WrestleMania 21 was, in many ways, a watershed event for WWE. Batista paid off months of storytelling with the Evolution faction when he beat Triple H to win his first world title in the main event. John Cena also won his first world title by pinning JBL. On top of that, Randy Orton leveled up, finding his footing after a failed babyface run when he went Streak hunting against The Undertaker.

Another important dimension of this show—twenty years past—is the introduction of Money in the Bank to the WWE landscape. A star-studded field of six men without clear programs going into WrestleMania season made up the first Money in the Bank Ladder Match, and the WWE landscape has never been quite the same since.

The Original Money In The Bank Ladder Match Arguably Remains The Best

A big part of Money in the Bank taking off as a concept comes down to just how good the original edition of the match was. Edge and Christian were ladder match veterans, willing and able to take big hits and deliver on creative spots. Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit were two of the best workers in the world. Shelton Benjamin was an athletic phenom. Kane was a perfect anchor as a big man to provide the powerhouse foundation for the match, and a steady, experienced hand to help keep the match on track.

The results were predictably great—a bout that, to this day, remains one of the very few one could legitimately argue was the best Money in the Bank match of all time. The action delivered and Edge winning was not entirely expected, but quite satisfying as a newly minted main eventer arrived.

Edge Was A Test Case For The Money In The Bank Formula

Now, Money in the Bank is a part of the WWE canon and fans have generally agreed upon qualities for what makes a good Mr. or Ms. Money in the Bank. That generally favors opportunistic heels and particularly ones who are on the cusp of main event status but, for whatever combination of reasons, haven’t yet been able to cross over that threshold.

Edge’s example largely set that paradigm in motion. After a successful tag team and mid-card career, Edge had repeatedly hit the glass ceiling trying to break through as a main eventer. Though he’d occasionally challenged for world titles, he had a credibility gap to overcome as a first-time champ, not seen on the same level as talents like John Cena, Batista, Triple H, or Randy Orton.

Edge won the match and had a picture-perfect cash-in—one that, by his own account, he pitched because WWE management hadn’t had a plan. He called his shot after Cena was beaten down from successfully defending his WWE Championship at New Year’s Revolution 2006 and launched a new approach to eclipsing main event status, in a template stars like The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Carmella, and Tiffany Stratton would follow across decades to follow.

Money In The Bank Has Been Important To WWE Storytelling

Money in the Bank has become an important device for WWE. In sticky situations, like when WWE needed to sort out its World Heavyweight Championship picture in 2007, it offered a vehicle to get the belt on Edge. It served as a platform to elevate or switch gears for babyface characters like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan too. The briefcase also set up electric moments of cash-ins at WrestleManias 31 and 40.

While some of the novelty of Money in the Bank has worn thin across two decades, it also remains true that every single cash-in has generated a huge pop from WWE fans. Sometimes that’s a celebration of a previously underappreciated talent like Liv Morgan having her breakthrough moment at Money in the Bank 2022 or Big E capturing the WWE Championship in late 2021. It’s noteworthy, though, that even Money in the Bank winners fans weren’t that invested in like Jack Swagger or failed briefcase holders like Austin Theory generated big responses for the sheer intrigue of what might happen and the major opportunity at hand.

Most Of The Original Money In The Bank Competitors Are Now Wrestling For AEW

An interesting historical footnote in looking back at the original Money in the Bank Ladder Match from the distance of twenty years is that four of the men involved are actually still wrestling to this day. That’s not to mention that all four of them are in AEW.

Chris Benoit, of course, died in horrific fashion and Kane has transitioned away from the ring, into politics. Of the remainder, though, Chris Jericho was the first ever AEW World Champion and has been a staple part of their product ever since. Adam Copeland has recently challenged for the world title there, while Christian has been an upper card fixture and generated a lot of heat via his promos in particular. Finally, Shelton Benjamin has been delivering as part of The Hurt Syndicate, demonstrating just how much he still has to give in the ring and the degree to which WWE squandered his talents in his final years with that company.