Even without a special creative angle to rival last year’s CM Punk storyline, WWE’s Money in the Bank managed to deliver a solid buyrate.
According to the first round of estimates revealed by the publicly-traded WWE, the 2012 Money in the Bank show garnered just under 200,000 buys, which would put it roughly in line with last year’s show. That show, headlined by CM Punk’s heavily-hyped chance to walk out of WWE with the Championship, fell short of the loftiest expectations but still built on the prior year’s show.
The television build to this year’s show focused on the love triangle with AJ, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, and the successful buyrate indicates a warm reaction to that polarizing storyline.
Also helpful in driving the buyrate was the inclusion of main-eventers, notably John Cena, in the RAW brand Money in the Bank match.