For the first time in its two-decade history, Money in the Bank Ladder Matches will award new briefcase holders in the Fall, as the gimmick that was once a WrestleMania staple and became a late Spring/early Summer PLE transitions to October. The move has a lot of merit to freshen up the gimmick and shift the focus to more cash-in threats centering themselves in the sleepier days of Autumn and Winter.
Who will win a briefcase this year? The SmackDown WWE Championship picture has grown super crowded in recent months, with Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, and Gunther each boasting legitimate claims to number one contendership and there are ready made angles for any of these men to grab the briefcase and jump the line to steal a title reign. Likewise, Randy Orton lurks just outside the main event picture and could airlift the WWE Championship out of the current ranks and into his program with Cody Rhodes, with Money in the Bank offering a natural segue.
On the Raw side of things, the cast of top contenders just waiting to bump up to a world title reign include Oba Femi and Royce Keyes, besides the potential intrigue of what it might look like if one of Roman Reigns’s Bloodline allies like Jacob Fatu or Jey Uso were to become Mr. Money in the Bank. The briefcase could also elevate someone truly outside the main event picture, like an opportunistic Dominik Mysterio
On the women’s side of things, the field is wide open for new championship contenders. Fresh faces like Jacy Jayne or Tatum Paxley have a lot to gain from a Money in the Bank run, while established stars like Alexa Bliss or Bayley could also use that shot in the arm to freshen up their acts and shoot back up the ranks.
Part of the fun of Money in the Bank is just how unpredictable it is at every stage from whether a cash-in will succeed, to when a cash-in will come, to who will win a briefcase in the first place. There are three frontrunners who fit the gimmick especially well at this moment in time.
Bron Breakker
As the latest season of WWE Unreal attested, Bron Breakker has main event potential. At the turn of the year, he looked the like the favorite to get the push of winning the Royal Rumble and capturing a world title at WrestleMania before an injury got in the way.
Since returning at WrestleMania 42, Breakker vacillated around the line of featured singles star and also-ran in a faction. He worked a series of singles bouts, culminating in a very good cage match with Seth Rollins. Otherwise, though, he’s found himself subbed into The Vision’s tag team championship picture where he’s felt an awful lot like a mid-card guy.
Breakker’s latest program with Oba Femi has reestablished some momentum, but their non-finish at Sunday Night’s Main Event highlighted a quandary. Breakker can’t afford to lose if he is going to be a headliner anytime soon. By the same token, The Ruler is the surer thing as an all but inevitable world champion within the coming year.
Breakker isn’t the traditional kind of heel who needs a cash-in to compete for a top title. Money in the Bank is, however, a natural vehicle to help him get over the hump, perhaps taking the World Heavyweight Championship off Femi as soon as he wins it, or further surprising the fans if he were to jump brands to steal the WWE Championship. Either way, The Unpredictable Badass fits a certain mold of guys who bump their heads against the glass ceiling, for whom Money in the Bank can bridge the gap and elevate them to a full-on main event spot.
Blake Monroe
Working in AEW as Mariah May, Blake Monroe demonstrated a marked combination of in-ring ability, promo skills, personality, and sex appeal to emerge as one of the biggest stars in women’s wrestling.
Monroe’s jump to WWE has yielded mixed results. She had a string of good programs and matches in NXT, revolving around the North American Championship, but has been conspicuous in her absence from in-ring action since her call up, with the rumor mill swirling around injury issues.
In character, Monroe has suggested she should immediately be wrestling Chelsea Green for the Women’s Championship, and Monroe is a classic fit to capitalize on Money in the Bank to become an instant contender, if not champ. Indeed, one of Triple H’s strengths in his tenure heading up WWE creative has been facilitating opportunities for female talent to get the spotlight upon their debuts on the main roster. Immediately positioning Monroe as a champion can get her the heat and attention to protect against getting lost in the shuffle.
Roxanne Perez
Roxanne Perez main roster tenure is approaching the year and a half mark, and she has been well managed. She immediately became a part of The Judgment Day upon moving up to Raw, where she initially had some intrigue with Liv Morgan before falling into line alongside Raquel Rodriguez as part of a highly effective trio within the faction.
Perez winning Money in the Bank would put the Women’s World Championship, Women’s Intercontinental Championship, and women’s briefcase all in the same stable to further establish their dominance, while also reigniting questions about whether Perez might betray Morgan or even Rodriguez.
Judgment Day has a long history of the faction exiling and warring with its own members. Perez turning on one of her running buddies to cash-in and knock them out of the group has potential, as does the idea of them proactively turning on her for the threat she poses. By contrast, Morgan dropping the title only for Perez to cash-in and steal it from the new champ opens up its own myriad possibilities surrounding jealousies and ultimately feuding.
Particularly in the absence of Rhea Ripley, WWE has positioned Morgan as the face of women’s division. Perez presents a ready-made new arch rival with organic history and the in-ring talent to deliver something special in an angle that could readily extend to WrestleMania 43 and beyond.
