Money in the Bank: Check out the history of the ladder event
skysports.com looks at the history of Money in the Bank ahead of Sunday's big night in Philadelphia.
Last Updated: 10/07/13 8:48pm
The sough-after holdall, which contains a contract for a guaranteed title shot, has helped some grapplers scoop their maiden WWE or World Heavyweight Championship and others catapult themselves back to the summit of professional wrestling.
Two briefcases will be up for grabs this weekend in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the fourth annual Money in the Bank event - which came into being following the success of the multi-man ladder duel at WrestleMania.
The likes of Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Jack Swagger and British brawler Wade Barrett will be hoping to snare the contract-filled cases and you will be able to see if they triumph by watching the show from 1am on Sunday on Sky Sports 3 HD.
But before the Superstars - including Rob Van Dam, who is returning to the WWE for the first time since the 2009 Royal Rumble - do battle, read below for skysports.com's history of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and where it led the winners...
2005 - Edge
The Money in the Bank Ladder Match, a concept devised by WWE Superstar Chris Jericho, was initially contested at WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles and Edge defeated five of his peers, including Jericho, to poach the briefcase. The Rated-R Superstar clutched the case closely for nine months before successfully cashing in his contract on John Cena at the New Year's Revolution pay-per-view in January 2006, pinning the Cenation Leader and capturing the WWE Title for the first time after his rival had emerged victorious from a gruelling Elimination Chamber bout.
2006 - Rob Van Dam
'The Whole Dam' Show won the second Money in the Bank Ladder Match, beating Shelton Benjamin, Ric Flair, Matt Hardy, Finlay and Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 22. The high-flyer put his contract on the line in a singles clash with Benjamin at the following pay-per-view, Backlash, and after coming through that announced his intention to redeem his briefcase for a WWE Title Extreme Rules Match with Cena at ECW One Night Stand, which Van Dam won via the Five-Star Frog Splash after Edge Speared Cena through a table.
2007 - Mr Kennedy/Edge
Mr Kennedy became the third Money in the Bank victor - but that tells only half the story. The Wisconsin native declared he would cash in his contract at the following year's granddaddy of them all but lost it to Edge on an episode of Raw - and the Rated-R Superstar wasted little time in utilising his bounty. Having won the prize on Monday, he deployed it the following Friday on Smackdown to rip the World Heavyweight Title from the Undertaker after the Phenom had fought Batista in a Steel Cage Match and been attacked by Mark Henry.
2008 & 2009 - CM Punk
The Second City Saint held a monopoly over the Money in the Bank contract in 2008 and '09 - and successfully won World Heavyweight gold with it on both occasions. Firstly, Punk conquered Edge to claim the title after the Canadian had received a beat-down from Batista, and then, a year later, following plenty of cash-in teases, the Chicagoan pounced on Jeff Hardy at the inaugural Extreme Rules pay-per-view in New Orleans, Louisiana, seizing the strap that the Charismatic Enigma had just ripped from Edge in a high-octane Ladder Match.
2010 - Jack Swagger (at WrestleMania)
Swagger emerged victorious from the final Money in the Bank Ladder encounter at WrestleMania, besting Shelton Benjamin, Evan Bourne, Christian, Matt Hardy, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, Montel Vontavious Porter and Dolph Ziggler in a 10-man melee. The Real American threatened to snare John Cena's WWE Title the next night on Raw, but reneged and instead shed his contract five days later, obtaining ownership of the World Heavyweight Championship by pinning Chris Jericho on Smackdown after the Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla had been floored by Edge.
2010 - Kane and The Miz (at Money in the Bank pay-per-view)
Money in the Bank was granted its own show in July 2010 and this time TWO briefcases were ripe for the picking - one containing a World Heavyweight Title contract and the other holding a WWE Title agreement. The Big Red Monster, Kane, won the former and cashed in on World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio later in the evening, but WWE Championship Ladder Match winner The Miz (pictured) opted to wait a while, eventually stealing the belt from Randy Orton in November following The Viper's title match with Wade Barrett.
2011 - Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio
A submission specialist and The Essence of Excellence prevailed at Money in the Bank three years ago. Bryan (pictured) took the World Heavyweight Title contract in the summer and defeated Big Show at the TLC pay-per-view in December to accrue his first world championship - a belt he held until losing to Sheamus at WrestleMania 28 in 18 seconds! Plus, Del Rio lassoed the WWE Title treaty and then profited from Kevin Nash's assault on CM Punk at August's SummerSlam extravaganza to successfully cash in on the Straight Edge Superstar.
2012 - John Cena and Dolph Ziggler
Cena overcame four former WWE Champions - The Miz, Chris Jericho, Kane and Big Show - in Phoenix, Arizona 12 months ago, but then became the first man to record an unsuccessful cash-in when Big Show interfered in his WWE Title bout with CM Punk at Raw 1000. Ziggler (pictured), meanwhile, won the World Heavyweight Championship contract and utilised it the night after WrestleMania 29 in front of a raucous, Brit-filled crowd at the Izod Center in New Jersey to remove the belt from around the waist of Alberto Del Rio.
See what transpires this year by watching WWE Money in the Bank - LIVE at 1am, Sunday, Sky Sports 3 HD (Monday) - or the repeat showing on Monday evening at 9pm on Sky Sports 3 HD.
