Money in the Bank 2012

Money in the Bank (2012)

Promotion	WWE
Date	July 15, 2012
Venue	US Airways Center
City	Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance	9,000
Last Event	No Way Out
Next Event	SummerSlam

Money in the Bank (2012) was the seventh of twelve professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE that year, and the third installment in the Money in the Bank series of events. It took place on July 15, 2012, at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The event had 188,000 buys, slightly down on the 2011 Money in the Bank figure of 195,000 buys.

Event summary[]

Money in the Bank Ladder Match[]

In one of the most fast-paced and brutal showdowns that the WWE Universe has witnessed in some time, the incomparable Dolph Ziggler reigned supreme over seven other Superstars to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and capture the extremely valuable World Heavyweight Championship contract.

The Showoff won his chance at greatness in one of WWE’s most unique opportunities, where an exceptional field of competitors was pitted against each other in an all-out free-for-all. Surrounding the ring was an assortment of ladders for the Superstars to utilize to reach the prize that dangled 15 feet in the air: a contract that guarantees a title opportunity at the time and place of the winning Superstar’s choosing. So far, everyone who cashed in his contract has come away from the challenge as a new champion.

With such high stakes on the line, the struggle was intense from the word “go,” as every one of the eight grapplers attempted to assert themselves early in the hopes of being the one to reach the top of the ladder - including Santino, who was so energized, he tried to jump his way to the contract without the benefit of the rungs.

The ruthless Tensai struck first, viciously attacking Tyson Kidd as payback for an upset victory by the high-flyer prior to the pay-per-view. But before Tensai could capitalize, Christian and Kidd teamed up to take down the massive force of nature.

Santino, Christian and Kidd climbed the ladder at the same time, only to have the rungs taken out from under them by the treacherous, yet fast-thinking, Damien Sandow.

Ziggler and Cody Rhodes soon pushed their way into the center of the action, only to be thrown for a loop by the gravity-defying Sin Cara. This eventually led to a dangerous fall from the top rope by both Ziggler and the masked Superstar.

Moments later, an excruciating fall by Christian made it look like he could have broken a rib, but that didn’t stop the uncontrollable melee for a second.

Sandow and Christian proceeded with a brutal exchange, literally climbing over each other on the rungs of the ladder — time-and-time again — trying feverishly to grab the contract. But, when Sandow propped up Christian to try and take him out of the action, Captain Charisma ended up spearing him into the unforgiving steel.

Rhodes and Ziggler teamed up to drop Christian to the canvas in his attempt to climb to glory, only to be taken down by Tensai. The massive Superstar then took himself within reaching distance of the contract, hurling back the challenges of both Kidd and Sin Cara by slamming their heads into the top of the ladder, before being taken down a peg himself.

From the bedlam, Santino pulled out the Cobra and looked ready to grab the briefcase. But, a fear of heights slowed him down, allowing Rhodes to drop him in both athletic and painful fashion.

When Rhodes was distracted by Vickie — who shocked all by climbing the rungs herself — an unseen Ziggler hit him with an earth-shattering Zig Zag off the ladder.

When Ziggler tried to battle Christian at the top of the ladder, Kidd suddenly swooped in with a second climbing implement of destruction, pulling Ziggler from his high position and sending him flipping down to the canvas in absolutely epic fashion. This caused the WWE Universe to erupt into a complete and utter frenzy.

Meanwhile, outside the ring, Tensai was busy carrying out his own brand of destruction, powerbombing Sin Cara into a ladder and hurling Ziggler over the announce table. After Rhodes ultimately took out Tensai, Christian speared him off the top of the ladder.

Then, in the height of the turmoil, it appeared as if Christian would be the one to rise above the rest to claim the prize. But at the last second, Ziggler dropped him from the ladder and claimed the glorious World Heavyweight Championship contract in his third-ever Money the Bank Ladder Match!

An already gifted athlete, Dolph Ziggler has been on a fierce mission to prove his elite status. This desire ultimately would prove to be the difference at Money in the Bank. However, his victory was even more impressive because of the diverse mix of styles he overcame.

While enlightened, Damien Sandow quickly proved himself a vicious battler. The high-flying Tyson Kidd stood as the last graduate of the famed Hart Family Dungeon. Experienced Intercontinental Champion Christian was an innovator of both the Ladder Match and the Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match. The heart and success of United States Champion Santino Marella guaranteed he would be a strong competitor in any contest.

The fearsome Tensai brought mass, power and just plain relentlessness into the match. Cody Rhodes had both the legendary genes of his WWE Hall of Fame father Dusty Rhodes and an established ability to win at any cost. Lastly, the high-flying Sin Cara also had something to prove, having been put through a ladder at the 2011 Money in the Bank event — which forced him to be taken out of the bout and miss several months of competition.

Despite the individual threats each grappler brought to the match, it was the bleached blond Superstar who would rise above the pack in the end.

Now that he has captured the illustrious contract for a World Heavyweight Title opportunity, Dolph Ziggler can cash-in any time he wants. It’s an opportunity that gives him an incredible chance to reclaim the prestigious prize and assert his place in history. The only question that remains is just when will The Showoff cash in?

Primo & Epico vs The Prime Time Players[]

Primo and Epico spoiled The Prime Time Players’ party and shook things up in the tag team division at Money in the Bank, defeating the No. 1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team Titles in surprising fashion.

With the champions, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth, joining the commentary team at ringside, Titus O’Neil and Darren Young were out to show the champs what the future held for them.

Unfortunately for O'Neil and Young, the pair from Puerto Rico had retribution on their minds in Phoenix. From the opening bell, Primo and Epico were on fire, using speed and finesse to outclass their opponents. The Prime Time Players temporarily cooled off their opponents, beating Epico down in the corner while keeping him away from Primo. However, Epico managed to tag in his cousin Primo, who bounced off every corner, attacking Young and O’Neil from above.

Young looked to have things wrapped up, reversing one of Primo’s dives into a vicious gutbuster. Young gloated for just a few seconds too long, though. Primo surprised him by reversing his pinning attempt and picking up the win for he and Epico.

The victory is extra sweet for Rosa Mendes’ tandem. Young and O’Neil’s manager, A.W., originally signed Primo and Epico to All World Promotions, but bamboozled the cousins out of their guaranteed rematch at the titles and turned on them to join The Prime Time Players.

However, Young, O’Neil and A.W. were quick to remind Primo and Epico that they were still the No. 1 contenders after the match. The Prime Time Players then turned their attention to Truth and Kingston at ringside. A.W.’s trash talking to the WWE Tag Team Champions earned him a faceful of water from R-Truth, causing the agent to throw his shoes off and rush after the champions. Young and O’Neil slipped around in the water to prevent their manager from attacking R-Truth and Kofi Kingston.

The Prime Time Players have made it clear their focus is on the WWE Tag Team Titles, but they may have to look out, because Primo and Epico will not leave the tag team title picture quietly.

CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan[]

Like a swift kick to the chest, love hits hard. But it’s safe to say Cupid’s arrow wasn’t half as powerful as the discretion of AJ, the special guest referee for CM Punk and Daniel Bryan’s No Disqualification WWE Championship Match at Money in the Bank. After all, AJ was the one who, following months of ominous flirtation with both WWE Champion Punk and No. 1 contender Bryan, held the ultimate power to determine the WWE Title’s fate when the two technicians clashed for the third time in as many months with the title on the line. Going into the highly anticipated contest, the WWE Universe was waiting with baited breath to see which Superstar AJ would grant favor to.

As always, she made it interesting down to the last second.

Punk and Bryan wasted no time in taking advantage of the No-DQ stipulation, taking the fight outside the ring within seconds and trading slaps to the chest with each other before rolling back into the ring and unleashing a flurry of kicks to each other’s legs.

Bryan got the upper hand early, leveling Punk with several of those signature kicks (roaring “YES!” with every strike) and repeatedly dogging the fallen champion with boots to his back and submission holds in an attempt to weaken Punk early on.

The champion countered quickly, though, flooring Bryan with a dive to the outside after the “Yes!” man rolled out of the ring to escape Punk’s offense. From there, the battle spilled up the entrance ramp, where Punk slammed Bryan onto the guardrail, leaving Bryan’s head ringing with the impact and nearly sending him into the stands among the WWE Universe.

That was where things got interesting.

As Bryan and Punk rolled back into the ring, AJ clambered up the apron to follow them and soon found herself airborne after Bryan shoved Punk toward the ropes and The Second City Saint caught AJ with an errant elbow, sending her crashing to the floor and leaving a replacement referee to fill her skipping shoes.

Bryan took advantage of Punk’s distraction over AJ’s safety, felling the champ with an axe handle strike and a flying knee. Bryan then trapped Punk in between the steel steps and ring posts and administered another series of kicks to the cornered champion, sending him into the barrier near the announce table.

An offensive flurry from Punk left Bryan briefly floored before the WWE Universe began to voice its opinion, chanting “We want tables!” at the two competitors. Punk, ever The Voice of the Voiceless, obliged, but Bryan quickly withdrew a kendo stick from beneath the ring and chased Punk back into the squared circle with it. Punk quickly disarmed Bryan, but the “Yes!” man recovered, countering Punk’s leap off the ropes with a vicious strike to his midsection and dropping Punk like a rock.

It was then that Daniel Bryan channeled some extreme aggression, whacking Punk about the back with the kendo stick for a solid two minutes and, momentarily, looking like he had the bout in hand.

Of course, CM Punk would not be denied, recovering from Bryan’s assault with a rush of signature moves, flattening Bryan with a swinging neckbreaker and stunning him with a knee to the face. With Bryan momentarily downed, Punk signaled for the Go to Sleep, but Bryan countered into a rollup for a two count and a kick to the head that knocked Punk down flat to the mat. Bryan’s attempt at a surfboard ultimately proved fruitless, as Punk escaped his clutches and tanned Bryan with the kendo stick. Bryan rallied, though, planting Punk with a superplex off the top rope that left both competitors down on the canvas.

And that’s when things really got interesting.

AJ determinedly stormed out of the locker room area, dismissing the referee and skipping between the fallen competitors before ducking out of the ring and producing a steel chair. After seemingly debating which man to hit with the chair, AJ instead left it in the middle of the ring for Punk and Bryan to fight over. Bryan won the scrum and notched a two count on Punk before entering a vicious plea for AJ to count to three the next time he had Punk on his back.

The Second City Saint rallied again, rolling up Bryan for a two count and turning the chair against his opponent before lodging it in between the turnbuckles. The only problem was AJ blocked the chair with her body before Punk could heave Bryan through the steel. The “Yes!” man found himself facing a similar conundrum when AJ prevented him from retrieving the cane. Punk took advantage of Bryan’s distraction and attempted to execute the flying elbow, but landed on the bare steel ofthe chair instead.

Bryan nearly captured the win, torqueing Punk in the “Yes!” Lock with the help of the kendo stick, until Punk countered and reversed into a GTS. He was only able to notch a two count on the fallen contender himself, though, and shot AJ a look as meaningful as the one Bryan had only moments before.

And then, Punk got the table.

The Second City Saint set up the hardwood near the turnbuckle and the battle climbed to the top turnbuckle, with Punk and Bryan nearly sending each other airborne before Punk finally prevailed, back superplexing Bryan off the turnbuckle and through the pine! A suddenly melancholy AJ dutifully counted to three and ended Bryan’s championship hopes.

It’s safe to say Bryan wasn’t the only disappointed one, though. While the “Yes!” man lied strewn about the ruined table and Punk celebrated with the WWE Universe, AJ forlornly stood between both, receiving attention from neither and looking all the more lost forit.

Layla, Kaitlyn & Tamina Snuka vs Eve Torres, Beth Phoenix & Natalya[]

AJ may be stealing attention and headlines with her eccentric behavior and role as special guest referee in WWE Champion CM Punk’s title defense against Daniel Bryan, but six other Divas made their respective presences felt during the Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Divas Champion Layla again proved she’s “money” in both singles and tag team competition, as the British-born beauty led Kaitlyn and Tamina Snuka to a thrilling victory over Eve, Natalya & Beth Phoenix.

The impromptu Divas tag team match was an exciting encounter right from the start, with Tamina and Natalya immediately going after each other. When Kaitlyn tagged in for Tamina and quickly hit a backbreaker on Natalya, the former Hart Dynasty member turned to Phoenix. However, a disrespectful slap from Kaitlyn made The Glamazon think twice, and she tagged in Eve.

Eve managed turned the tables on Kaitlyn before The Fabulous Firebird re-entered the ring. However, Kaitlyn managed to escape the powerful Phoenix and get to the outstretched hand of Layla. The Divas Champion hit a series of vicious clotheslines on Phoenix, punctuated by a beautiful springboard crossbody.

All-out chaos then erupted in the ring, with all six Divas going toe-to-toe. One by one, they threw each other from the squared circle, until Tamina nailed Phoenix with a high kick, setting the stage for Layla to land a crushing Lay-Out neckbreaker.

After the pinfall, Layla, Tamina and Kaitlyn celebrated in the ring as their opponents licked their wounds. With the Divas Champion looking as strong as ever, and with dangerous opponents like Eve, Natalya and Phoenix showing once again they are all credible threats, the Divas division appears as exciting as ever.

Results[]

Money in the Bank ladder match for a World Heavyweight Championship contract: Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero) defeated Damien Sandow, Tyson Kidd, Christian, Santino Marella, Tensai (with Sakamoto), Cody Rhodes and Sin Cara
Tag team match: Primo & Epico (with Rosa Mendes) defeated The Prime Time Players (Titus O'Neil and Darren Young) (with A.W.)
Six-Diva tag team match: Kaitlyn, Layla and Tamina Snuka defeated Beth Phoenix, Natalya and Eve Torres