Who has unsuccessfully cashed in Money in the Bank?

Money in the Bank briefcase is one of the most desired things in the WWE. It includes a contract that guarantees the winner a shot at a world championship title of their choice, at any time and at any place. Since its inception in 2005, the Money in the Bank ladder match has become a staple of WWE's pay-per-view calendar and also has a dedicated PPV to its name, which many consider to be the fifth biggest event after WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble.

The briefcase has been held by some of the biggest names in the industry, including Edge, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins who have used the contract to catapult themselves to the top of the WWE hierarchy. However, not every winner has been able to successfully cash in their contract and claim the championship gold. In fact, some have fallen short in their attempts, leaving fans wondering what could have been. These stars have watched their championship dreams slip through their fingers.

Failed Money in the Bank Cash-Ins

John Cena (2012)

Surprisingly, John Cena is the first superstar to have a miscalculated briefcase cash-in. This rare misstep occurred when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on CM Punk for the WWE Championship. While he did win the match, it was owing to a DQ finish after Big Show attacked him. However, titles do not change hands on disqualification. Unfortunately, for Cena, he lost the briefcase following this.

Damian Sandow (2013)

Damian Sandow was the first superstar to get defeated after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Despite his cleverness while cashing in, Sandow was outpowered by Cena, who retained his World Championship.

Baron Corbin (2017)

Baron Corbin's Money in the Bank cash-in on Jinder Mahal was a catastrophe, as he fell short in his bid to win the WWE Championship. Just like the first two failed cash-ins, Cena was also involved in this mishap as he sidetracked Corbin allowing Mahal to cover him for victory.

Braun Strowman (2018)

Braun Strowman cashed in his briefcase against Roman Reigns in a pre-announced match. The two took each other to their limits in a Hell in a Cell match. However, that cage was not strong enough to stop a furious Lesnar from entering and wreaking havoc on both wrestlers, resulting in a DQ finish.

Austin Theory (2022)

For the first time ever, the Money in the Bank briefcase was used to cash-in for a Secondary Championship in 2022. Austin Theory cashed in against the US Champion Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins in a moment of surprise, which, unfortunately, was not enough to defeat The Architect. The tired Rollins eventually countered Theory’s moves and gave him a curb stomp to win the match.

Drew McIntyre (2024)

Drew McIntyre won the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2024 and could not wait a day to cash in the contract. Later that night, Damian Priest was defending his title against Seth Rollins before McIntyre made it into a triple threat match. However, his long running feud with CM Punk cost both him and Seth Rollins the match. While Rollins lost the chance to challenge for the title until Priest was the champion, McIntyre lost his Money in the Bank briefcase.

Wrestlers who lost their Money in the Bank briefcase

Mr. Kennedy (2006)

Mr. Kennedy was just the third superstar after Edge and Rob Van Dam to get his hands on the Money in the Bank briefcase. Kennedy had held the briefcase for more than a month and announced that he would wait until the following WrestleMania to cash in the contract. Edge interrupted the promo and got himself a match against Kennedy where the latter had to put his briefcase on the line. The Rated-R Superstar won the case, and Kennedy was never able to cash-in his contract.

Otis (2020)

Otis stunned everyone by winning the Money in the Bank 2020. He would go on to hold the briefcase for 193 days without any serious attempts at cashing in. The Miz, with the help of John Morrison and JBL, got himself a match for Otis’ briefcase and won it to become a two-time Mr. Money in the Bank.