Posted in: The Eternal Optimist
The Eternal Optimist Presents - Who wins the MITB ladder matches? - Ranking the Participants
By Dave Fenichel
Jun 12, 2017 - 11:33:12 AM

Hi kids. We’re less than a week away from Money in the Bank. This is one of my favorite Pay Per Views every year. I like this PPV because the winner of the featured match often uses this storyline as a boost to the main event. For the first time, there is both a male and female Money in the Bank ladder match. I am excited about both, as I feel that each one has an unpredictability to it that hasn’t been there as of late.

With this in mind, I’m going to do my best to rank the participant’s likeliness to win. Here we go:


The Women:


This is the first rendition of a female Money in the Bank match. I agree with many in the sense that it wasn’t necessary in a division so light on talent. However, that doesn’t make me any less excited about it. There are a lot of talented in-ring performers in this match, and it should deliver.

Diving into this a bit further – there are only 7 viable female superstars on the Smackdown roster. There are the five women in this match, and the two competing for the title. With a division so shallow, winning the Money in the Bank match and holding onto it for any length of time doesn’t make any sense. If the winner is to hold onto it for more than a month or two, literally every other female on the roster will have had a title shot before her.

Under other circumstances, it wouldn’t make sense to have a title match featuring the champion against someone who hasn’t had an in-ring one on one match. Don’t get me wrong, there is tremendous upside with Lana. She has the most potential to be a “star” out of anyone on either female roster. Throwing her into a title match just doesn’t make any sense. Combining these two things, I am left with only one conclusion. The winner of the women’s Money in the Bank match is cashing in that night and winning the title from Naomi.

I’m excited for this match for that very reason. I believe the winner of this match becomes the women’s champion. With that thought process in mind, here’s how I rank each women’s chances:


#5 – Tamina:

Throughout her entire career, she’s been treated as an afterthought. It appeared that’s he could be in line for a push with her move to Smackdown. Instead, she’s the third wheel in a historically weak three person heel stable.

While the argument can be made that she needs the push more than anyone, I simply can’t see it. She has some size, but she’s not Nia Jaxx big. Other than that, she’s completely devoid of any type of personality, in-ring skills, or “it” factor that would justify a huge move up the card for her.


#4 – Becky Lynch:

I have very little doubt that Becky Lynch ends up back in the title picture at some point. I just don’t think that point is now. As mentioned above, I think the women’s MITB briefcase is a short term storyline. They aren’t going to have a face Becky Lynch cash in on a face Naomi. It’s a spot clearly set up for a heel. Some have argued that a Becky Lynch heel turn could be on the horizon, but I don’t see it. Her character sets up much better as a face than as a heel. Maybe she’d be successful with the change, but I’m not willing to bet on it.

Becky doesn’t really need the briefcase either. She’s a popular enough commodity that she can be re-inserted into the title picture without much of an explanation required. Even if the WWE wanted to go with a face v face storyline, she is clearly behind Charlotte in the current pecking order.


#3 – Charlotte:

Charlotte is the best female performer on the roster, and it isn’t close. She will absolutely be at the center of the title picture in the not too distant future. I just don’t think the briefcase is going to be what gets her there. My reasoning largely echoes my reasoning for not liking Becky’s chances. I simply don’t think a face is going to cash in the title on Naomi.

Now, Charlotte cut a promo last week on Smackdown that sounded awfully similar to her heel promos of the past. If you were to tell me that the plan was to turn Charlotte heel now, I’d immediately vault her to the #1 spot here. I don’t think the WWE goes down this path. Instead, I think she becomes the top face challenger to the heel champion once the obligatory Naomi rematch is complete.


#2 – Carmella:

If we operate under the presumption that a heel is going to win and cash in on Naomi, there are only two reasonable options. Carmella has decent upside. She’s got a great look and some personality. Her pairing with Ellsworth is great for drawing heel heat. She’s young and inserting her into the title picture would be a breath of fresh air to the division.

I still don’t think she wins. She’s really rough around the edges. Carmella’s in-ring work isn’t great, and her promos need work. If the women’s division was in a position where they could allow for the briefcase winner to hold it for a while prior to cashing in, she might be the best option. She'd be a good candidate to win MITB in 2018.


#1 – Natalya:

In my mind, she is the clear favorite to win. She is the only realistic option. While I think she does in fact tread off the greatness of her family name, she’s still the most finished product on the heel side of the Smackdown women’s roster. She holds a victory over Naomi from the six women tag match at the last Smackdown PPV, and the storyline is already there for her to ascend to the throne.

The real contenders are on the face side of the roster. It only makes sense for Natalya to win the briefcase, immediately cash in on Naomi, and move onto a feud with Charlotte. Her and Charlotte have excellent chemistry together, had an amazing match in NXT and are a strong feud to carry the Smackdown side of women’s wrestling for the next few months.


The Men:


First off, before I even delve into my thoughts on who will win, how amazing is this going to be? With Styles, Nakamura, Zayn, and KO involved, how can this be anything less than match of the year caliber? I cannot wait for this match to go down.

Second, unlike the women’s roster, the male roster is plenty deep. Orton is still in the title picture, and it’s likely that John Cena will be inserted into the mix as well upon his return. Although there is no guarantee that the winner will hold onto the briefcase for a lengthy period of time, the option is there. As a result, the men’s match is MUCH more difficult to predict.

Nonetheless, here are my rankings for likeliness to win.


#6 – Dolph Ziggler:

I hate to beat a dead horse. Everyone who reads my column knows that I despise Dolph Ziggler. He’s squandered so many opportunities to be successful yet a large portion of the whamboo bamboo booger eating wrestling fan base continues to cling onto the idea that he’s the answer to all of the WWE’s problems.

Here’s the reality check – he’s the only guy with absolutely no upside in this match. Once upon a time, he stood out as being in the upper echelon of in-ring workers. His character and look never developed and the new crop of talent runs circles around him in the ring. It’s over for Dolph. I know it, the WWE knows it, the specific and delusional portion of our fan base needs to get on board.


#5 – Kevin Owens:

The Doc recently posted a true or false question asking his readers whether they believed that Neville has been the MVP of the WWE in 2017. My response was that I believed that the MVP up to date has been Kevin Owens. He was Universal Champion to start the year, was involved in an amazing feud with Chris Jericho that included the best segment all year (The Festival of Friendship), and has had a stellar US title run on Smackdown.

The thing is, as good as he’s been, there’s no argument to be made for him to win. Kevin Owens is already an established main eventer. The second the WWE wants to pull the trigger on another KO title push, it will be accepted by everyone. The briefcase doesn’t do anything for him. He’s above it. Combine this with the unfinished business he has left with AJ Styles, and I don’t see any logical reason for putting the briefcase in KO’s corner.


#4 – AJ Styles:

I could copy and paste my Kevin Owens’ post here as the rationale as to why A.J. Styles isn’t going to win. He’s already the unquestioned top baby face on Smackdown, and absolutely doesn’t need the briefcase to establish himself as a world title contender. It wouldn’t make sense logically for him to win either. The feud with KO over the US Title is going to continue past Money in the Bank. What would be Styles’ motivation to continue to go after the US Title when he has a guaranteed WWE Title shot in his back pocket?

I give A.J. a very small chance of winning. If the WWE doesn’t believe in an extended feud with Samoa Joe and Braun Strowmann isn’t ready for Summerslam, Brock Lesnar is without a dance partner. A.J. could win this match and cash in at Great Balls of Fire by pinning Samoa Joe. This would set up A.J. v Lesnar as a dream match at Summerslam. It’s a pie in the sky theory, but it’s still enough to push him ahead of KO and Dolph in this discussion.


#3 – Shinsuke Nakamura:

There are three legitimate candidates to win Money in the Bank. Shinsuke Nakamura is the first. He’s an international superstar who rode a tremendous wave of momentum from his NXT run onto the main roster. He has a ton of charisma and is a phenomenal wrestler. He has a problem. His lack of ability to speak English will ultimately lead to diminishing returns the longer he’s exposed to the main roster audience. Because of this, I think it’s important for the WWE to strike while the iron is hot. I’m not sure there would be a better way to do that than to have him win Money in the Bank, announce that he’s cashing in at Summerslam, and beat Jinder Mahal for the title.

Even though I think he’s more than a plausible winner, I don’t think this is the route that the WWE will take. I don’t think they view Nakamura as a guy that has to be pushed right away in order to be successful. For better or for worse, I think the WWE is ok with a prolonged build to his eventual main event run. Thus, the most likely outcome is that Shinsuke doesn’t win Money in the Bank but is instead positioned for a high profile match at Summerslam against an established superstar. John Cena fits the bill.


#2 – Baron Corbin:

I flip-flopped several times between slotting Corbin into the #1 and #2 spots here. Both he and the man I ultimately think will win would benefit tremendously from the briefcase. It is obvious to anyone that is paying attention that the WWE is grooming Corbin for a main event run. He has the size, he cuts a good promo, and he’s vastly improving in the ring.

I could easily see the WWE giving him the briefcase and allowing him to hold onto it for a while as he continues to develop, but I didn’t pick him as my favorite for two reasons. First, there’s an easier path to the main event for him than my favorite to win. At some point, John Cena is going to win his 17th world championship. Corbin fits the part of a stereotypical John Cena title challenger to a T. Second, he’s simply been booked far too strongly since the match was announced. The WWE isn’t going to have him kick everyone’s tushy every week if they planned on him winning the match. Thus, although I won’t be at all surprised if he wins, I don’t think Money In the Bank is going to be his night.


#1 – Sami Zayn:

Anyone who interacts with me on social media is likely to be surprised at this prediction. I’ve often doubted Sami Zayn’s ceiling as a WWE superstar. I’ve compared him to a poor man’s Christian in the past. Nonetheless, I think this is his time to break through.

To me, Sami Zayn is not in any different of a position than CM Punk or Daniel Bryan when they won their briefcases. Even though Zayn hasn’t been pushed as a credible threat, neither were Punk nor Bryan prior to their MITB victories. Like Punk and Bryan, Zayn has organically clicked with the audience despite his lack of a push.

He’s an ultimate underdog that has been getting his brains beat in week after week. It’s almost as if the WWE wants you to forget that he’s even in the match. On a night where I expect heels to dominate, I think a surprise Sami Zayn victory will be the feel-good moment every event needs. There is NO ONE that needs the briefcase more than he does.

That’s a wrap. What are your thoughts on the two Money in the Bank ladder matches? Sound off below! You can also follow me on social media via Facebook at David Fenichel or on Twitter @FFFightLeague. I look forward to hearing from you.