This Sunday, WWE will host its annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view which will be highlighted by the Men’s and Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Matches. We all know the history of this legendary match in WWE. Whoever wins the match can “cash-in” on a champion anytime for a title match within the next year. And with the addition of the women’s ladder match two years ago, we are surely to expect that whoever holds the briefcase will be a future champion.
This year’s two matchups features four past Money in the Bank Ladder Match winners and some who are entering the match for the very first time. With the unpredictability of the evening, could we have a cash-in before the event is over? Here is our predictions on the two matches, the likelihood of winning for each Superstar and when a potential cash-in could happen.
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match participants (from left to right): Andrade, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Finn Bálor, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, Ali and Randy Orton. (Image via WWE)
MEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH – This might be one of the most unpredictable Money in the Bank Ladder Matches in recent history. Every participant has either been to the top or on the cusp of reaching the top. Who will win the contract? Let’s break them down by brands.
RAW
RICOCHET: In only a short time since coming up to the main roster, Ricochet has dazzled all of us with his high flying moves. Of course if you saw him during his time in NXT, it shouldn’t surprise you. But he still continues to amaze. Because of his high acrobatic moves and his ability to take down opponents who are bigger and stronger, he would be a great surprise as Mr. Money in the Bank. What makes Ricochet a great dark horse pick may the fact that he is so new to the main roster. But maybe this is the continuation with Ricochet’s meteoric rise in his still very young career in WWE.
DREW MCINTYRE: With Braun Strowman out of the picture (that will be addressed that later), this makes McIntyre the favorite to win this match. He has been on a hot streak this year and even though a loss at WrestleMania to Roman Reigns would slow down most Superstars, McIntyre has been on a tear delivering punishment to the opposition. McIntyre’s second stint in WWE looks to be one that sees him as Universal Champion soon. Perhaps this is the way he gets there. He’s already reached the top of the NXT landscape and at this point, he looks like the next one to reach the top of WWE.
BARON CORBIN: There is no way Corbin is winning this again, right? After failing to cash in when he won two years ago, Corbin has been an afterthought in his placement on the roster. His time as Constable and Acting General Manager to Raw has put his career on neutral. Needing a boost back to the top and to ride the momentum of beating Kurt Angle at WrestleMania, a win on Sunday would be great. But is Corbin good enough to do it again? It’s hard to see it happening this time around.
SAMI ZAYN: This was supposed to be Braun Strowman’s spot but Zayn (with the help of Corbin and McIntyre) took the Monster Among Men’s spot on Monday. Eliminating Strowman this way was genius by Zayn. Not only did he get himself into the match, but it eliminated the biggest threat. Zayn has been on this high horse scolding attitude since returning to injury and having never won the top prize on the main roster, it seems like his rise could coincide with a big win on Sunday. Unless Strowman somehow tries to get his revenge on Zayn during the match, we could see Zayn atop the ladder with the briefcase.
SMACKDOWN LIVE
ANDRADE: If Andrade and Rey Mysterio were still on the same show, we would watch them fight each other every night. Andrade was a surprise champion in NXT but held his own quite well. With Zelina Vega overseeing his career, a championship is definitely on the horizon. That leads us to believe that a rise to the top isn’t out of the picture for Andrade and this may be his next big step. It would be a huge boost to one of the most talented men on the roster.
FINN BALOR: We are still thinking about that time when Bálor was Universal Champion for 24 hours. What could have been if he didn’t get hurt? He hasn’t reached the top since then and we may still be wondering if he will do it again. It’s been a long couple years waiting for Bálor to get his shine and this would be a great chance for him. But as an Intercontinental Champion, it seems unlikely that he would hold the briefcase and the title simultaneously. That isn’t to say it won’t happen. But it is hard to see Bálor take that next step just yet.
ALI: If Ali never got hurt, then KofiMania would have never happened. So this is where Ali takes back the momentum that was supposed to be his. What better way than to win the contract? He and Ricochet could tear the house down with their aerial assault throughout the match as well but it may end up being too much for the cruiserweight. Ali’s time will come but it’s hard to see this Sunday being his time.
RANDY ORTON: The veteran could easily come out on top again in this match. He has been on a great run in the past couple years and he could very well do it again. But with so much young potential champions in the ring, it’s hard for us to see Orton take that glory again. He will be a great addition to the match but a win seems unlikely.
PREDICTION
When Drew McIntyre was announced as a participant a couple weeks ago, he became the favorite to win and that should remain. McIntyre has been holding his own very well against main event stars since January and this should culminate in a Money in the Bank win. McIntyre is destined to be champion and this is where it will begin for him.
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Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match participants (from left to right): Ember Moon, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Nikki Cross, Bayley, Natalya, Naomi and Carmella. (Image via WWE)
WOMEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH – We have five former champions in this match. Is it time for someone new or will it be a veteran getting her chance to be on top again?
RAW
DANA BROOKE: She has the lowest odds of winning and unless WWE has some kind of major swerve in store, Brooke will put up a good fight but will not win. If Brooke does put on a good performance, then she might slowly work her way into the title picture down the line. Give her that opportunity and we will see how she will take her chance in the spotlight on Sunday.
ALEXA BLISS: A part of me feels that Nikki Cross will play some kind of role in this match that could hurt the goddess. Bliss won last year and cashed it in on the same night. She has seen limited action recently but it looks like she is healthy enough to possibly get in more workload. But it might not be enough to possibly put a good title run on her if she wins. Bliss however is still a top draw for WWE and winning in back-to-back matches might be a good narrative to run with for her. A win might not be the best narrative to run with so it is unlikely she wins again.
(Update: May 16): Alexa Bliss has not been cleared to compete and will be replaced by Nikki Cross.
NIKKI CROSS: Cross comes in as a late replacement and is a wild card in this match. We had not seen her on WWE TV for some time until this past week on Raw where she won a fatal 4-way match against the three other Raw opponents in the ladder match. Because of this sudden replacement announcement, it’s hard to picture Cross coming out on top. Even though a win is unlikely, a strong showing here could elevate her status going forward of being a more permanent presence on TV.
NATALYA: She has been in this business for a while and has been champion before too. It would be a surprise for the veteran to win this match and perhaps that’s a big surprise WWE will have for us. However, Natalya is a veteran presence that will help carry the match but it seems unlikely that she will capture the contract this time around.She did, however, remind us that she has been in all the previous ones so maybe this is her time to finally win it.
NAOMI: Another veteran who has been a champion before enters this match as a great candidate to win the briefcase. She hasn’t had a solid storyline in a while and adding this big win would definitely make her a great candidate for Ms. Money in the Bank. Naomi’s win would bring in a new splash to the women’s division and perhaps she might even customize her briefcase to make it glow. Either way, Naomi could be a good choice to win on Sunday.
SMACKDOWN LIVE
EMBER MOON: Moon recently came back from injury and it would be a surprise if she gets this big push so quickly. However, it would be a great way to introduce a young talent by getting her the contract. It is unlikely she wins but I think that an Eclipse from the ladder is definitely something that could happen and it would be awesome.
MANDY ROSE: Everything seems to be perfect to set up a Mandy Rose win. She has done well in becoming a focal point of the women’s division and the potential breakup from Sonya Deville has always been teased but it hasn’t happened. But even if they don’t break up, imagine what they could do together if Rose held the contract? Or the feud the two could have for it. Additionally, she’s a young talent has never won a title in NXT or the main roster. This would be a great way for her to become a future champion. Rose would be a good pick here.
BAYLEY: No longer running with Sasha Banks in the tag team picture, Bayley has a fresh start on SmackDown Live and you better believe that a great title push with the contract would do wonders for her. She hasn’t had a smooth time on the main roster but a briefcase and a cash-in would elevate her to where we through she would be after NXT. Bayley would be a great choice here as well as it would highlight her skills as a singles competitor.
CARMELLA: She won the Women’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania. She won the first two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches. She’s back to being a blonde. Everything is lining up for Mella to win but it probably won’t happen. Quite simply, WWE probably wants a new winner as this match is only three years old for the women’s division.
PREDICTION
Having a Superstar who has never been champion before win the contract would be a great way to elevate a career. With that, Mandy Rose may be the best pick to win. (Imagine the elation in Corey Graves’ voice when it happens.) Rose’s win could set up some great feuds (including an “I told you so” to Paige) and it could fit well with her character development.
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WILL THERE BE A CASH-IN ON SUNDAY?
If Mandy Rose does win, the cash-in would likely happen down the line as WWE could get some real good feuds for her while she is Ms. Money in the Bank. We’ll wait for her chance to possibly cash-in this summer if her momentum continues to rise and if Becky Lynch is still champion.
As for the men’s side, if Drew McIntyre does win the contract, he will cash-in on Seth Rollins that same night. As Rollins comes to the aid of Becky Lynch (which the two confirmed themselves that they are dating) following her grueling match against Charlotte Flair (and having fought and won earlier in the evening against Lacey Evans), McIntyre sneak attacks Rollins and uses that chance to cash in on the champ. Rollins, who is already banged up from a phenomenal match against AJ Styles, cannot recover and will lose to McIntyre. Drew McIntyre is your new Universal Champion!
How do you see these two matches go down? Will there be a cash-in? We’ll find out on Sunday!
