The "Money In The Bank" Ladder Match: Is The WWE Ruining a Good Thing?

The latest WWE pay-per-view concept revolves around a Wrestlemania staple and one of the most exciting matches of the year, the "Money in the Bank" ladder match.

The concept is simple; a predetermined number of wrestlers will compete in a ladder match for the right to a championship match of their choosing. The winner will have to climb a ladder and grab a briefcase containing the championship contract, which can be cashed in at any time.

Since it's inception at Wrestlemania 21 in 2005, the briefcase has always been successfully cashed in. Whoever wins "Money in the Bank" is essentially guaranteed to win one of the major championships of the WWE.

The only exception to this is Mr. Kennedy, who lost his briefcase to Edge. Kennedy was injured and losing the briefcase was a way to write him off WWE programming until he could recover.

In the meantime, Edge cashed it in and took the World Heavyweight Championship from an already beaten down Undertaker, further cementing his status as the ultimate opportunist.

Over the years, the MITB match has delivered some of the most exciting Wrestlemania moments and helped boost the careers of up-and-comers like C.M. Punk and Jack Swagger.

It has always been a popular match and the WWE is now trying to cash in on that popularity by offering a "Money in the Bank" PPV on July 18.

Vince McMahon and company have retooled the entire WWE PPV schedule this year, loading up with concept-themed events like "Hell in a Cell," "Elimination Chamber," and "Fatal 4-Way" which have all been mainly centered on specific match types.

These concept PPV events have been hit-or-miss with many fans.

While nothing has been announced as of yet, it is rumored that the, "Money in the Bank" event will feature two separate matches.

A Raw brand match with a contract for a WWE championship match on the line and a Smackdown brand match for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.

There is a definite upside to having two separate MITB matches. It will give numerous WWE superstars a chance to shine and more than likely go a long way towards pushing a couple of guys into the main event picture.

The upcoming PPV could be a huge opportunity for perennial WWE mid-card talent like John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston or Christian to grab the spotlight and instantly become a World Championship contender. Their fans have certainly been clamoring for it.

On the other hand, it seems like the WWE is taking something special and ruining it.

MITB is something just about every WWE fan looks forward to come Wrestlemania time. It has a certain can't miss feeling to it and fans often spend weeks speculating over who is going to come out on top.

Almost every single year it is one of the highlights of Wrestlemania.

Now it seems as if the WWE is getting rid of one of the best parts of Wrestlemania for the sake of creating more PPV buys. It may not be a bad move from a business sense, but it does leave a sour taste in the mouth of some members of the WWE universe.

Another factor to consider is the vaunted streak of MITB winners who have cashed in the coveted briefcase to win a major title.

By having two briefcases out there, the odds of someone eventually failing to capture the gold have essentially doubled. Sooner or later, someone is going to cash in their briefcase and lose.

That story would have had to happen eventually, but now it is almost inevitable.

These concept PPVs have focused so much on the main events that the under card often isn't even put together until the week before the show and some matches have been made seemingly on the fly right before the event begins.

If the reports of two separate MITB matches are true, a good chunk of the roster will be involved in the main events. The WWE is going to have to do a really solid job of putting together a worthwhile under card in order to make the PPV something worth investing $45 into.

If the WWE goes about it the right way, the "Money in the Bank" event could be quite interesting and could be the perfect lead in to the summer's biggest wrestling event, "Summerslam."

At the same time, the very idea of this PPV does devalue the MITB concept by taking away the exclusivity of it. Some fans have argued that the concept has already been a victim of overkill but it has been able to retain some sense of uniqueness by providing us with a show stealer each and every year at Wrestlemania.

Despite all of this, the possibilities of what could happen at the very first "Money in the Bank" PPV are intriguing. Let's hope the WWE is able to pull it off.