Though a predictable interference from John Cena, who was fired in storyline, prevented Wade Barrett from beating Randy Orton in the WWE RAW main-event, the babyface did not leave the Monday wrestling show with his WWE Championship intact.
Instead, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, who had been carrying a Money in the Bank briefcase since this summer, ‘cashed in’ his title shot to defeat Orton and start his first world title reign.
The finish was setup prior to the Orton-Barrett main-event; Barrett’s Nexus cohorts attacked Orton to leave the wrestler vulnerable for the main-event. Barrett appeared to be on track to victory after executing the Wasteland, but John Cena, who announced his storyline farewell earlier in the night, broke up the pinfall. As Nexus chased Cena away from ringside, Orton executed his RKO to defeat Barrett.
Still selling a leg injury from the attack, Orton was nonetheless vulnerable for an impromptu encounter with The Miz. The Miz ultimately executed the Skull Crushing Finale to win the championship as RAW went off the air.
