Usos – I can’t tell you which
one – hits a great flying body cross over the top rope onto Reigns and Rollins
and for a few moments in time, The Usos eclipse ever Samoan tag team which went
before them. The end comes when Reigns hits a fine spear to end the
encounter. The Usos shine here and in a
match which sees moves performed which aren’t usually present in pre-show
matches, WWE may have a team to build
their doubles division around once The Shield have moved on. This match is so
good it would have been perfect for the main show.
Weaknesses:
Curtis
Axel vs The Miz for the WWE Intercontinental Championship is a disappointing
and unremarkable effort for two men who are capable of much better. WWE’s
booking flaws come flooding to the surface when they ludicrously instruct Miz
to send Paul Heyman packing in ECW country, with an Eddie Guerrero style ‘Lie,
Cheat and Steal’ job when Miz slaps himself and falls to the ground when
standing in front of Heyman. Naturally the referee believes Heyman has nailed
Miz and sends him to the locker room. This isn’t a popular decision with the
crowd and should have been vetoed when it came up – from this moment onwards;
Miz is treated as a heel. The action is slow and plods at times making it hard
to get involved and what decent moves there are dent the reputation of others.
Like the ‘Perfect Plex’ that Miz kicks out of. Miz isn’t the only one to have
done this, many have kicked out of Mr. Prefect – Axel’s father – finishing move
in the last few months, sadly this is only devaluating the reputation of the
move. WWE either need to stop people kicking out of it or stop Axel using it –
it’s becoming a running joke. Miz is losing a great deal of muscle mass by the
week, something WWE need to address and this is the first time I’ve noticed
that Mr. Perfect’s theme tune runs through Axel’s. On the whole, a match which
is oddly paced and doesn’t seem to have any structure to it.
Chris
Jericho vs Ryback is an utter bore. At the beginning of the match we’re both
shown and told that Ryback’s leg is bothering him from an attack on Smackdown
and Raw. Yet when Ryback marches to the ring, stomps up the steps with great
force and enters the ring – there’s no selling of the leg to be seen. The most
we get in way of Ryback selling the leg is a few seconds on the ring apron two
thirds of the way in – even then, in a matter on moments, Ryback drops to the
outside without a sign of leg trouble. It’s laughable. The stalling from Ryback
only slows the match to a complete halt and his submission / rest holds are
even more dull than his usual offence. Whilst we’re on the subject of Ryback,
his stomps to Jericho look more like he’s wiping a persistent dog turd from the
bottom of his boots whilst the commentators sell the stomps like he’s just
kicked down a building. From the beginning of the match the whole encounter is
a disjointed affair which looks horrible. So much so, that Jericho fails to do
anything with Ryback or leave a lasting impression on the audience. Instead
Jericho visibly gives up and sticks to the script. It’s a fair assessment to
say that Chris Jericho’s 2013 run has been less than satisfactory. Because
Ryback kicks out of everything too early, there are no heated near falls and
the guy needs a lesson on how to build tension in a match. The only two decent
moves of the whole thing are the ‘Codebreaker’ through the middle rope and the
‘Reverse DDT’ from ‘Shell Shocked’. Ryback’s win is made to look like a fluke
when he should have been built as a wrecking ball after being ruined by Cena,
though the ending to the match is a relief that’s it over.
John
Cena vs Mark Henry for the WWE Championship, is business as usual for John Cena
after his decent Three Stages of Hell Match with Ryback the previous month. I
have to credit Mark Henry here, because his performances in the build up to
this match were very good indeed and he was completely believable in his
retirement speech – even if the turn was sign posted a mile away when Cena came
to the ring. Why else would you have a man you’ve had hardly any dealings with
in 16 years as the only person present when you supposedly retire? To John Cena’s credit as well, he did a very
good job of portraying a haunted and scared Champion who believed his
Championship run may be over – in the run up to the event. The one idiotic
point I would share here though, about the weeks of hype, is that WWE expected
us to believe that Cena couldn’t get Henry up for the ‘Attitude Adjustment’,
when he’s been doing it with Big Show for years. The match is a mind numbing
mess. Mark Henry gets a massive ovation from the audience who at this point are
basically shouting to the WWE office ‘Anyone but Cena!’ In the ‘City of
Brotherly Love’, there is none for the WWE Champion. Beginning slow with Henry
asserting his power, the match never recovers or gets out of first gear. Mark
Henry’s submission moves will make you lose the will to live, though his suplex
on the steel steps is a good break from tradition. As usual, Cena takes a
massive amount of punishment which he neglects to sell the lasting effects of.
Instead of feigning exhaustion and injury after the punishment, Cena simply
bounces to his feet and looks like someone who has been on a leisurely jog.
There’s no tension, no heat and very little interest from the crowd or anyone
else except John Cena fans. Ridiculously, when Cena has Henry trapped in the
first ‘STF’, Henry is a foot away from the ropes and for what seems like ages,
never bothers to simply reach out and grab it. In the end, Henry taps to the
weakest ‘STF’ in history. I know John Cena has said that he’s not going to
change but an unwillingness to learn or brush up on the basics is painting Cena
in a bad light. His refusal to do so is making him look like an egotistical
prick who thinks he’s better than going back to wrestling school with the lower
classes, even if it’s going to make him more money in the long run. Comically,
on commentary, Michael Cole, Cena’s biggest mark, tries over and over again to
make us believe that John Cena is the greatest WWE Champion in history and JBL
pitches in, saying that no one knew how great John Cena was going to become
after defeating him at WrestleMania 21 for the WWE Championship.
Brad
Maddox’s few minutes on the mic are a complete waste of time. Adding nothing to
the show, Maddox simply brags about being the new Raw GM and then taunts Vickie
Guerrero about her dismissal. The segment has ‘Filler’ written all over it and
the Vickie Guerrero tribute video may have been touching had it been under any
other circumstances. The crowd though do provide Vickie with some support.
The
Money in the Bank Pre / Post-Show Panel, which thankfully aren’t on the extras,
are as usual, moronically pointless. The worst of the comments come from Kofi
Kingston – remember him? He states that Damien Sandow stole the Money in the
Bank victory from Cody Rhodes. Can someone please furnish these morons with the
rules to matches before they allow them to speak? There is no stealing in a
match like that, its every man for himself.
The
commentary team have a ripe old time with some utterly dumb and absurd
comments. I won’t list them all for you but the worst come during The Miz vs
Curtis Axel. After Miz has sent Heyman packing and the crowd, in unison, are
chanting ‘We Want Heyman’, Michael Cole states that because of the ECW Paul
Heyman is beloved in Philadelphia. JBL then chips in with ‘Are you sure beloved
is the right word?’ Yes John, we are. All WWE had to do was listen to the fans
before instruction Layfield to say that. Michael Cole then says that 18,000
people are chanting Paul Heyman’s name and Jerry Lawler, the complete idiot
punts the stupidity out of the park with ‘It’s more like eighteen hundred’.
Does Lawler not listen to those around him? Had only 1,800 people been chanting
Heyman’s name it would not have filled the arena. Worse still, most of the
audience are visible on camera chanting for Heyman.
DVD and Blu-ray Special
Features:
Pre-Show Match
WWE Tag Team
Championship Match
Seth
Rollins and Roman Reigns vs The Usos
Blu-ray Exclusive
Extras:
Monday Night RAW – July
8th 2013
Mark
Henry confronts John Cena
Vickie
Guerrero’s job evaluation
Kane
vs Christian
C.M
Punk vs Randy Orton
Smackdown – July 12th
2013
Divas
Championship Match contract signing
Sheamus
vs Randy Orton
Conclusion:
Money
in the Bank 2013 isn’t the classic that 2011’s offering was but it is still a
great romp through some hardcore action which has been missing from the company
for some time. Whilst it has its weaknesses, when the event is good, it’s
untouchable. Both Money in the Bank Ladder Matches are worth the price of the
release on DVD and Blu-ray, with the Smackdown effort being the best of the two
whilst the World Heavyweight Championship Match between Alberto Del Rio and
Dolph Ziggler may be the finest Championship match in 2013.
Whilst
the event is worth buying, those unwilling to part with their cash may be more
inclined to wait for the upcoming ‘Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank
Ladder Match Anthology’ which includes both Money in the Bank Ladder Matches
from 2013’s offering and ‘Best PPV Matches 2013’ which will surely feature
Alberto Del Rio vs Dolph Ziggler from July 14th. Saying that, Money in the Bank
has become a must see event and a highly anticipated one to both witness and
have in your collection.
Rating: B
Next Time in Review
Corner: Goldberg – The Ultimate Collection DVD
and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
