Just a few days ago I was lucky enough to attend WWE's Money In The Bank PPV here in St. Louis, Missouri. It was an event I had been looking forward to for months, as I had purchased two tickets shortly after Christmas. I also got to attend the Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard's live podcast show just before the MITB PPV. It was quite an eventful day so I thought I would take a few minutes to write a review of my experience this past weekend.
The Podcast
My day began with the Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard live podcast show, featuring Conrad Thompson. As a wrestling fan I try to take in as much as I can and that often times means listening to wrestling podcasts in addition to watching the weekly shows. There are many great podcasts out there for wrestling fans to listen to like Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, Ring Rust Radio, The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana, and my favorite Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. While listening to the show one day I heard Conrad mention they were coming to St. Louis to do a show just before MITB. I immediately went to the site and snagged two tickets. I had never been to a live podcast show before, so I had no idea what to expect. I really like Bruce and Conrad's podcast because you get to hear stories that have never been heard before in the wrestling world, and its often times behind the scenes stuff that you would never have gotten to hear if it wasn't for Bruce sharing his experiences with us. I knew that the live show would probably have some stories they weren't allowed to tell on air, and that is what made the show a must see for me. It was held at the South Broadway Athletic Club in St. Louis, just a short drive from Bush Stadium. There were quite a few people there. The show started right on time with Conrad Thompson coming out to a loud pop, followed by an even louder pop when he introduced Bruce Prichard. Bruce was geared up and ready to go with a stoner themed karate outfit on just in case Vince Russo decided to show up for a fight. He told plenty of memorable stories and did all of my favorite impersonations. For the impersonations he had face cut outs on a stick to hold up while he did them, which I thought was an excellent visual aid. At one point there was even a funeral for George, the dead rat. Jokes were told and beers were drank. Overall it was a good time, and I would definitely recommend going to a show if they come to a town near you.
MITB
After the podcast show I went to a local pizza joint to grab a bite to eat before heading to the Scottrade Center for the MITB PPV. I arrived about an hour before show time so I found my seat and drank a few more beers. I was immediately excited upon finding my seat and looking at the stage. They had ladders everywhere! I have been to numerous live wrestling shows before, but I had never seen a ladder match live. To top it off it was the night that I was going to get to see the first ever Women's MITB Ladder Match as well. I couldn't have been more excited than I was pre-show.
The Show
The ticket I bought was the closest seat I have ever had. Excellent view, with just the right amount of elevation to see everything, except for when they did spots near the announce tables, but there was still a big screen for that. The pre-show match was The Hype Bros vs The Colons. It was cool to see Zach Ryder return. The Colons worked his knee for most of the match, which was entertaining overall. It got the crowd warmed up and ready for more action. They kicked off the PPV with the first ever Women's MITB Ladder Match. For all the hype surrounding the match the outcome ending up being a complete joke. The match felt extremely cut short in time, and the finish was a man handing the briefcase to a woman. Not exactly the historic match I thought I was going to get to see. The 2nd match set the mood even worse for the PPV when The Usos just up and walked out of their match with The New Day for the tag team championships. The 3rd match of the night was Naomi vs Lana. It was Lana's in ring debut, and I was impressed. Not knowing how good in the ring she would be, I thought her and Naomi put on a decent match, although there was the unnecessary tease of a MITB cash in by Carmella. Then came the return of Maria Kanellis and the debut of Mike Kanellis. Although its cool to see Maria back in the WWE I thought the segment felt odd and just not good, especially being there for it live. After that was Randy Orton, the hometown guy, vs Jinder Mahal. Now I know most people don't like Jinder Mahal or think he doesn't deserves the push hes been given, but the work hes done since getting pushed is not bad at all and he is an excellent heel in my opinion. Before the match they introduced St. Louis legends who they had brought out to sit ringside. Sgt. Slaughter, Cowboy Bob Orton, and Ric Flair were all there. Randy Orton came out to a huge hometown pop which was to be expected. Orton and Mahal put on a really entertaining match in my opinion. At one point Orton completely manhandled Mahal's two goons, putting one through the announce table after they attacked his father. After Mahal retained his title came Breezango vs The Ascencion, which was pretty pointless. I would have been fine with just a short fashion file video on screen, and could have done without the match. I wish they would have instead used the time to lengthen the Women's MITB match earlier in the show, but whatever. The last match of the night was the men's MITB Ladder match. This was the match that I had been looking forward to most. Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Baron Corbin are all extremely talented and it made for a cool match. I was let down that I didn't get to experience Shinsuke Nakamura's whole entrance due to Baron Corbin attacking him, but it made it that much sweeter when Shinsuke returned mid match to get his revenge. When his music hit the second time I jumped out of my seat, screaming, with my hands in the air without even realizing I was doing so. Thats the feeling I crave from live wrestling shows, and they delivered. While I have been to better shows in the past, this show still had moments that made me lose my mind and mark out, so I would say it was still better than not going. On a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 6.25 rating.