Eight WWE Superstars will clash in the Money in the Bank men’s ladder match this year for the coveted briefcase and title opportunity that comes with it.
Though all of the competitors are accomplished, not all of them represent the best booking choice for the show on May 19 in Hartford. As a result, AllWrestling will give our rankings for the field that will try to ascend the ladder at the XL Center.
Superstars (Ranked in Reverse Order)
8. Ali – Label him as a candidate to fill up YouTube with highlight segments, but not a serious contender to pull down the briefcase. He might get a crack at a midcard title sometime this year, but it’s doubtful WWE puts him in the main event picture any time soon. As of late, WWE has put its faith in only a few, big name stars in its main event scene. The Wild Card rule threatens to limit the number of opportunities those outside the trusted circle of main eventers get going forward. Though Ali winning would provide a genuine swerve, it’s difficult to imagine WWE giving a WWE Championship or Universal title opportunity to a guy they didn’t trust enough to make Cruiserweight champ.
7. Braun Strowman – WWE dug a burial plot for The Monster Among Men at the Royal Rumble by trying to protect him from a loss to Brock Lesnar. He’s mainly just destroyed things, intimidated Saturday Night Live guest hosts and bullied people backstage since that time. Strowman gets better reception from the fans and fits in on the RAW roster better as a babyface. Therefore, he’d likely turn heel if he received the opportunity to dethrone Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship. RAW already runs heel heavy and it seems like a waste to turn Strowman when better heel options already exist on the roster.
6. Baron Corbin – The former RAW General Manager already had a crack with a briefcase and became one of the few to fail converting it into a championship. Furthermore, most fans grown whenever his entrance music hits. Admittedly, the fan backlash has yet to prevent WWE from keeping him with a consistent push. However, the answer to better ratings doesn’t seem like Corbin to me. Furthermore, we already received a fairly heavy dose of Rollins-Corbin toward the end of 2018. However, his chances remain strong because of WWE’s track record of booking him strongly. Many pined for John Cena to replace him as Kurt Angle’s opponent at WrestleMania only to watch him defeat the WWE Hall of Famer in his last match. In recent weeks, Corbin defeated Drew McIntyre and Miz to qualify for the Universal Championship No. 1 contender match and then hit Rollins with an End of Days in a tag match for the victory. It’s not out of the question he wins, but I’m not rooting to see that.
5. Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor – Holding a belt already doesn’t automatically disqualify you from winning the briefcase, but it should give WWE pause in this instance. Balor already switched brands, giving him plenty of quality, new midcard feuds on SmackDown. Furthermore, the current WWE Champion Kofi Kingston reigns as one of the biggest underdog babyfaces in the company. Sure, Balor won the first Universal Championship, but he still doesn’t seem to have Vince McMahon’s trust as a draw. Therefore, I don’t see him getting a shot against either Kingston or Rollins. In addition, both of those champions are babyfaces. We’ve already seen some of the difficulty in creating babyface-on-babyface interest with the current Rollins-AJ Styles feud on RAW.
4. Ricochet – The former NXT North American Champion will threaten Ali in the role of top highlight maker in this match. But will he get a legitimate shot to win the title opportunity? He’s a guy I’d like to see get a shot, but I doubt it happens given the way WWE has booked him so far. Since his split with Aleister Black in the Superstar Shake-Up, he’s mainly served as a way to showcase the new heel turn for Robert “Don’t Call Me Bobby” Roode. Considering Roode hasn’t had the interest of fans in almost two years on the main roster, that’s not exactly a strong feud to springboard into the main event scene. However, WWE trusted him enough to make him a champion at NXT, so he must have a little trust from the decision makers. Put him in the category of a good option, but temper your expectations.
3. Andrade – El Idolo begins my top tier of contenders, all represented by heels. With two babyface champions in the main event scene, you need two guys capable of being a strong bad guy to balance out the rivalry. With Andrade as Mr. Money in the Bank, fans who want to see a new star in the process of being made would be get their wish. Much like Kofi Kingston’s emergence from nowhere to win the WWE Championship, Andrade would allow WWE to show it isn’t only the same couple of wrestlers getting shots at the top. Furthermore, WWE has wanted to appeal to more Hispanic viewers, and going this route could win over some of that audience.
2. Randy Orton – I know, I know. He’s one of the most-decorated Superstars of all time with 13 world championships and 17 titles total in WWE. Why would he need a briefcase to get a title shot? I would argue that Orton has not existed as a serious title threat for quite a while. Furthermore, he seems like a guy whose chances are helped with WWE going to a limited number of main eventers with their recent Wild Card rule. He became Mr. Money in the Bank in 2013, and now seems like the right time for him to do it again. Kingston’s gimmick is that of an overmatched babyface who overcomes all odds to retain his championship. There’s no heel with more gravitas on the SmackDown roster right now than The Viper. He could either push Kofi to his limits in a supporting role, or give WWE a big-name champion for its babyfaces to chase.
1. Drew McIntyre – The Scottish Pyschopath makes the most sense because WWE needs to pull the trigger with him before fans no longer take him seriously. He’s suffered from mostly 50-50 booking to this point. He’s gaining the reputation as a heel who gets over on TV so he can put over a babyface of choice on the pay-per-view shows. A big victory here would change all that. He’d immediately give us a tremendous feud against either Rollins or AJ Styles should The Phenomenal One claim the belt at MITB. McIntyre also has gathering heat with Corbin over frustration with The Lone Wolf’s propensity to steal victories away from him. In addition, McIntyre has yet to get a legitimate title opportunity. Sure, he’s the boring choice as the most straightforward pick. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not the right way to go. Otherwise, WWE risks losing any chance they have of elevating him into being the top guy.