What is the MITB appeal?

[Boo!]

Just explain it to me. If this was 1989 and we saw the champion defend the title three or four times a year - I'd get it. The spots and opportunities were (as kayfabe didn't acknowledge live events) few and far between. If you got a chance to wrestle for the world title that was huge. The big opportunity. A 'gather round the TV there's a title match on' moment.

But today when the title is defended probably at most if not all PPVs (12/13) and with that all told with TV defences it's probably defended on screen about 30 times a year against probably 10 or 12 different guys if we add up triple threats and fatal 4 ways and TV defences and all the rest of it..

...why and how under those circumstances is "OMG you're getting a title shot!" - in any way a selling point?

You see people who didn't win MITB getting title shots before the person who does. In fact all MITB guarantees is that you ain't getting one until you cash in. It's essentially an exemption from a title shot because if you win it - everyone else is eligible to get one - but you're not until you redeem the briefcase.

[The Ichi]

It's just a way to give someone a title win without them wrestling a full match to do it.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Shock appeal. For the next year, theoretically, any televised event could feature a World Title change.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Also, there is no rule saying that MITB winners can't get a title shot outside of their MITB shot.

[Boo!]

Dec 6, 2013 15:10:58 GMT -5 Magic knows Black Lives Matter said:

Also, there is no rule saying that MITB winners can't get a title shot outside of their MITB shot.

Well there's no rule saying anything technically, but why sell an event based on "if he wins this he'll get a title shot" when he's going to get one anyway.

It's like selling a career ending match by saying "But he'll probably be back in a few weeks"

As a gimmick MITB doesn't really make sense and I dont think it has that much heat. It's like a contract signing. Everyone knows someone is going through a table, its so regular now it doesn't mean anything.

It's become what the crown was a few years ago. Who's the king? Duggan? Haku? Race? More importantly - who actually cares? Same with the briefcase now.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

Dec 6, 2013 15:10:58 GMT -5 Magic knows Black Lives Matter said:

Also, there is no rule saying that MITB winners can't get a title shot outside of their MITB shot.

In fact Edge, either competed for or won a title shot while he was holding the briefcase.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Dec 6, 2013 15:12:25 GMT -5 Boo! said:

Dec 6, 2013 15:10:58 GMT -5 Magic knows Black Lives Matter said:

Also, there is no rule saying that MITB winners can't get a title shot outside of their MITB shot.

Well there's no rule saying anything technically, but why sell an event based on "if he wins this he'll get a title shot" when he's going to get one anyway.

It's like selling a career ending match by saying "But he'll probably be back in a few weeks"

Because now the winner has two shots. If he f***s up on the title shot he won earlier, he can always fall back on MITB. Theoretically, he could just get himself DQ'ed in the first title match, beat the shit out of the champ, and THEN use his MITB shot to make sure that he wins the title.

Also, that's a really bad comparison. MTIB isn't meant to be a "be-all, end-all" one-and-done title shot. At no point have they have ever advertised that way. The idea is that it's the best possible chance that someone can have to win the title, not the only one. Hell, they made a big deal out of Edge getting a WHC match against Batista back while still carrying the MTIB briefcase.

[Boo!]

Dec 6, 2013 15:19:34 GMT -5 Magic knows Black Lives Matter said:

Dec 6, 2013 15:12:25 GMT -5 Boo! said:

Well there's no rule saying anything technically, but why sell an event based on "if he wins this he'll get a title shot" when he's going to get one anyway.

It's like selling a career ending match by saying "But he'll probably be back in a few weeks"

Because now the winner has two shots. If he f***s up on the title shot he won earlier, he can always fall back on MITB. Theoretically, he could just get himself DQ'ed in the first title match, beat the shit out of the champ, and THEN use his MITB shot to make sure that he wins the title.

Also, that's a really bad comparison. MTIB isn't meant to be a "be-all, end-all" one-and-done title shot. At no point have they have ever advertised that way. The idea is that it's the best possible chance that someone can have to win the title, not the only one. Hell, they made a big deal out of Edge getting a WHC match against Batista back while still carrying the MTIB briefcase.

I don't get how that works.

Build up tension and excitement for a PPV so he can win a prize he'd be getting anyway?

It's this kind of booking that has turned people away. MITB only really works if you make it 'the shot' not 'an extra opportunity'.

[Unaffiliated]

To the audience, I'd say MITB lost its appeal after the first few cash-ins. The novelty wore off pretty quickly.

To the wrestler, in kayfabe, the appeal is that he can cash-in and win any time he wants. But yes, I see the point in them being denied title shots until they cash in. Not sure if a MITB winner has gotten a title shot without cashing in before, but doesn't make sense anyway. If you become champion while still holding the briefcase and defend the title until the next MITB PPV, what was the point of winning in the first place?

[Deleted]

MITB is the ultimate in lazy booking. It looks like they may be cutting back on it which is long overdue.

[repomark]

It started to lose its appeal a little when they had two mitb winners a year rather than one. With the title unification that might help it a bit.

The original concept I actually think was very clever booking. Being able to challenge a prone champion is something they had never really done before. As such it made the briefcase a massive prize virtually guaranteeing you the title.

However with so many cash ins, and several winners being hotshotted ino world title runs they weren't ready for or over enough to merit, the novelty has worn off a little.

I still think it can be rescued however. It should go back to being a mania match, and there are still some things they can do with the winner that have yet to be done, e.g. a mania cash in after the main event, or cashing the briefcase in to be in the following year's mania main event like they intended with kennedy.

The other thing I would like to see is rather than the champ constantly being stalked by the mitb briefcase holder, for the champ to stalk them. They could keep taking them out earlier in the show to guarantee that the holder couldnt cash in later.

It does still have potential, but i do agree they have been a bit lazy with it recently and cash ins have become too formulaic.

[chazraps]

It's sexy.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Eight years ago, Edge used the MITB to create a new gimmick, do something genuinely unpredictable and shove up the ratings a point or two pretty much singlehandedly, and people have clung onto it ever since.

[rnrk supports BLM]

Edge.

Seriously, that's it. The entire gimmick is still basking in residual charisma from Edge.

And WWE loves it because it's a way to shove guys into the main event scene without having to make any of their golden boys look at all weak or vulnerable. Of course, that just leads to most of the MitB winners being filler who drop back down the card immediately after their big program.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

It's taken over the King of the Ring, kinda. It's become their way of pushing a midcarder to the top. It actually works well for this, because if a dude doesn't have the briefcase, one dead crowd or bad angle can make the writers think he innately sucks. But if he has the briefcase, they're forced to actually end up following through with their storyline and pushing him (uh, unless his name is Damien Sandow).

Also, there IS tension, and there are a variety of ways to book it. They've just been super lazy about it the past couple of years.

[JTG Fan]

Dec 6, 2013 19:43:40 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

Also, there IS tension, and there are a variety of ways to book it. They've just been super lazy about it the past couple of years.

This.


I really like the whole idea of it in theory. You pull out all of the stops and are willing to practically kill yourself in the match in order to win the briefcase because unlike any regular title shot, this is (pre-Cena in '12 and Sandow in '13) a sure thing, a slam dunk, "money in the bank" if you will. Once you win the MITB match, you are guaranteed to be a world champion. But as carp said, WWE got lazy and repetitive with it in the last few years, especially with the overkill of two or more MITB in a year.

[Deleted]

Dec 6, 2013 15:24:36 GMT -5 Boo! said:

Dec 6, 2013 15:19:34 GMT -5 Magic knows Black Lives Matter said:

Because now the winner has two shots. If he f***s up on the title shot he won earlier, he can always fall back on MITB. Theoretically, he could just get himself DQ'ed in the first title match, beat the shit out of the champ, and THEN use his MITB shot to make sure that he wins the title.

Also, that's a really bad comparison. MTIB isn't meant to be a "be-all, end-all" one-and-done title shot. At no point have they have ever advertised that way. The idea is that it's the best possible chance that someone can have to win the title, not the only one. Hell, they made a big deal out of Edge getting a WHC match against Batista back while still carrying the MTIB briefcase.

I don't get how that works.

Build up tension and excitement for a PPV so he can win a prize he'd be getting anyway?

It's this kind of booking that has turned people away. MITB only really works if you make it 'the shot' not 'an extra opportunity'.

Depends who it is. Take this year's winners for example. Damien Sandow I don't believe had ever had a world title match before, and Randy Orton hadn't had a PPV title match in over a year. Hell, I'm not sure he had one of TV in that time either.

I don't see your point about the MITB's "appeal", if you're talking strictly kayfabe. Why wouldn't you want a guaranteed world title match at any time you want?

[Kevin Hamilton]

There WAS shock appeal; that first Edge cash-in was a great moment, and a couple of the other ones have been pretty pop-worthy as well, but it's pretty much diminishing returns, especially now that there's usually 2 cases.

[Sam Punk]

I think it's the match itself. Ladder matches are almost always exciting and having a 6-way match is that much more exciting. I agree with your general point, though. The title gets defended so often now that winning a title shot isn't such a big deal anymore.

[Deleted]

Because it basically means the guy is now a future world champion. MITB pretty much means more then the Rumble these days. In fact the MITB is even more likely to get you a world title match at Wrestlemania or win the main event at Wrestlemania (The Miz, Daniel Bryan, Dolph (k night after Mania), Orton this year likely)