Ranking All The WWE Money In The Bank Winners From Best To Worst

Who set the standards for Mr. and Ms. Money In The Bank?

Seth Rollins

The Money in the Bank briefcase has become one of the most exciting and integral parts of WWE television. Since 2005, victors of the Money in the Bank ladder match have reaped the rewards of the championship contract, allowing them to cash in that right at any given time. It has given birth to some of the most iconic moments in recent history, including the pure pandemonium from the Raw after WrestleMania 29, the birth of The Authority and of course the ‘Heist of the Century’.

More often than not, the Money in the Bank briefcase elevates its holder to new heights, providing them with more opportunities to mix it up with main eventers and to be seen as a legitimate threat to anyone on the roster. Although, it doesn’t always work out for the superstars. Money in the Bank has been known to have been wasted on occasion, leaving the former winners looking like absolute chumps.

In this article, we’re going to look through all Money in the Bank winners and rank them from the best, all the way down to the worst. What makes a good Money in the Bank victor? Should it always lead to a championship win? You be the judge and let us know in the comments.

 

21. Mr. Kennedy

Source: Google

Mr. Kennedy was at one time one of the hottest acts on Friday Night SmackDown. He had the presence of a superstar, holding his own in the ring and on the mic against the biggest and brightest stars in WWE. Kennedy, coming off of big feuds with the likes of Batista and The Undertaker, won the championship contract at WrestleMania 23 in the show’s opener.

For many, this seemed like the first step towards a new level of superstardom. He was primed to ascend into the main event spot and have a lengthy reign with the World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately, along the way, Mr. Kennedy lost the favour of folks backstage, which became somewhat of a trend throughout the rest of his career.

Mr. Kennedy was used as a transitional Money in the Bank holder, the first and only of his kind. Mr. Kennedy would lose the briefcase in a singles match to Edge, who would then go on to successfully cash in on The Undertaker. In the meantime, Kennedy was left behind without any consolation prize. Kennedy never recovered from this booking and suffered numerous injuries which soon led to his departure from WWE.

 

20. John Cena

John Cena

It’s shocking to find John Cena so far down on a list of anything wrestling related. Cena won the briefcase in his only ever appearance in a Money in the Bank ladder match, defeating only four other opponents in the process. Cena wasn’t the most popular choice to have yet another title opportunity under his belt, but luckily for the anti-Cena movement, he didn’t hold onto it for long.

Cena announced a week prior to his championship fight that he would challenge CM Punk for the WWE title at Raw 1000. Unlike many other winners, Cena didn’t utilise the impromptu nature of the contract, which ultimately led to his downfall. Due to interference by Big Show, Cena lost his match against Punk via DQ.

Cena’s reign as Mr. Money in the Bank lasted a grand total of 8 days, which believe it or not, isn’t the shortest. What we can say about it though is that it was a complete anti-climax. For a superstar as massive as John Cena, you’d think they might have allowed him to successfully cash-in, or even hold onto it for a while and laud over the champions that eventually they’d have to defend against John Cena

 

19. Baron Corbin

baron corbin
Source: WWE

One of the few accolades to Baron Corbin’s name is that he once held the Money in the Bank briefcase. Winning the ladder match in 2017, Corbin held the contract for 58 days, priming himself to make the jump into the main event scene on SmackDown Live. Luck wasn’t in Corbin’s favour, as all the hype surrounding his victory was wasted when he failed to cash-in on Jinder Mahal, of all people.

Baron Corbin has been one of those superstars that has always been on the cusp of greatness, occasionally flirting with the main event scene only to falter. The Money in the Bank briefcase was the closest Corbin ever came to capturing a major championship and finally fulfilling whatever it is Triple H and Vince McMahon see in him. But for him to lose his cash-in attempt against a guy that had no right being WWE Champion was beyond a joke.

Unlike Kennedy, Corbin managed to claw back some credibility over the years. Now a former United States Champion and becoming the man that retired Kurt Angle, there’s somewhat of a bright future ahead for The Lone Wolf.

 

18. Damien Sandow

Credit: Google

Before the sheer popularity of Damien Mizdow, there was Damien Sandow, the intellectual saviour of the masses. I personally really enjoyed Sandow’s work as a heel on Friday Night SmackDown. He was a crisp in-ring worker and delivered some excellent promos. He was a natural pick to win the Money in the Bank, to help him get over that hump of the mid-card. At the time, Sandow was competing in a tag team with Cody Rhodes, which took a turn for the worse after Sandow dumped his partner in order to win the match.

Their feud wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire, but it was enough to generate some heat for Sandow and his custom, leather-bound briefcase. Sandow held onto the briefcase for 106 days, so anticipation was high by the time Sandow decided to cash-in that beauty. For Sandow though, there was no pay-off.

Becoming the first man to be defeated in his Money in the Bank cash-in, Sandow failed to take his first World Heavyweight Championship. As disappointing as it was to see them drop Sandow at the last hurdle, it was at least refreshing to witness a failed cash-in attempt. Up until then, nobody had walked away empty-handed, so it almost seemed like there was too much of a guarantee.

In Sandow’s defence, he was cashing in on John Cena.

 

17. Braun Strowman

Source: WWE

The Monster in the Bank from last year’s pay-per-view had a very meaningless run with the briefcase. At first, it seemed that WWE were finally pulling the trigger with Strowman, who was having the run of his career competing in classic feuds with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Being lost in the shuffle around WrestleMania time, Strowman needed a big win to put him back in the main event scene and in the hunt for the Universal Championship.

The Money in the Bank win was exactly what Strowman needed. Braun immediately put the champion on notice, claiming that whenever Brock was next in the same building as him, he would cash-in his briefcase. Strowman successfully defended his right to hold the briefcase in a total squash match against Kevin Owens at SummerSlam, and made his presence felt later that night during the Reigns/Lesnar main event. Fans were clamouring to see Strowman cash it in, but it wasn’t to be.

It took Braun another month to finally relinquish the briefcase, as part of his Universal Championship match with Roman Reigns at Hell in a Cell. Watching the match back, it seemed to be Strowman’s night, but the title match ended as a no contest after interference from Brock Lesnar.

Braun’s Money in the Bank contract was voided in the process. A real shame considering how over Strowman was at the time, it could have been a great use of the Money in the Bank clause.

 

16. Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss
Source: WWE

The second ever winner of the Women’s Money in the Bank briefcase, ‘The Goddess’ quickly cashed in her contract on the same night that she won it. Ronda Rousey was busy defending her title against Nia Jax, but the match was ended by an interfering Alexa. Bliss took out Rousey and left Jax defenceless as she got the pin for her second Raw Women’s title run.

Holding the briefcase for just over two hours, Bliss’ run is fairly forgettable. Being someone that didn’t necessarily need to be propped back into the main event after a significant run as Raw Women’s champ going into WrestleMania, the briefcase could have been used to elevate someone else from the women’s division.

WWE’s gameplan was to give Ronda Rousey a worthy heel opponent leading up to her big title win at Summerslam. I guess from their perspective you could say that it paid off, fans were starting to turn against Alexa after the Money in the Bank win, and Ronda did indeed get her title reign out of it. But for me personally, I didn’t buy it. I would have much rather have seen Naomi or Ember Moon be given the honour of challenging for the title while Alexa managed to sneak her way into the title picture another way.

 

15. Jack Swagger

jack swagger

Big Swag was one of the first dark horses to ever win the Money in the Bank briefcase. Heading into WrestleMania 26 as a generic lower mid-carder, there were no expectations for him to walk away with the win. But WWE can occasionally pull off a decent swerve, and in this case, they nailed it. The young prospect stood tall, high above the ring with the briefcase in his hands, and started living up to the potential that WWE saw in him.

Swagger didn’t hang about, cashing-in after only 5 days of holding onto the contract. Jack Swagger inserted himself into the Edge/Chris Jericho feud and took advantage of the injuries sustained during their big World Heavyweight title fight at WrestleMania. A very serious Swagger stood victorious, much to the surprise of the WWE Universe.

After the initial shock and awe, Swagger came across as a bit of an awkward champion. Fans never really were sold on him during his early run with the company and even after his Money in the Bank victory and subsequent title win, he never really got over. Swagger held onto the title for 2-3 months, nabbing victories over Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Kane in the process. So, in all fairness, it was a pretty good run, just not very memorable.

Swagger eventually lost the title to Rey Mysterio, who funnily enough, was cashed in on by our next entrant.

 

14. Kane

kane
Source: WWE

The Big Red Machine picked up the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2010, during the first standalone Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Kane was in the midst of a murder investigation, trying to figure out which of the SmackDown roster left his brother in a catatonic state. His key suspects were Rey Mysterio and Jack Swagger, so when the two of them were set to compete in a match for the World Heavyweight Championship that night, he just had to get involved.

Kane brutally attacked Rey after his win over Swagger, cashing-in his briefcase to become the first ever winner to relinquish it in the same night. As you’d imagine, I was over the moon for my favourite wrestler winning the World Heavyweight Championship but looking back on his run as Mr. Money in the Bank, it wasn’t necessary. Kane went over several young talents to get that briefcase, including; Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler. Any one of those budding stars could have had a lengthy run with the briefcase and made a name for themselves in the process. Kane was going to be inserted into that title picture eventually.

Nevertheless, it was great to see the briefcase be used in an ongoing storyline, and it did a lot to freshen up the title picture after the monotony that was Jack Swagger.

 

13. Alberto Del Rio

Credit: Bing

Del Rio’s Money in the Bank run seemed to become a bit of a cliché throughout the dawning of the Summer of Punk. After CM Punk threatened to walk away with the WWE title in Chicago, Vince beckoned Alberto to cash in his briefcase to get the championship back around the waist of a WWE employee. For his first attempt, it didn’t go so well. Punk nailed Del Rio with a huge roundhouse kick and ran for the hills.

Alberto didn’t really do much with the briefcase while they were sorting out the interim title holder before Punk’s timely return. You’d think he might have cashed-in the night after on the ‘vacant’ championship position, but instead he loitered around until SummerSlam. Punk and Cena had an incredible dual championship main event that was ruined by a cameo from Kevin Nash. Big Sexy hit Punk with a Jacknife Powerbomb, which left the champ open for a classic cash-in.

Del Rio stole the title from Punk that night and set in motion the events that would lead to the longest WWE title reign of the modern era (prior to Brock Lesnar, Asuka and Pete Dunne). Del Rio’s Money in the Bank cash-in was an afterthought to the immense surge in Punk fandom: nobody wanted to see him with the championship, and they were very glad when he lost it back to Punk at Survivor Series. Maybe in another time, Del Rio could have been a successful Mr. Money in the Bank, but not during that summer.

 

12. Sheamus

Credit: Google

Sheamus joined the long list of Money in the Bank winners in 2015, taking the opportunity away from Roman Reigns after interference from Bray Wyatt. ‘The Celtic Warrior’ was having a great heel run, coming off mid-card feuds with Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan, so a Money in the Bank win was something he deserved to help prop him back into the main event scene. Sheamus held onto the contract for 161 days, dipping in and out of feuds with Randy Orton in the meantime.

After the WWE Championship was vacated by Seth Rollins following his unfortunate knee injury, a tournament was set-up to determine who was going to take Seth’s place as champion. It came down to former Shield buddies Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, who competed in a fantastic match. Roman would eventually win that match but had a short-lived victory as Sheamus hit the ring with a ref in tow.

So began the feud between Roman Reigns, Vince McMahon and his new pet project, Sheamus. Not that this was a terrible position for the Irishman to be in — the feud took Sheamus to new levels and allowed him to perform at the top of his game in hard-hitting contests against Roman Reigns. Sheamus was used as the villain that would finally get the crowd behind Roman, which as you can probably imagine, didn’t work out too well.

Even with Vince making rare on-screen appearances to help get the feud some traction, Sheamus just wasn’t that despicable of a heel. He was however a good Mr. Money in the Bank, and a fun WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

This run also gave birth to the “tater tots” promo, and you should all be thankful for that.

 

11. Carmella

Carmella
Image Source:
Daily DDT

The first ever Women’s Money in the Bank winner was a prime example of how the briefcase can bring someone out of the lower-card and into the echelon of champions. Carmella was considered one of the least deserving Women’s champions at the time, but to her credit, she was able to get a ridiculous amount of heat from the crowd. Having established herself on the main roster in a feud with Nikki Bella, Carmella found herself inserted into the first ever female Money in the Bank ladder match.

The only issues I have with this run was the way it went down. Due to the involvement of James Ellsworth, Carmella never technically won the briefcase. Ellsworth climbed the ladder for his partner and dropped the case down to her, giving her the win. Fans and fellow wrestlers alike blew up over this, which led to a second Money in the Bank ladder match taking place a few nights later on SmackDown Live. Carmella took the briefcase for a second time and officially crowned herself the first Miss Money in the Bank.

Carmella’s reign was a long one, but thankfully led to a successful cash-in on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 33. Charlotte Flair did the honours to Carmella after an attack from the debuting IIconics, and an emotional Carmella took the championship home to Staten Island, much to the chagrin of the fans.

For me, this definitely ranks up there as one of the better Money in the Bank runs. Even though Carmella wasn’t initially considered the ideal winner, she was turned into a star and brought to new heights, and really, that’s what the Money in the Bank should be used for.

 

10. CM Punk

CM Punk best in the world

Punk became the only two-time winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2008 and 2009, winning back-to-back matches at WrestleMania. Punk was the biggest blue-chip prospect coming out of WWE’s ECW, so it made sense for him to be given the right to hold onto the briefcase and certify himself as a future contender to the World Title. Punk was given his first cash-in victory against Edge during the 2008 Draft Night. This brought him and the World Heavyweight Championship to Monday Night Raw to mixed reviews.

Not everyone was truly sold on Punk at the time, and despite his victories over the likes of Batista and JBL, it wasn’t long before Punk was being moved back into the mid-card. His second run however, led to much more exciting things. Having cashed-in on new World Heavyweight Champion, Jeff Hardy, Punk was immediately turned heel for the first time in WWE. Punk then started one of his first defining feuds against Jeff for the World Heavyweight Championship. Punk quickly rose to the top of the roster and found himself inserted into matches with The Undertaker and Triple H over the coming months.

This was a huge step up for Punk, thanks to his two runs with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Becoming the first consecutive winner was a huge testament towards his status backstage: WWE believed in Punk and boy did it pay off.

 

9. Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose
Image Source:
cagesideseats.com

The Lunatic Fringe grabbed hold of the 2016 Money in the Bank briefcase, just prior to the brand extension. On the same night, Roman Reigns battled Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in Rollins’ first title fight since his return from injury. Moments after Seth defeated his former partner, Ambrose hit the ring and assaulted his ex-rival. In doing so, he cashed in his contract and became the second person to successfully relinquish the briefcase on the same night that he won it.

This abrupt cash-in made for an exciting end to the night, setting up the long-awaited Shield triple threat match that took place a month later. Ambrose’s character lends itself to an abrupt cash-in, so why would he hang about with a silly green case when he could trade it in within the hour and walk out with the title?

The crowd were so behind Ambrose becoming Mr. Money in the Bank and even more so when he came out to cash-in on Seth. It was poetic justice and having all three members of The Shield hold onto the WWE Championship on the same night was a comment on how far they’d all come individually.

This was very much rushed booking, putting the title on Ambrose and hurrying the triple threat programme prior to Ambrose splitting off to build SmackDown Live. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun seeing one of the most demanded matches be confirmed after an eventful pay-per-view.

 

8. Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam
Image Source:
Wrestle Stars

The second winner of the Money in the Bank briefcase was one of most popular winners of the coveted contract. RVD, a perennial mid-carder in WWE, was given the opportunity to break out and take on the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion at any time he pleased. Van Dam didn’t hang about, deciding to cash-in his briefcase in advance, and enter the main event of ECW’s One Night Stand against John Cena. What followed was well and truly the peak of WWE’s reinvented ECW.

John Cena entered to one of his most hostile reactions in front of a pro-ECW crowd that were baying to see Rob Van Dam hoist the WWE Championship high above his head for the first time in his decade long career. The two engaged in a fantastic championship match, very true to the chaotic nature and aesthetic of vintage ECW. The match concluded with Cena being put through a table by an interfering Edge, RVD took advantage and set the Metropolitan Centre alight.

I’d say this was the most celebrated cash-in, with legions of ECW loyalists overjoyed to see their darling finally win the big one from WWE’s golden boy. RVD didn’t get too long of a title reign, but as a fan of Mr. Monday Night, it was brilliant to see finally take his seat in the main event spot.

 

7. The Miz

The Miz
Image Source:
youtube.com

From one of the most beloved winners to the most despised, The Miz captured the briefcase in 2010, which set in motion his ascension into the main event and laid the foundations for the heel that we all came to love over the years. The Miz held onto the briefcase all the way through the summer, baiting us on a few occasions but managing to escape with his contract intact.

The Miz was finally able to fully hand over the briefcase and swipe the title off Randy Orton in November, providing us with the hilarious ‘Miz girl’ moment. Miz generated so much heat coming off his fantastic heel run with the briefcase, which made his title reign all the more satisfying in hindsight. The Miz wasn’t nearly as well-rounded as he is now but knew how to work the crowd and become a perfect villain for this day and age.

Miz would go on to headline WrestleMania against John Cena, sharing the same ring as a returning Dwayne Johnson. Considering where The Miz was about a year prior, this was a huge rub for him to get from being Mr. Money in the Bank, which was a fantastic bit of long-term booking on WWE’s behalf.

 

6. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan

D-Bry took quite the road during his run as Mr. Money in the Bank, going from being the valiant underdog and turning into an opportunistic snake. The World Heavyweight Championship was being contested between Mark Henry and The Big Show, who are not exactly the ideal two guys for the smaller Daniel Bryan to insert himself between, but nevertheless: At TLC 2010, Daniel Bryan cashed in on a post-assaulted Big Show. Bryan barely managed to turn the giant onto his front for the cover but took the championship away from the giant after a brutal chairs match. Bryan celebrated in front of a mixed crowd reaction, thanking his fans as well as his friends and family for getting him to the top of the mountain.

However, these sudden sneaky tactics didn’t go over well with the WWE Universe and they soon turned against the new champion. Bryan’s constant elation only went to rile the fans up even more, which later evolved into the ‘Yes’ chant that came to define Bryan’s stardom. Bryan’s Money in the Bank run wasn’t exactly prominent, but it was a big part in establishing him as a top name in the company, giving him the chance to show off his fantastic heel work while getting to put on some exciting matches with Sheamus and CM Punk.

 

5. Randy Orton

Randy Orton WWE champion

Orton was a surprising winner of the Money in the Bank briefcase. Randy entered the 2013 all-former champions ladder match that featured the likes of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and Rob Van Dam. Even though there were some more natural choices to win the briefcase that year, Randy was a welcome sight. A month after winning the match, The Viper teased that he’d be involved in the SummerSlam main event between John Cena and Daniel Bryan, hinting that it wouldn’t be long before he cashed in his contract.

Little did we know that Orton would kickstart one of the most iconic storylines of the era. Daniel Bryan defeated Cena that night and had his hand raised by Triple H. Celebrations wouldn’t last for long, as Orton’s entrance music hit and he slithered his way down to ringside. Meanwhile, H swerved everyone and hit Bryan with a massive Pedigree, leaving his lifeless body open to Orton, who covered the new WWE Champion and secured his 12th title reign.

Orton and Triple H reformed their alliance and laid the foundations for The Authority stable. The Money in the Bank briefcase put together an excellent story arc and re-established Randy Orton as a top star in the company, who was deserving of the championship after a couple years away from the main event scene.

Orton would hold the title until WrestleMania 30, which was of course the same night as Daniel Bryan’s career performance against all three members of Evolution. So, if you’re going to thank anyone for that incredible narrative, then look to Randy Orton and his run as Mr. Money in the Bank.

 

4. Bayley

Bayley
Source: WWE

The most recent winner to be included on this list, the third Ms. Money in the Bank yanked the briefcase down this past weekend in Hartford. Bayley has been in desperate need of a little momentum ever since losing the Women’s Tag Team Championships to The IIconics at WrestleMania. With Sasha Banks now taking a temporary hiatus, Bayley was left to rekindle her singles career on SmackDown Live. Bayley’s popularity suddenly hit the roof heading into the ladder match: the crowd was ready to fall in love with ‘The Hugger’ all over again and see her in the title hunt once more.

What nobody expected was to see Bayley go all the way, not only to win the match but also to cash in later on in the evening. Becky Lynch was being assaulted by both Charlotte Flair and Lacey Evans after defending both of her Women’s titles, the crowd was fully expecting Bayley to hit the ring to help her fellow Horsewoman and potentially take advantage of the downed champion in the process.

Lo and behold, her music hit and down she came. With Lacey Evans cleared from the ring and Charlotte reeling from the effects of a babyface comeback, Bayley cashed in her contract and rolled Flair up for the three count. The crowd absolutely exploded and made for a really touching moment, seeing one of the NXT breakout stars left behind only to find herself champion once again.

Outside of one of the next entries, I’d say this was the most beloved cash-in. Nobody wanted to see Charlotte walk out with the SmackDown Live title, so Bayley was the right person, in the right place at the right time.

 

3. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio
Image Source:
Wrestle Forum

Dolph Ziggler was an interesting experiment made by WWE in 2012. Considering he was barely breaking out of the mid-card at this point in his career, seeing him climb the ladder and win the briefcase was quite the rub. Fans were intrigued enough to support Ziggler in his efforts and were surprised to see him attempt a cash-in straight away on Sheamus. Unfortunately for Dolph, he was restrained in his efforts, which became somewhat of a theme throughout the next year. Ziggler’s run seemed to be never-ending, holding it throughout mini feuds with Chris Jericho, John Cena and Team Hell No, building his reputation and standing on the roster.

By the time WrestleMania 29 and the Raw after came around, fans were clamouring to see Ziggler finally cash it in and fulfil his potential. Ziggler’s cash in has gone down in WWE history as one of the most thrilling and passionate surprise titles wins. Taking advantage of an injured Alberto Del Rio, Ziggler pounced on the champion and hit him with a huge zigzag. Ziggler became one of the most organically over performers on the roster, after finally capitalising on his Money in the Bank contract.

For the next few weeks, Ziggler was red hot, but an untimely injury took him out of action and lost him the favour of the folks backstage, who had him lose the title upon his return to a heel Alberto Del Rio. Ziggler’s popularity didn’t go amiss, and he continued to be a top babyface despite suffering from an anti-climactic title run.

But credit where it’s due to WWE, this was a great way to build Ziggler as one of their hottest stars. Just by putting in the work and being ever-present in the discussion of championship matches made him an exciting aspect of WWE programming, which is exactly what the briefcase was originally intended for.

 

2. Edge

Edge
Image Source:
WWE

The first ever winner of the Money in the Bank, The Rated R Superstar, Edge. Needless to say, his time as Mr. Money in the Bank was legendary, it set the precedent for what a run with the briefcase should be. There were no expectations from the audience, considering this sort of thing had never been done before and in all honestly it was kind of confusing at first.

The Money in the Bank briefcase became more of a prop for Edge to use during his various feuds throughout 2005. Edge was already firing on all cylinders as one of the strongest heels in the company, ready to make the jump into the title picture at any point. WWE chose to sit on this for as long as they could, and boy did it pay off at New Year’s Revolution, when Vince McMahon himself announced that Edge would be cashing in his contract on John Cena.

The crowd quickly realised that something special was about to happen. Edge hit a bloodied Cena with a devastating spear and walked away with the WWE Championship for the first time in his career. The crowd erupted in support of the same guy they absolutely hated.

For years to come, winners of the Money in the Bank contract would do their best to emulate Edge’s success. Whether they be chicken-shit heels or do-gooders making the most of their shot at the top, everyone was inspired by Edge. But nobody perfected it quite like…

 

1. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins WrestleMania 31

The best example of how to be Mr. Money in the Bank is Seth ‘Freaking’ Rollins. Recently turning heel on his Shield buddies, Seth became one of the most vile heels of the modern era, naturally setting himself up to be the main-eventer that Triple H intended him to be. Having the Money in the Bank contract certified his place as one of the top superstars on the card, putting him in headlining matches with Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and eventually John Cena.

Rollins had well and truly established himself as a worthy champion by the time WrestleMania 31 came around, which has since become known as ‘The Heist of the Century’. Earlier on in the evening, Rollins had lost in a one-on-one match with Randy Orton, which took him of the picture, or so we thought. During the middle of the Brock Lesnar/Roman Reigns championship main event, Rollins’ music sent the WrestleMania crowd into pandemonium. For the first time ever, a Money in the Bank contract was cashed in on the grandest stage of them all, whilst a match was happening.

The main event turned into an impromptu triple threat match, which fans were more than happy to see, as it meant Roman had less chance of walking away with the win. I remember watching this play out in the middle of a rowdy pub full of exhausted wrestling fans, who were losing their minds just as much as the live crowd were. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, seeing Roman almost foil Rollins’ master plan, only to be nailed with a curb stomp in return.

Rollins closed the show swinging the WWE Championship high above his head. Much like Edge, the months of build and failed attempts made for quite the payoff and the WrestleMania moment. I’d say this tops Edge’s run purely because of the grandeur of having the cash-in take place during the WrestleMania main event. But both share that same legacy of being an incredible example of long-term booking and turning a mid-card heel into something larger than life, a true superstar and a deserving champion.

The Money in the Bank contract remains a prominent element of WWE’s storytelling. This year we witnessed Brock Lesnar surprise everyone by appearing unannounced during the Men’s Money in the Bank match, climbing the ladder and earning yet another shot at the Universal Title. How do you think Lesnar is going to fare as Mr. Money in the Bank? How long will he hold onto the briefcase for? Will he rank up there with the likes of Edge, Rollins and Ziggler? Let us know in the comments below.

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