Ranking the 5 best Money in the Bank main events in WWE history

#1 CM Punk def. John Cena - WWE Championship (Money in the Bank 2011)

CM Punk defeated John Cena to capture the WWE Championship in one of the best WWE main events in history at Money in the Bank in 2011

The WWE Championship match between John Cena and CM Punk at Money in the Bank in 2011 is widely regarded as one of the greatest matches in modern WWE history.

After becoming the number one contender for the title, CM Punk revealed that his WWE contract was set to expire on the night of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Punk revealed his desire to win the title, in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, and leave the WWE it's champion and a free agent.

I did a thing nine years ago. Couldn’t have done it without @JohnCena, @WWEArmstrong and most importantly the fans. That crowd, that atmosphere is something I’ll never forget. Thank you all. #MITB

— player/coach (@CMPunk) July 17, 2020

The following week, CM Punk delivered the infamous "pipe bomb" promo in which he broke the fourth wall, called out WWE executives, Vince McMahon, The Rock, Triple H and mentioned rival promotions such as New Japan Pro Wrestling.

This led to Punk squaring off against Cena at Money in the Bank from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The partisan crowd was firmly behind Punk and booed every single piece of offense that Cena was able to manage.

The closing moments of the match saw John Cena lock in the STF on CM Punk. WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon and Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis suddenly appeared in the entrance way. McMahon instructed Laurinaitis to ring the bell, echoing the infamous Montreal Screwjob of 1997 with Bret 'Hitman' Hart in his departure from WWE.

However, John Cena refused to win the match that way. Cena exited the ring and punched out John Laurinaitis before the bell could be rung. After a staredown with McMahon, John Cena re-entered the ring only to be hit with CM Punk's GTS.

Punk was able to get the three count and become the WWE Champion for the first time, much to the delight of the Chicago crowd and the despair of the WWE Chairman.

Despite further attempts to get the championship away from Punk, the new WWE Champion escaped through the Chicago crowd with the WWE Championship after blowing Mr. McMahon a kiss goodbye.