Undisputed_ How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps - Chris Jericho [124]
That’s why I was so disappointed in 2005 when WrestleMania XXI from Los Angeles was looming and I had absolutely nothing planned for the show. I felt like the company had relegated me into the dreaded “Hell of a Hand” category, which meant I could always be counted on to have a good match with anyone but would never be considered a money-drawing main-eventer. It wasn’t where I wanted to be, and once again I wondered if it wasn’t time get some space and disappear for a while.
But in the meantime, there was no way I was going to head into Mania and end up on the DVD-extra dark match battle royal that took place before the show every year.
I called Gewirtz, who as usual was lounging in bed with his harem. He was going through his Jessica phase and couldn’t decide if he liked Alba, Biel, or Simpson better. So he had simply chosen all three.
He was sympathetic to my concerns and told me he had an idea that might work. He ordered Biel to fetch his notes so he could explain his proposal of a Hollywood Dream Ladder match, that would include six other performers of prominence who also had nothing going on for Mania : RVD, Kane, Benoit, Edge, Christian, and Shelton Benjamin. The concept of the match was that the winner would get his dream of anything he wanted fulfilled, which in turn would lead to RVD winning and bringing back ECW.
It wasn’t exactly a World Championship match against The Undertaker, but it was better than nothing. He was in the midst of telling me the details when Simpson grabbed the phone from him and hung up, hungry for more vitamin G.
A few days later, Brian kicked the Jessicas out of his place and resurfaced for air. He told me that Vince thought the Hollywood Dream match was a stupid prize for the winner and wanted something else to be at stake. We kibitzed for a few minutes until I suggested, “Why don’t we make the match for a contract that guarantees a title shot the next night on Raw?”
Brian took it one step further and proposed that the contract would be valid for one whole year and could be used at any time. Vince approved with his sole modification being that the contract had to be in a briefcase, and the Money in the Bank match was born.
A few days later Vince changed his mind and decided that he would rather have me vs. Edge vs. Benoit in a three-way Submission match, despite the fact that Edge didn’t even have a submission. I hated the idea as I thought the concept (and the match) would be a hard sell and that the Money in the Bank was much more exciting and better for all involved. The rest of the guys agreed and we scheduled a meeting with Vince and Stephanie to convince them to stick with the MIB; to their credit they heard us out and agreed.
Everyone was glad they did, because the match was a staggering spectacle that came close to stealing the show. Shelton especially was on fire and tore the house down when he ran up one ladder that had been positioned on a slant next to another and clotheslined me off the top. (Shameless Braggart Author’s Note: That was my idea.) I fell to the mat and rolled out of the ring to the floor.
As the normally jaded L.A. crowd chanted, “Holy shit,” I looked up to see Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider, sitting in the front row.
Sandler yelled in his Waterboy voice, “Get back in there, Jericho! Hoo-hoooo-hoooooo!”
I grimaced and said, “What a way for a grown man to make a living. Loved Cajun Man, by the way.”
I crawled back onto the ring apronnn and got kicked in the noggonnn by Christionnn.
The MIB was a huge hit and has been one of the highlights of every WrestleMania since. It was such a successful concept that it has since spun-off into its very own PPV.
Awww, our little baby is all grown up.
Shortly after MIB I decided I was