Since its inception in 2010, Money in the Bank has consistently been one of WWE's best pay-per-view offerings.
The titular ladder match has a lot to do with that, as those bouts rarely disappoint. With so many talented individuals in one ring bringing their creativity and willingness to sacrifice their bodies for entertainment to the table, the match is almost always a roaring success.
But that does not mean the show hasn't been responsible for some real clunkers over the last five years.
The presence of so many top stars in the Money in the Bank matches opens the door for Superstars and Divas who have no real business being on a pay-per-view broadcast to make it onto the card.
And then there are the matches that simply disappoint, never really reaching their full potential.
Like it or not, there are bound to be matches that fall into those categories when WWE presents the latest incarnation of the popular event on June 14.
The identities of the unlucky performers saddled with those contests remain to be seen, but one thing is for certain: You can prepare yourself for the awfulness with this look back at the worst matches in Money in the Bank history.
With so many premiere Superstars tied up in ladder matches, the Money in the Bank pay-per-view has often been home to multiple Divas bouts.
While that should provide the ladies with an opportunity to prove they can shine under the bright lights of a pay-per-view extravaganza, WWE Creative's questionable selection of the women to do so has resulted in some of the worst matches in event history.
A case in point: Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella from the 2011 event.
Just prior to Money in the Bank, Kelly defeated Brie on Raw to become the new Divas champion. It was a watershed moment for the young blonde, who had an inauspicious debut with the company as an exhibitionist but had worked hard to develop into a suitable in-ring competitor.
Unfortunately, the more she worked with Divas not named Natalya or Beth Phoenix, the more her inefficiencies shined through.
The match with Brie was barely passable, a free television match on a show from which people expect much more.
Kelly retained her title, using her K2 finisher to put the future Mrs. Daniel Bryan away, and the fans were more than happy to move on to the night's more relevant bouts, including CM Punk vs. John Cena in a classic WWE Championship encounter.
Layla was in the middle of the greatest run of her career, one-half of the LayCool team with Michelle McCool that would go on to dominate women's wrestling for well over a year at the turn of the decade.
WWE's answer to Mean Girls, they regularly poked fun at, ridiculed and humiliated their fellow Divas.
At Money in the Bank 2010, they attempted to do the same to Kelly Kelly, who they referred to as "Smelly" as if they were in second grade again.
Kelly, the most popular Diva in the company, had spent the entire first half of 2010 dealing with the dastardly duo and at the July pay-per-view was hellbent on delivering a blow they could not recover from by taking the Divas' championship.
With Tiffany by her side, it looked like the once-impossible could finally happen.
But it did not.
Kelly and Layla wrestled an awful match, one that would not even fly on Raw or SmackDown, en route to the British-born champion's successfully retention of her title.
A black mark on the careers of both ladies, there was no in-ring chemistry and too much distraction at ringside involving McCool and Tiffany, while Kelly was not nearly ready for a run at the title.
Contrary to what this list may suggest, there was a time when Layla was among the best in-ring workers on the Divas roster. Unfortunately, that time was not 2014.
Layla had replaced Summer Rae as the dance partner of Fandango, setting off a rivalry between the two that culminated in a match at Money in the Bank. After weeks of catfighting, they would clash in a singles bout with the ballroom dancer himself as the guest referee.
With way too much focus on Fandango and not nearly enough on actually laying out a competent match, the Divas struggled to keep the fans' interest. The wrestling was bad, the match incoherent and the outcome somewhat questionable as Layla won the blowoff match despite Summer's position as the babyface.
It was a mess from which neither woman has recovered.
Sure, Summer Rae was recently involved in The Miz and Damien Mizdow's feud, but she was essentially ignored when it came time to promote the latest film in The Marine series, in which she had a starring role.
And Layla has done nothing of substance since her victory in Money in the Bank's worst match ever.
The titular ladder match has a lot to do with that, as those bouts rarely disappoint. With so many talented individuals in one ring bringing their creativity and willingness to sacrifice their bodies for entertainment to the table, the match is almost always a roaring success.
But that does not mean the show hasn't been responsible for some real clunkers over the last five years.
The presence of so many top stars in the Money in the Bank matches opens the door for Superstars and Divas who have no real business being on a pay-per-view broadcast to make it onto the card.
And then there are the matches that simply disappoint, never really reaching their full potential.
Like it or not, there are bound to be matches that fall into those categories when WWE presents the latest incarnation of the popular event on June 14.
The identities of the unlucky performers saddled with those contests remain to be seen, but one thing is for certain: You can prepare yourself for the awfulness with this look back at the worst matches in Money in the Bank history.
Is Chris Jericho vs. Ryback from the 2013 edition of Money in the Bank really a bad match? Absolutely not.
When one takes into account the talent involved in the match, though, the mediocrity, lackluster nature and the fact that it was Jericho's last match for over a year were inexcusable, earning it a spot among the worst matches in the PPV's history.
The contest was disjointed, almost as if Y2J and The Big Guy were never really on the same page. They tried some things that simply did not work, and by the time the bell rang and Ryback was announced the winner, fans gleefully greeted the end of their frustration.
For whatever reason, the two Superstars never clicked, preventing them from delivering in what was Jericho's final match for quite some time.
Ryback would not recover from the performance, associating with Paul Heyman for a brief moment in time before suffering a rapid descent down the card and a year stuck teaming with Curtis Axel.
When one takes into account the talent involved in the match, though, the mediocrity, lackluster nature and the fact that it was Jericho's last match for over a year were inexcusable, earning it a spot among the worst matches in the PPV's history.
The contest was disjointed, almost as if Y2J and The Big Guy were never really on the same page. They tried some things that simply did not work, and by the time the bell rang and Ryback was announced the winner, fans gleefully greeted the end of their frustration.
For whatever reason, the two Superstars never clicked, preventing them from delivering in what was Jericho's final match for quite some time.
Ryback would not recover from the performance, associating with Paul Heyman for a brief moment in time before suffering a rapid descent down the card and a year stuck teaming with Curtis Axel.
The main event of the inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view was doomed from the get-go.
Sheamus was still a very young, very green competitor, despite reigning over the company as WWE champion, and the contest was very much a backdrop for the continuation of Cena's beef with The Nexus.
Add the fact that Cena and Sheamus had yet to establish any real chemistry with each other, and you had the makings of a wholly disappointing main event.
And that is exactly what unfolded.
The action was never more than lethargic, and the crowd never really invested itself past waiting and wondering when Wade Barrett and his merry bunch of NXT cronies would interfere, thus costing Cena the WWE Championship.
They did, Cena lost and Sheamus went on to feud with Randy Orton, culminating in another disappointing title match at SummerSlam.
It would be another year before The Celtic Warrior really developed into one of the company's more dependable and consistent stars.
The Big Guy finds himself on this list again, though by no fault of his own.
Whereas the match with Chris Jericho was a major disappointment, this one was exactly what it was supposed to be.
That still did not make it good, though.
Ryback was early in his run with the main roster in 2012, tearing through any and all who dared set foot inside the squared circle with him. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks had both previously tried to halt the unstoppable force and failed miserably.
At Money in the Bank, they again tested the newcomer, this time in a Handicap match.
And again, they failed.
Ryback defeated the undercard tag team in a two-on-one match, never really appearing in danger of losing. While that was absolutely the right outcome, it did not make for the most exciting or interesting bout on the card.
Instead, it was a squash match the likes of which fans had been exposed to for weeks leading into the show, leaving some to wonder why this was not saved for Raw or SmackDown rather than a PPV.
Sheamus was still a very young, very green competitor, despite reigning over the company as WWE champion, and the contest was very much a backdrop for the continuation of Cena's beef with The Nexus.
Add the fact that Cena and Sheamus had yet to establish any real chemistry with each other, and you had the makings of a wholly disappointing main event.
And that is exactly what unfolded.
The action was never more than lethargic, and the crowd never really invested itself past waiting and wondering when Wade Barrett and his merry bunch of NXT cronies would interfere, thus costing Cena the WWE Championship.
They did, Cena lost and Sheamus went on to feud with Randy Orton, culminating in another disappointing title match at SummerSlam.
It would be another year before The Celtic Warrior really developed into one of the company's more dependable and consistent stars.
The Big Guy finds himself on this list again, though by no fault of his own.
Whereas the match with Chris Jericho was a major disappointment, this one was exactly what it was supposed to be.
That still did not make it good, though.
Ryback was early in his run with the main roster in 2012, tearing through any and all who dared set foot inside the squared circle with him. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks had both previously tried to halt the unstoppable force and failed miserably.
At Money in the Bank, they again tested the newcomer, this time in a Handicap match.
And again, they failed.
Ryback defeated the undercard tag team in a two-on-one match, never really appearing in danger of losing. While that was absolutely the right outcome, it did not make for the most exciting or interesting bout on the card.
Instead, it was a squash match the likes of which fans had been exposed to for weeks leading into the show, leaving some to wonder why this was not saved for Raw or SmackDown rather than a PPV.
The Adam Rose Experience was met with great apathy when the breakout
star of NXT made it to the main roster, but that did not stop WWE
Creative from trying to put him over anyway.
The 2014 Money in the Bank card presented fans with the opportunity to join the Rosebuds in cheering for the South African star as he battled Damien Sandow in singles competition.
Unfortunately, many fans used the contest as an opportunity to hit the restrooms or buy another overpriced beer or soft pretzel.
Heat for the battle was nearly nonexistent, and in result the match never advanced past miserable. Even Sandow's attempt to get heat as Paul Revere failed to register with the Boston fans.
Rose won, naturally, and both men proceeded to fall rapidly out of favor with management.
Sandow would recover nicely, becoming "stunt double" for The Miz and one of the most over acts on the entire broadcast.
Rose, on the other hand, would enter a rivalry with a bunny.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The 2014 Money in the Bank card presented fans with the opportunity to join the Rosebuds in cheering for the South African star as he battled Damien Sandow in singles competition.
Unfortunately, many fans used the contest as an opportunity to hit the restrooms or buy another overpriced beer or soft pretzel.
Heat for the battle was nearly nonexistent, and in result the match never advanced past miserable. Even Sandow's attempt to get heat as Paul Revere failed to register with the Boston fans.
Rose won, naturally, and both men proceeded to fall rapidly out of favor with management.
Sandow would recover nicely, becoming "stunt double" for The Miz and one of the most over acts on the entire broadcast.
Rose, on the other hand, would enter a rivalry with a bunny.
Yes, you read that correctly.
With so many premiere Superstars tied up in ladder matches, the Money in the Bank pay-per-view has often been home to multiple Divas bouts.
While that should provide the ladies with an opportunity to prove they can shine under the bright lights of a pay-per-view extravaganza, WWE Creative's questionable selection of the women to do so has resulted in some of the worst matches in event history.
A case in point: Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella from the 2011 event.
Just prior to Money in the Bank, Kelly defeated Brie on Raw to become the new Divas champion. It was a watershed moment for the young blonde, who had an inauspicious debut with the company as an exhibitionist but had worked hard to develop into a suitable in-ring competitor.
Unfortunately, the more she worked with Divas not named Natalya or Beth Phoenix, the more her inefficiencies shined through.
The match with Brie was barely passable, a free television match on a show from which people expect much more.
Kelly retained her title, using her K2 finisher to put the future Mrs. Daniel Bryan away, and the fans were more than happy to move on to the night's more relevant bouts, including CM Punk vs. John Cena in a classic WWE Championship encounter.
At Payback in June 2013, Curtis Axel made a huge splash by defeating
The Miz and Wade Barrett in a Triple Threat match to capture the
intercontinental title.
That contest was phenomenal, the styles of the three Superstars meshing to create a worthy pay-per-view opener.
Fast-forward a month, and you have a dull, boring title bout that failed to build on the foundation set by its predecessor.
Sure, Barrett was missing, but Miz was arguably in the midst of the hottest run of his career from an in-ring standpoint, delivering performances that were harshly underrated by his detractors. And Axel was motivated by his first major singles push and the presence of legendary manager Paul Heyman by his side.
Why the two failed to deliver is a mystery. The crowd was dead for the majority of the bout, so that may have effected the energy with which the two approached the bout.
There was nothing horribly wrong with the match, but when one goes back and looks at the history of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, it is difficult to find a match that had good elements but failed miserably to impress like this one.
That contest was phenomenal, the styles of the three Superstars meshing to create a worthy pay-per-view opener.
Fast-forward a month, and you have a dull, boring title bout that failed to build on the foundation set by its predecessor.
Sure, Barrett was missing, but Miz was arguably in the midst of the hottest run of his career from an in-ring standpoint, delivering performances that were harshly underrated by his detractors. And Axel was motivated by his first major singles push and the presence of legendary manager Paul Heyman by his side.
Why the two failed to deliver is a mystery. The crowd was dead for the majority of the bout, so that may have effected the energy with which the two approached the bout.
There was nothing horribly wrong with the match, but when one goes back and looks at the history of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, it is difficult to find a match that had good elements but failed miserably to impress like this one.
Layla was in the middle of the greatest run of her career, one-half of the LayCool team with Michelle McCool that would go on to dominate women's wrestling for well over a year at the turn of the decade.
WWE's answer to Mean Girls, they regularly poked fun at, ridiculed and humiliated their fellow Divas.
At Money in the Bank 2010, they attempted to do the same to Kelly Kelly, who they referred to as "Smelly" as if they were in second grade again.
Kelly, the most popular Diva in the company, had spent the entire first half of 2010 dealing with the dastardly duo and at the July pay-per-view was hellbent on delivering a blow they could not recover from by taking the Divas' championship.
With Tiffany by her side, it looked like the once-impossible could finally happen.
But it did not.
Kelly and Layla wrestled an awful match, one that would not even fly on Raw or SmackDown, en route to the British-born champion's successfully retention of her title.
A black mark on the careers of both ladies, there was no in-ring chemistry and too much distraction at ringside involving McCool and Tiffany, while Kelly was not nearly ready for a run at the title.
Contrary to what this list may suggest, there was a time when Layla was among the best in-ring workers on the Divas roster. Unfortunately, that time was not 2014.
Layla had replaced Summer Rae as the dance partner of Fandango, setting off a rivalry between the two that culminated in a match at Money in the Bank. After weeks of catfighting, they would clash in a singles bout with the ballroom dancer himself as the guest referee.
With way too much focus on Fandango and not nearly enough on actually laying out a competent match, the Divas struggled to keep the fans' interest. The wrestling was bad, the match incoherent and the outcome somewhat questionable as Layla won the blowoff match despite Summer's position as the babyface.
It was a mess from which neither woman has recovered.
Sure, Summer Rae was recently involved in The Miz and Damien Mizdow's feud, but she was essentially ignored when it came time to promote the latest film in The Marine series, in which she had a starring role.
And Layla has done nothing of substance since her victory in Money in the Bank's worst match ever.
