Could a mystery MITB holder work?

[BorneAgain]

Had a thought tonight the MITB PPV thread that I wanted to get some feedback on.

Someone wins the briefcase, but several weeks later states that they sold it to someone someone on the roster, but either can't or won't say whom.

So essentially you have a mystery MITB holder out there, and now every potential world title match gets a lot trickier, and you have various feuds and character bits based around the question of who has it. Is it a guy low on the card, desperate to shoot ahead to the top? A number one contender wanting to have a second chance if they lose? An injured superstar? A champion wanting an insurance policy if they do lose? Someone like Booker T, wanting to get one more world championship run while he still can?

It would make for a nice surprise when it finally was cashed in at least.

But does it work as an angle on television?

[Starshine]

You'd have to come up with a really good reason why the original winner decided to up and pawn his case off like that. That sort of booking either makes the guy look like a complete idiot, or hurt the value of the belts since he would rather have something else.

[Beets by Schrute]

Aside from Andre the Giant, who would be that dumb to give up a world title shot?

[MrBRulzOK]

Why would someone sell a "Get a title free" card though?

Admittedly it is an interesting idea.

[Deleted]

How about this. To add intrigue to this, you win the case, but, you do not know who you will face UNTIL you cash it. So the two winners carry it around, but they do not know which champion they will face.

At least this brings back the surprise element. It would be nice to see a guy like Kofi randomly show up on Smackdown to cash in the shot. That would get a pop.

Same thing if Christian randomly showed up on Raw and pinned Cena. That would make the internet EXPLODE.

[BorneAgain]

Admittedly it works better if the person selling it was injured and thus the briefcase could be considered somewhat useless to him.

However if you present it as the guy being so confident/arrogant in his abilities that he doesn't need the MITB, and that the amount of money he was being offered was so much that it would be foolish to turn it down, then I still think its believable.

[Deleted]

Great idea but it might get too complicated. Plus, why would he sell the case? Sure, there's the money issue but that gets mentioned too infrequently, imo, to be that important and, since it all but guarantees a title run, that wrestler would get more money main eventing. As it is, it devalues the idea of a title if someone would sell the shot for money. Maybe if there was a bigger reason for selling the title shot, like getting traded or having a grudge match granted or something.

[BorneAgain]

Jun 19, 2011 23:58:18 GMT -5 @irontyger said:

Great idea but it might get too complicated. Plus, why would he sell the case? Sure, there's the money issue but that gets mentioned too infrequently, imo, to be that important and, since it all but guarantees a title run, that wrestler would get more money main eventing. As it is, it devalues the idea of a title if someone would sell the shot for money. Maybe if there was a bigger reason for selling the title shot, like getting traded or having a grudge match granted or something.

Maybe a way around this is that the original winner sold it, but also has the first title shot against the mystery holder should they successfully cash it in. So the guy gets a boat load of cash and a likely title match way down the road.

[unoriginalalex]

If Punk IS indeed on his way out, maybe it would be cool to have him win it (even though it would be for a third time), he could quit ala Batista, and then mention in his goodbye rant that he sold the MITB case, but he's not going to reveal who it is, because we fans don't deserve to know.

[joebob27]

The plothole could be worked around. You just have someone that is SOOOOOOO rich that kayfabe someone would forgo a title shot.

The problem is that there's no way they could write such a complicated angle. They struggle with basic stuff.

[Rolent Tex]

I actually had a storyline involving a mystery MitB holder set up in my head, so I'm glad you brought this idea up. It pretty much involved a heel faction with one of the up and comers on the faction winning the MitB match. The faction leader had a deal with everyone else where they had to sign contracts to join saying they could not challenge him for his title...ever...even if they were to leave the faction. Due to current rules saying the briefcase is good only for that brands title, it would be worthless to this wrestler now. Said wrestler slowly becomes disenchanted with how the faction is being run and gives away/sells the briefcase to a returning Superstar that the faction took out of action. The leader has no idea who the briefcase was sold to until it's too late. Returning Superstar wins the title and the angry faction member begins the slowly destroy the faction from the inside.

[joebob27]

Wait, never mind, I just created another plothole because there's only a few guys who kayfabe would BE that rich. lol

[percymania]

This would be a great way for Ted Dibiase to win the World title!

[RI Richmark]

Jun 20, 2011 0:14:05 GMT -5 BorneAgain said:

Jun 19, 2011 23:58:18 GMT -5 @irontyger said:

Great idea but it might get too complicated. Plus, why would he sell the case? Sure, there's the money issue but that gets mentioned too infrequently, imo, to be that important and, since it all but guarantees a title run, that wrestler would get more money main eventing. As it is, it devalues the idea of a title if someone would sell the shot for money. Maybe if there was a bigger reason for selling the title shot, like getting traded or having a grudge match granted or something.

Maybe a way around this is that the original winner sold it, but also has the first title shot against the mystery holder should they successfully cash it in. So the guy gets a boat load of cash and a likely title match way down the road.

Here's another idea. Let's say the MITB winner is Evan Bourne. During every John Cena match there is a shot of Bourne watching in the back. The announcers wonder when he will cash in his title shot.

Then at Summerslam Cena defeats R-Truth in a grueling street fight. As Cena celebrates Alberto Del Rio runs in and nails Cena with the case. He announces to the crowd that he brought the briefcase off Bourne and he's cashing it in tonight. Cena fights valiantly but Del Rio pulls out the win.

As Del Rio celebrates, Bourne enters and nails Del Rio with the case and then cuffs him to the ringpost. He then pulls out a piece of paper explains to Del Rio that while he sold him the case, he didn't sell him the contract within. So Del Rio's victory over Cena wasn't for the title.

He then hands the ref the contract and pins the still unconscious Cena with the SSP while a furious Del Rio can only watch at ringside. Afterwords, he thanks Del Rio not only for softening up Cena for him but for making him a rich man in the process. He says he'll celebrate his new title by spending more of Del Rio's money.

[rrm15]

MITB winner also wins the Royal Rumble or some other battle royal guaranteeing a title shot. He cuts a promo about not needing the briefcase now that he has a title shot anyway. He sells it but doesn't say who to.

Edge when he had the briefcase tried to win another title shot and offered it to someone who was gonna help him win. Want to say it was either Christian or Jericho.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

Jun 20, 2011 2:03:51 GMT -5 @rrm15 said:

MITB winner also wins the Royal Rumble or some other battle royal guaranteeing a title shot. He cuts a promo about not needing the briefcase now that he has a title shot anyway. He sells it but doesn't say who to.

Edge when he had the briefcase tried to win another title shot and offered it to someone who was gonna help him win. Want to say it was either Christian or Jericho.

Edge won a Tournament for a title match, and planned to give the briefcase to Christian in the event that he won the World Heavyweight Title. But back then, as the first MITB winner, the surprise attack factor was not even considered a possibility. I find it odd for someone to do that now that multiple winners have utilized the case in such a fashion.

[Brother Nero....Wolfe]

Miz wins money in the bank. He claims he sold it to someone. People start to get paranoid.
Then SWERVE! Miz never sold it to anyone, he just wanted to distract Cena! TATATATAAAAAA!

[Alex Shelley]

A way to work with the "who would be stupid enough to sell it" thing is to use Ted Dibiase, and have him snap.

First, before the PPV, build up a storyline where Ted reveals that he's broke and that Ted Sr. is no longer supporting him. Have him start selling stuff off randomly to get money. Then he wins MITB and comes out on Friday with crazy eyes, and he says he sold it. If you want to avoid people automatically assuming Del Rio, have Ted hold up a small amount of cash that he claims to have sold the briefcase for, showing that he was so desperate for money that he sold it for a small amount. Money is more important to Ted than titles, he tells us, before maniacally laughing and stumbling out of the ring.

After the case is turned in, Ted can come to his senses and feud with the new title holder, claiming that he wasn't in the right state of mind when he sold it, or claiming that MITB shots can't be sold, or something, and that he should still have his title shot. Have him argue with Teddylong over it. It can even be a face turn if the person he sold it to was a heel and he could claim the person threatened him to sell the briefcase.

It could work.

[Mozenrath]

Only way I see selling the case to be a good idea is if the guy is injured, kayfabe or not, and claims to not be sure he'd be back in time, anyway.

[Section 8]

If the briefcase can change hands when someone gets beat for it (a la Edge beating Kennedy), I would think that whomever is in possession of the contract is the one who can cash it in. What's stopping someone from stealing the briefcase while the MITB winner is in the showers or accidentally leaves it unattended? You can do a whole bunch of promos/vignettes where the MITB winner is looking for the person who stole the case, only to find out who stole it right after it's been cashed in and the thief wins the title.

It sets up an instant feud with the MITB winner and the new champ. Would work well if the thief was a friend/ally of the MITB winner.