WWE Money in the Bank 2011: Why Alberto Del Rio Will Not Win Raw's MITB

Do I have your attention now?

There is an incredible amount of predictions floating around on Bleacher Report and other pro wrestling news websites about the upcoming Money in the Bank event. If you click over to the Bleacher Report pro wrestling homepage, you're guaranteed to see at least 10 articles (now including this one) relating to handicapping, predicting and previewing Money in the Bank. This is in no way a bad thing.

But...

I've noticed a couple things:

1. First and most obvious: The interest the WWE has garnered towards this event is staggering compared to the recent, lackluster, lazy, downright embarrassing events the WWE has showcased lately. Everyone is finally excited about the WWE again, and everyone wants to talk about it and let their opinion be known. Myself included.

WWE seems to have finally gotten it right... for this month at least.

Their recent problems can be directly linked to underperforming stars, injuries to top-level talent and the mind-boggling booking and misuse of talent on both Raw and SmackDown rosters.

Wait, what's this? This just in... WWE Breaking News: An Amber Alert has been issued as of July 14th, 2011: If you have seen John Cena's wrestling ability or Randy Orton's personality please contact the nearest authorities immediately. Thank You.

Sorry, where was I?...Oh yeah!

2. If the IWC has told me anything within the last couple of days, it is that Alberto Del Rio is a clear-cut, I-don't-even-need-to-watch, dominant favorite to win the Raw Money in the Bank match. A few have taken different stances, daring to be different, but these are few and far between. Which leads me to the last thing I've noticed...

3. Has the IWC, the pulse of the wrestling universe, become just as lazy as the WWE itself?

Have we given up hope and just caved to the predictable nature of recent WWE programming?

Have we been beaten so far down by the corporate, PG machine that we don't even feel the need to use this platform we all have and voice our concern about what may take place this Sunday?

Have we just chalked up Del Rio winning and cashing it in on a newly crowned Punk to be good booking?   

If Del Rio wins and cashes it in the same night I will be shocked, but I shouldn't be because it'll certainly keep the mind-boggling booking on par for WWE.

While professional wrestling has so many inherit traits—such as: the ability to suspend reality, captivate, anger, illicit raw human emotions, as well as transcend time and space—it ultimately all relies on one thing...proper booking.

Can someone please tell me why the WWE will book Del Rio, already the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship, to also win the Money in the Bank briefcase?

Wait, I already have the answer...it's because they're lazy.

Del Rio winning Money in the Bank does absolutely no justice for what Money in the Bank stands for. Not only does it push Del Rio, who is already passed the stratosphere and is about to enter the mesosphere, but it belittles all the younger talent around him—which is what the WWE is great at as of late. It's scary how little faith they have in their mid-card performers right now.

Del Rio has already proven to be capable of being a top guy in the company. He doesn't need to win Money in the Bank to be considered "relevant."

The WWE, with its MITB concept, has the rare ability to create instant credibility for anyone of its mid-card superstars. Why waste it on someone who already has it?

Putting the Money in the Bank briefcase back into the Miz-Riley feud isn't a bad alternative.

If CM Punk really did scare management (highly doubtful) into rethinking their title picture and were forced to add Del Rio to the mix, albeit briefly, then why cop out with a quick fix and give Del Rio the briefcase? Say it with me: It's because they're lazy!

Serious question: Are we all clamoring for and hoping to see Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena at SummerSlam?

I'd much rather see CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio. We'd actually get to see wrestling. Now that's exciting.

Could you imagine a WWE universe where CM Punk is WWE Champion, Del Rio is the No. 1 contender, John Cena is desperately trying to get his way back into the company (or maybe, he really does disappear for awhile, only to come back with a better gimmick) and someone like the Miz or Alex Riley is lying in wait with the MITB contract?

Take a moment to digest that and picture the unpredictable mayhem that Raw would bring us each week.

So what if Del Rio does win?

Does Del Rio win Money in the Bank, lose his championship match at SummerSlam, use a weapon to incapacitate the champion, and then cash in his contract? While that would be captivating to watch it provides only one moment rather then a slew of them if he doesn't win Money in the Bank.

I like Del Rio (a lot) and have been on his bandwagon since late October, but that doesn't mean I root against what's right for the WWE.

So while we wait and see what road the WWE is taking us down, we should all remember one thing: Sunday will be a spectacle, and this is officially the most excited about a wrestling event this writer has been in a long time.

How do you feel?

Who do I think will win?