Smackdown's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus already knew the World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money in the Bank Ladder Match would mean he’d have a new No. 1 contender. Now, after events on SmackDown on June 29, The Great White knows five possibilities for who that contender could be.

Interim General Manager of Raw and SmackDown Vickie Guerrero, announced that over the next two weeks, there will be a series of qualifying bouts to gain entry into the World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Unlike the corresponding WWE Championship Contract Match – which is only open to former WWE Champions – the World Title Match is open to any Superstar who wins his qualifier.

“The Intellectual Savior to the Unwashed Masses,” Damien Sandow, was the first to punch his ticket on the June 29 edition of SmackDown. Staving off the “ignorance, mediocrity and stupidity” of fan-favorite Zack Ryder, Sandow continued his unbeaten ways, winning the most important match of his young WWE career. Will “The Enlightened One” emerge victorious in the grueling Ladder Match or is the loquacious Superstar biting off more than he can chew?

In SmackDown’s second qualifying match on June 29, Tyson Kidd picked up an upset win over a Superstar who not only previously won a Money in the Bank Ladder Match, but also successfully cashed in the contract, Jack Swagger. Pinning “The All-American American” after a back-and-forth contest, the always exciting Kidd booked himself a spot in a match where truly anything can happen.

Intercontinental Champion Christian and United States Champion Santino Marella sealed their spots in the match with a tag team victory over Cody Rhodes and David Otunga on June 29. The recently re-inspired Christian borrowed from his best friend, WWE Hall of Famer Edge, when he used a Spear to dispatch Otunga. Could either Captain Charisma or the master of The Cobra become the first dual-title holder since the Ultimate Warrior?

The fearsome Tensai withstood the high-flying attacks of a game Justin Gabriel to make himself the fifth entrant in World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Massive, powerful and relentless, the Japanese import figures to play a major role in this contest, as he looks to gain a guaranteed shot at Sheamus’ title.

With five official qualifiers already, Guerrero reminded the WWE Universe that more Superstars will be added over the next two episodes of SmackDown. The more the merrier, for a contest as dangerous and meaningful as the Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

The savage Ladder Match pits competitors against each other in a free-for-all format. Surrounding the ring is an assortment of ladders Superstars use to reach the prize that dangles 15 feet in the air: a contract that guarantees a title opportunity at the time and place of the winning Superstar’s choosing. So far, everyone who cashed in his contract has come away from his challenge as a new champion.

At Money in the Bank, one Superstar will emerge victorious from the chaos that is a Ladder Match with a golden opportunity at Sheamus’ World Heavyweight Title.

Source: WWE.COM