It would seem as though the WWE 2012 pay-per-view schedule is getting yet another makeover.
This time, word comes down from Dave Meltzer at the Wrestling Observer that Money in the Bank is being dropped from the line--up as a stand alone show and two shows are being moved around to make up for it.
"I heard just a couple days ago that they have eliminated the Money in the Bank pay-per-view and I think the July show may be the TLC show. They're going to move the TLC show to Vegas, and then the December show will be called Vengeance, god only knows why. And Money in the Bank, in fact, is not going to be a pay-per-view this year. You know, Money in the Bank did very well last year but that was not because of Money in the Bank, that was because of Punk. I don't know that it's going to be at WrestleMania. If they're getting rid of the pay-per-view, I would say for sure it's going to be at 'Mania."
Vengeance had previously been scheduled to take place on Oct. 28 before word came down that it was getting dropped from the schedule altogether. I guess we now know that could have been simply to move it to July to get rid of the Money in the Bank show, which sounded like a good idea in theory but didn't work in practice. The match itself is extremely popular but turning it into an event by itself was always a bad idea.
We can't blame WWE, of course, for attempting to take advantage of a hot concept that was new and fresh but it works best as one showcase match at WrestleMania. It's also great because it gives plenty of mid-card guys the chance to showcase their skills on the big stage. To that end, winning the briefcase has turned into this generation's version of the King of the Ring tournament. The winner is almost always destined to move on to much bigger and better things.
The way to maximize that is to make sure it starts at WrestleMania and not on a pay-per-view no one is really paying for. Everyone on board with this change if WWE goes through with it?
Here's a look at the updated WWE 2012 pay-per-view schedule:
- Royal Rumble -- Jan. 29, 2012, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri
- Elimination Chamber -- Feb. 19, 2012, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- WrestleMania 28 -- April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
- Extreme Rules -- April 29, 2012, at the AllState Arena in Chicago, Illinois
- Over the Limit -- May 20, 2012, at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina
- Bragging Rights -- June 17, 2012, location TBA
- TLC -- July 15, 2012, Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
- SummerSlam -- Aug. 19, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
- Night of Champions -- Sept. 16, 2012, Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Hell in a Cell -- Oct. 28, 2012, location TBA
- Survivor Series -- Nov. 18, 2012, location TBA
- Vengeance -- Dec. 16, 2012, location TBA