WWE Money in the Bank 2017: 5 Early Predictions to Win

Rob Wolkenbrod

With there being about two months left before the WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view, who should be considered the favorites to win?

WWE Money in the Bank will be returning as a pay-per-view on Sunday, Jun. 18 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. With the brand split in place, this will be a SmackDown Live-exclusive show.

Money in the Bank is typically one of the most anticipated WWE shows of the year. It crowns a No. 1 Contender to the World title, allowing this person to “cash in” their opportunity at any time. They then receive a match — usually a short one since the Superstar will look to get to the champion when he’s most vulnerable. Only a handful of times has the briefcase been used in a pre-announced manner.

In 2016, Dean Ambrose won the Money in the Bank briefcase. Instead of waiting five months like Sheamus in 2015, or nine months like Seth Rollins earlier that same year, Ambrose used his opportunity the night of the PPV. He cashed in on Rollins, who had just defeated Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Only moments later did the Lunatic Fringe walk out with the title.

Soon, all attention will turn to the next Ambrose. There are SmackDown Live stars capable of pulling this off and receiving their chance at a World title, but who makes the most sense? In what order could this be, with the least likely being listed first?

Let’s take a look at the potential Money in the Bank candidates from SmackDown.

Credit: WWE.com

5. Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura has had fanfare around him since debuting in WWE NXT in April 2016. He carried that all the way to a main roster spot after WrestleMania 33, which saw him debut on the post-SmackDown Live episode.

Nakamura has main eventer written all over him, which has been the case going back deep into his New Japan Pro Wrestling years. The transition to this role in American hasn’t been an issue, and so far, it seems this won’t be a problem on the WWE stage every Tuesday night.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the King of Strong Style enter the main event scene quickly. He’s already 37-years-old and well-established, while also carrying himself like a top guy, whenever he enters a venue. So, could that lead to WWE giving Nakamura a shot at Money in the Bank?

If this happens, Nakamura’s spot in the main event picture immediately opens up, if it hadn’t already before this June PPV. It makes him an even more exciting Superstar with the unpredictable briefcase in hand, something that will only help him have a larger presence on SmackDown.

However, will WWE be willing to move the Japanese Sensation into the World title picture that soon? It’s not something they normally do, especially on a slow-build show like SmackDown Live. They can save his opportunity for a more natural storyline, like for WrestleMania 34 season. This allows him to work his way up the card and even contend with main event-level talents on the Blue Brand for the remainder of the year.

Nakamura could be a WWE Champion by the time 2017 closes. It just may not look like it in just over two months after debuting.

WWE.com

4. Sami Zayn

The underdog story was once done with Sami Zayn in NXT in 2014, and seems like we’re on that path again. He’s already losing consecutive matches on SmackDown Live, which may be a way of him eventually getting his moment under the sun. It won’t quite be like Daniel Bryan’s story — someone he often gets compared to — but the overcoming-the-odds story is draped all over Zayn.

If WWE wanted to give Zayn his moment, what about giving him a win at Money in the Bank? He could then line up his inevitable World title shot later in 2017, or wait for WrestleMania 34 season. There seems to be sentiment among the fans of Zayn being the ideal choice for the win:

sami zayn for money in the bank 2017 winner
— sarah (@undisputedxera) April 17, 2017

Sami Zayn could win money in the bank. I think that's his best chance to a world title
— Hi, My name is Josh (It's actually Joe) (@SayNoMore33) April 12, 2017

By giving the former ROH star the briefcase, it would sum up two months of constant losing, only to win by fluke in the ladder match. Then, when he does cash in against a hated heel, it will feel like a special moment. Who knows, maybe the pop will be similar to Dolph Ziggler’s in 2013 (his situation has similarities)?

The problem with giving Zayn this win is it would come too soon. It’s not the ideal emotional conclusion to his underdog run, either, which as we saw with NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, having the crowd behind him in a standard singles match worked perfectly. The feelings were all there as the Underdog from the Underground finally “won the big one,” as Neville used to say.

Saving Zayn’s moment is for the best. Leave it for a PPV main event — maybe against Kevin Owens.

WWE.com

3. AJ Styles

Until AJ Styles leaving the SmackDown brand, he’s always going to be considered for the WWE Championship. The work he did with the belt in 2016 was truly phenomenal, continuing to take his game to another level. It started with the Match of the Year candidate with John Cena at SummerSlam, leading to a title win over Dean Ambrose at Backlash.

Things came to a screeching halt for Styles, however, at the 2017 Royal Rumble. He and Cena put on a fantastic match, one that may be a Match of the Year candidate again, but the former NJPW star lost the belt.

Since then, Styles has looked to reemerge in the title hunt, but to no avail. However, don’t expect his name to stay out of the mix with the Money in the Bank PPV.

If WWE wants to throw Styles back into the fold, he can win the briefcase and potentially set a match up for himself at SummerSlam. That could be with a cash-in on Randy Orton.

However, Styles doesn’t really need the big moment of cashing in to win the WWE Championship. It’s a heel-ish move to do anyway, especially to a face Orton. WWE just turned Styles back to a face after WrestleMania 33, so it would make it an odd booking decision, potentially taking away his likeliness of winning the briefcase. Plus, it may be better to just put him in the hunt after the United States Championship feud with Kevin Owens.

Expect Styles to get back in the WWE Championship scene soon. It could include winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, but others stand ahead of him in the pack.

WWE.com

2. Kevin Owens

Speaking of Owens, he’s another candidate for the Money in the Bank briefcase. Having the United States Championship won’t stop this from happening, if he’s even holding it by the middle of June.

Owens’ main event pedigree was already established on Raw, as he held the WWE Universal Championship for nearly seven months. He ran through the likes of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to hold the title, only to drop it to Goldberg in 21 seconds at WWE Fastlane. That shouldn’t tarnish the legacy of the championship run, though, which transformed KO into the main eventer he looked to be in NXT.

Handing the Money in the Bank briefcase to Owens may make some fans’ dreams come true. It allows him to take his heel game to another level, always putting the current champion on guard. He can toy with this Superstar, making it look like he’s going to sneak in and steal a pin from the person or sit at ringside for every WWE Championship match, waiting for an opportunity. That seems like something the Owens character would do, or something in the ballpark.

What’s holding the former NXT Champion back is he came into 2017 holding a World title. It’s not often WWE places the belt on someone twice in one year, so we may have to wait for him to reach this status in 2018. Plus, it allows others to get the opportunity he already had to become a bonafide main eventer.

Credit: WWE.com

1. Baron Corbin

Topping the potential list of candidates is Baron Corbin, who has had a taste of the WWE Championship scene on SmackDown. However, he’s yet to headline a PPV or hold the title.

Corbin’s inclusion in the Money in the Bank picture stems from the reported main event and top heel push he’s getting later this year. It would place him in the title hunt, but doesn’t say if there are plans for him to go forward with the belt.