WWE tries to disregard its former Champion Chris Jericho as the inventor of the Money in The Bank ladder match.
One of the most creative and popular match stipulations is the “Money in the Bank” match. MITB was first introduced in the WWE on WrestleMania 21 in 2005. Back then it was exclusively for superstars under the Raw brand.
Since the stipulation increasingly became a fan favorite, WWE decided to turn it into a PPV event. The match and the PPV aren’t limited to the Raw brand anymore. Moreover, fans witnessed the first-ever women’s MITB ladder match in 2017.
The rules of the game are simple, eight participants from a particular brand fight for the highly coveted briefcase that is suspended 30 feet high above the ring. The briefcase contains a contract that offers the retriever a shot at the World Championship at any time and any place of their choosing which is valid for a year.
The participants scratch and claw to scale up the ladder and retrieve the briefcase. But Who is the genius behind the said match? None other than former WWE Undisputed Champion and now All Elite superstar Chris Jericho. After this innovative ladder match was launched for the first time, it was common knowledge that Y2J was the brainchild of the stipulation.
Jericho along with the former WWE writer Brian Gerwitz thought it all up. However, during an episode, commentator Micheal Cole claimed that Edge was the maker of the MITB ladder match on TV. Wrestling fans flew into a rage after Cole made that statement and Twitter was buzzing because of it.
In Jericho’s autobiography ‘The Best in the World: At What I Have No Idea, he explained how it was planned and how it came to fruition. Although Jericho is the brains behind the match, he wasn’t seen participating in the inaugural match that was held in 2005.
Before the invention, Jericho was working closely with Vince McMahon pitching ideas for WrestleMania 21. Jericho figured out how to put a bunch of mid-carders who were idle at the time to good use by throwing in a ladder and a contract in the ring. On Twitter, Jericho replied to a fan stating, “True story!!! @bfg728 and I came up with that entire match concept. Well, almost all of it…@VinceMcMahon insisted that the contract be in a briefcase,”
Speaking on his podcast Talk is Jericho, he clarified that he came up with the idea of having a six-way ladder match to which Gerwitz asked what will be up for grabs? Jericho then suggested a contract that offers a title shot the next night.
After Gerwitz’s input, it changed to having a title shot at any time and any place within 1-year. The idea was then presented to Vince and he loved it. However, the “briefcase” was Vince’s idea. He did not want a plain contract hanging above the ring. The briefcase could serve a lot of other purposes. For instance, it could be used as a weapon. Also, it was easier to carry the briefcase around rather than carrying a piece of paper.
“Like some kind of an actual trophy. And maybe he thought the briefcase was something you could carry and use.
“So it was a really cool kind of a three-way invention of this match because even though Vince’s little thing was just the briefcase, the briefcase has become synonymous with the show,” said Jericho.
Why does WWE want you to forget that Jericho was the inventor of MITB?
Edge did not contribute to the formulation of the MITB ladder match. However, he was a participant in the inaugural ladder match and the first-ever to win the briefcase. Edge would then successfully cash it in against John Cena and the PPV event of New Year’s Revolution the following year and win the WWE Championship.
But why did WWE name Edge as the inventor despite knowing that it isn’t true?
It is simply because Chris Jericho is no more with the WWE and is now with the rival company. Although Jericho left the company of his own accord, WWE is continuing to use his idea and attempting to stop referring to him as the creator. However, the WWE Universe knows better.
