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The Money in the Bank pay-per-view will be entering its tenth year this month, with eight male and eight female wrestlers vying to win the lucrative Money in the Bank contract. Unlike winning the Royal Rumble match, where the victor traditionally gets a championship match at WrestleMania, the winner of the Money in the Bank match gets to cash in their contract whenever they want. That includes cashing it in on a champion when they least suspect it.
Past examples have included The Miz cashing in against then-WWE Champion Randy Orton after The Nexus attacked him back in 2010, and Daniel Bryan successfully cashing in his contract on then-World Heavyweight Champion Big Show in 2011. This is why it is no surprise there is a significantly higher percentage of winners successfully cashing in their contract as opposed to the Royal Rumble winners succeeding at WrestleMania.
The stakes for the eight men participating in this years’ match couldn’t be higher and will do anything to win this contract as six of these wrestlers have yet to hold one of the major championships in the WWE.
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While every wrestler in the upcoming Money in the Bank ladder match has won at least a championship in the WWE, careful consideration needs to be taken into account for the wrestler winning this match as they will unequivocally change the direction of one of the major championships in the near future. Analysing all eight men competing in this year's Money in the Bank match, some would be a perfect option to win the briefcase.
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#8 Shouldn’t - Mustafa Ali
When Mustafa Ali burst onto SmackDown at the end of last year and pinned then-WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, it was clear Ali was receiving a push. Within a few months, he was one of six men competing for the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match, but was pulled out due to a legitimate injury.
Ali’s misfortunes led to Kofi Kingston replacing him, and even though he also came up short at Elimination Chamber, managed to win the most coveted prize at WrestleMania 35.
While an argument can be made that Ali deserves a chance to get back into the WWE Championship picture (and a Money in the Bank contract would certainly do that), there is one key reason why he shouldn’t.
It has been over a month since Kingston captured his maiden WWE Championship and it is evident that ‘Kofimania’ isn’t showing any signs of slowing down with the WWE Universe, so there is simply no room for another babyface at the top.
Furthermore, if the WWE continues to push someone to the top where the WWE Universe are not ready to accept at that moment in time, it could cause a backlash for the wrestler where they get booed on a regular basis despite being the ‘face’ of the company – examples in the past have included the likes of Charlotte and Roman Reigns.
#7 Shouldn’t – Randy Orton
Randy Orton is no stranger to Money in the Bank ladder matches, winning one from his four previous appearances. However, despite his experience in this match, he unfortunately sticks out from the rest of his opponents that will be competing for the contract this month.
Orton already has a combined thirteen primary championship reigns to his name, twelve more than his other seven opponents in this match combined. If you take into account that the Money in the Bank contract is traditionally given to boost someone’s career, Orton doesn’t need to win the Money in the Bank ladder match in comparison to his other opponents.
Even though an argument can be made that Orton has had no gold around his waist in the past twelve months and a briefcase would be ideal for the Viper performing an RKO from ‘outta nowhere’, the WWE need to avoid the idea of Orton, someone who has achieved everything in the company, to have another contract and near-guarantee Championship win again.
#6 Shouldn’t - Baron Corbin
Despite unfairly being the scapegoat of WWE’s declining figures of Raw, Baron Corbin’s career has slowly been on the rise again with a victory over WWE Hall of Famer and former Olympic Champion, Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35. However, while Corbin continues to build on this momentum, winning the Money in the Bank contract for a second time may seem like the wrong choice for the moment.
When Corbin won and failed to cash in his contract two years ago against then-WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal, it indicated that the WWE wasn’t ready to make him one of the top stars by giving him one of the major titles. Unfortunately, two years on and it is apparent that this is still the case with only a brief run as a United States Champion during this time.
On top of all of this, it is still evident from the weekly shows that the WWE Universe are not a fan of their ‘favourite son’, so while Corbin isn’t the primary reason for WWE’s declining figures, giving Corbin a second briefcase will surely not improve the viewing figures.
#5 Shouldn’t - Finn Balor
WWE’s inaugural Universal Champion, Finn Balor, will be heading into his second Money in the Bank contract match in back to back years. Last year’s attempt saw him fingertips away from grabbing the briefcase before Braun Strowman managed to overpower him.
Whilst Balor winning this match would probably generate one of the most positive reactions in the WWE Universe, there is one fundamental reason why he may not be a suitable choice at the moment.
Balor is the only wrestler going into this match with a championship already around his waist, and while the Intercontinental Championship isn’t one of the primary Championships that the Money in the Bank Contract is used for, the fact remains that he is still a champion at the moment.
With so many talented wrestlers and so few spots at the top, it would be somewhat unfair for one wrestler to hold a Championship and the Money in the Bank contract simultaneously, whilst the other seven wrestlers have nothing.
#4 Should – Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn has completely changed the complexion of the match this Sunday when he successfully beat Braun Strowman and took his spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match.
Since Zayn first signed with WWE six years ago, has performed on a consistent basis, having high quality matches with the likes of Neville, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens, and Chris Jericho. However, despite his wrestling abilities, this has not been reflected in how many championships he’s won as he has failed to win a single championship since his brief run as NXT Champion back in 2014.
Since his return on Raw the night after WrestleMania 35, he’s been predominately spending most of his time insulting the audience, which the audience are reacting to as expected.
It’s safe to say that Zayn is one of the most underachieving wrestlers in the WWE at the moment, so winning the Money in the Bank contract would be the perfect opportunity to throw himself at the top of the company.
Moreover, if Zayn wants his audience-bashing to be taken more seriously, then parading the Money in the Bank briefcase on a weekly basis would be the perfect prop to do it with.
#3 Should - Ricochet
In the few months Ricochet has been on the main roster, he has already given some show-stealing performances with his tag team partner Aleister Black, which eventually led to them both competing for the NXT Tag Team Championships and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship during WrestleMania weekend.
While they both gave everything they had, they eventually came up short to the War Raiders and The Usos respectively. However, in the past few years, it is evident that not all call-ups from the NXT make a successful transition to the main roster, such as Apollo Crews, Tye Dillinger and Austin Aries.
Whilst a victory for Ricochet could be premature considering he’s only been in the company for just over a year, there is another counter-argument why he should. It is clear that the WWE’s figures are slowly dwindling, but giving a major title opportunity to a huge fan-favourite could slowly boost the figures again.
Ricochet’s aerial abilities is currently one of the best in the business at the moment, and if he continues to give the fans enthralling matches on a weekly basis for the biggest prize then it’s hard to see the viewing figures go anywhere but up. However, this can only start by inserting Ricochet into the main title picture and prevent him from becoming like many of his fellow NXT graduates.
#2 Should - Andrade
As mentioned earlier, many wrestlers get lost in the shuffle after making the jump from NXT to the main roster – this includes Andrade.
His first year on the main roster has been far from fruitful as he’s appeared on only four pay-per-views, with three of them being on the pre-show. However, on his sporadic appearances, he’s shown he’s capable of holding his own against the best, including producing some quality matches against Rey Mysterio.
His wrestling abilities cannot be questioned as he’s delivered some show stopping performances already in the WWE. This includes a five star match from well-respected journalist Dave Meltzer, when he successfully defended the NXT Championship against Johnny Gargano at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia last year.
Despite his mic skills are limited (primarily due to English not being his first language), his manager Zelina Vega has enough enthusiasm to talk for both of them and a combination of his wrestling abilities and her mic skills is a perfect blend for a Money in the Bank contract winner.
#1 Should - Drew McIntyre
If there is one wrestler from NXT that has managed to make a successful transition to the main roster in the past twelve months is none other than the Scottish Psychopath, Drew McIntyre. From being on main events on a weekly basis to becoming one half of the Raw Tag Team Champions, McIntyre has proved that a call-up from NXT to the main roster can be a positive move.
On top of all of this, he has also managed to continually be a talking point within the WWE Universe. Some examples include humiliating Kurt Angle, dismantling the Shield and betraying both his tag partners, Braun Strowman and Dolph Ziggler.
This proves that McIntyre is finally ready to be at the top of the WWE, ten years after his debut. Furthermore, his past actions have confirmed he’s not afraid of delivering sneak attacks on his opponents, making him an ideal choice to win the Money in the Bank contract.
Combining this with his physical strength and speed, McIntyre with a guaranteed championship match could be the wake-up call the WWE locker room finally needs.
